ALBUM REVIEWS / POP : ‘Golden Age’ of Cracker Hits Bland and Brilliant Notes : ** 1/2, CRACKER, “The Golden Age”, Virgin

Radio-friendly tunes appeared to be the last things on David Lowery’s mind when the Cracker frontman put together the wacky musical smorgasbord of his first band, the cultish Camper Van Beethoven. But Cracker’s blend of Stonesy rave-ups and countrified hoedowns on 1994’s crackling, creepy “Kerosene Hat” finally snagged Lowery long-overdue success.

The follow-up unabashedly rides on Cracker’s hit-maker potential. Like Billy Corgan at his worst, Lowery safely panders to his new audience’s self-hatred and apathy with songs like “Nothing to Believe In.”

The small shining moments are probably too rootsy and downbeat at their emotional core to ever get alternative-radio play. An escapist space oddity, “I’m a Little Rocket Ship,” soars with romantic desire; the swaying folk ballad “Big Dipper” says “I hate my generation” with intelligence and wry insight.

Although irritatingly self-indulgent and arrogant at times, Lowery occasionally borders on brilliance. It’s possible that someone in the future will delve deeply into “The Golden Age” and find the portent of Sly Stone’s “There’s a Riot Going On.” For now, the album just feels slightly uninspired.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).