After the sad dissolution of Camper Van Beethoven, whom I'd loved since they first emerged in the middle of my mid-80s college radio days, I was pretty eager (if a little apprehensive) to check out the 1992 eponymous debut from Cracker, CVB frontman David Lowery's new band. And it turned out to be pretty good; maybe lacking the cross-cultural musical experimentation and wide-ranging absurdity of CVB's earlier work, but giving Lowery's gentle snark and casual delivery a more traditional alt.rock and Americana-tinged backing. 

Opening track "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)" was certainly a fine way to introduce themselves, a rollicking upbeat rocker, snide and of-the-moment but seemingly tailor-made for a little 120 Minutes attention. I haven't spent much time with the album since then, and just a bit more on Cracker's subsequent releases--invariably solid and occasionally great, if not as distinctive as what CVB could do (including on CVB's subsequent reunion-era albums)--but this number still holds up, a  jaded anthem IMHO as worthy and era-defining as the prior year's similarly-teen-titled single from Nirvana.

Live on Letterman:
Live 2018:
Bluegrass cover from Leftover Salmon with Keller Williams:
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