Todd Snider: Peace Queer

Todd Snider has never shied away from controversy with his music, as evidenced by such Snider classics as "Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males" and "You Got Away With it (A Tale of Two Fraternity Brothers)." The first song (from 2004's East Nashville Skyline) attacks exactly who it says it does, people who hate "Tree huggin', peace lovin', pot smokin', porn watchin', lazy-ass hippies" like Mr. Snider himself. The second song (from 2006's The Devil You Know) lampoons the college days of a certain future world leader with a penchant for evading trouble.

Well... Snider is at it again with his new disc, Peace Queer due out October 7th. The opening track "Mission Accomplished" immediately pounds you over the head with a Bo Diddley beat... and a bit of political commentary. In it, Snider attacks a certain leader as a "man who could not stop lying," and accuses him of driving the country off a cliff and calling it flying.

From there, Snider tells the tale of a Revolutionary War soldier and how his life was changed by the war in "Cape Henry." The album also includes a sombre reading of CCR's "Fortunate Son," a not so rosy view of adult life on "Stuck on the Corner," and a dark humor look at death in "Dividing the Estate (A Heart Attack)." Snider calls the album a six-song life cycle. The songs are enhanced by guest shots from Patty Griffin, Don Herron of BR549, Will Kimbrough, and Doug Lancio among others.

Fans of Snider, his world view, and his specific brand of humor will like this album... probably quite a bit. The one caveat is that the album only includes eight tracks, and two of those are spoken word pieces. It does seem to be priced accordingly, however. You can pre-order on Amazon for $9.

Todd Snider: Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith) (Buy Album)


Tech note: I finally figured out how to use the Yahoo Media Player and add it to the site. Now you can just click the play button icon next to each song to listen to the music without being taken to another page.