This one surprised me. I have never been a big fan of Cracker, or Camper Van Beethoven for that matter. But David Lowery, one of the founders of both bands, steps out on his own for his first solo album and its a success. "The Palace Guards" definitely exceeded my expectations.
What was not a surprise is Lowery's sense of humor is intact. He screams in his defense on "Baby, All Those Girls Meant Nothing To Me" begging for forgiveness, while crawling on his hands and knees 'through all my thrown out stuff'. With searing guitar, it's a killer rock track. The title track stops and starts with Lowery's sarcastic lyrics ('I love you and 'cuz I do don't ever leave me/I'll smash your stuff up if you do'), before marching into an acoustic rock track.
The heart of the album is found in its slower material. There are a number of honest to goodness lovely ballads here that won me over. The slow twang of "Deep Oblivion" features an understated vocal performance from Lowery. Acoustic ballad "Ah You Left Me" is my personal favorite, an outright expression of pain over a break-up with a beautiful melody and chorus. "Marigold" is a sun burnt, string laden affair that feels like the soundtrack to a summer sunset. Gorgeous.
It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised by an album you weren't expecting to care much about. As enjoyable a listen as "The Palace Guards" is, here's hoping Lowery has plans to continue putting out solo material in the future.
"The Palace Guards" was released in the U.S. February 1, 2011 on Savoy/429 Records.
Official Website of David Lowery
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