Customer Reviews

Peace Queer

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In his own clever way, Todd Snider never fails to surprise. Just when you think he might rest on his hind legs and write something innocuous, he fires back with his most confrontational and poignant record yet. He starts off with a Bo Diddley beat cradeling a metaphor between a maniacal president and someone who "Drove us off a cliff and called it 'flyin'." Snider softens the blow to CCR's "Fortunate Son" while adding to the depth of the lyrics with his hushed reading. He touches on the life awaiting soldiers who return from the war in "Cape Henry" and another character piece, "Is this thing workin?", draws a line between a high-school hallway bully and the chief executive officer through a Gil Scot Heron style recitation. The piece appears again in song form later as "Is This Thing On?". The perils of middle age parenthood inspire "Stuck on a Corner" with it's rompin' rock & roll beat that berates a daughter who "Can't Stand the sight of the car I bought her." Anyone who works in a cubicle and can never seem to satisfy everyone, this is your new anthem.
Just like George Carlin before him, Snider's funniest material is also the most truthful.

I bought the first TS cd based on a newspaper article about Talkin Seattle Grunge Rock Blues. I have bought all the cds since. A couple of them disappointed me. This one did not. I can not believe he is not famous. Todd keep telling us stories. I enjoy your perspective and sense of humor.

Once again dedicated to the proposition that the losers also have a history worth hearing, this baldly non-commercial (title, cover, distribution strategy, spoken word pieces, frequent and casual profanity, length), roughly carved yet tightly assembled little piece of heart, mind, humor and humanity qualifies for "Required Listening For Citizenship" status. The sincerity of the two vocalists on cut #3 is the clue that this is not just a toss-off, as some have suggested it is. But having said that, who could be the intended audience for such an intentionally anti-capitalist ramble-tamble folk-rock product (including spoken word pieces) as this? My theory has to do with the dissonance experienced by the "Beer Run" fan when trying to sing (speak?) along to "Is This Thing Working?/Is This Thing On?" in concert. Subversive every step of the way; thought, word and deed; past, present and future; which, friends and neighbors, he's not sure we're gonna have.

I don't want to discourage new Todd fans with this disc. It is not the place to start your collection of his GREAT albums... This disc deserves 3 stars, BUT Todd deserves his own star. As a BIG fan of his last album "The Devil You Know" and I mean huge fan of that album.... It is one of the best sing-along records I have. A true gem, undiscovered.... Sometimes these things can take 10-25 years before they are truly discovered and since Todd is half of that he is almost there... We Hope!
After this new cd "Peace Queer", I don't get it... I saw him live and these bits were trickled throughout the shows.. Impressive on the side, but as a full record it doesn't quite come together...
Fortunately it is a seriously reduced price disc !! BIG BOUNUS.
The actual songs are great, but the spoken word doesn't have the same affect as a live setting. Over all it is not very good, although the songs are worthy, I feel the spoken word parts take away from the flow of the disc, almost like a train wreck... Maybe that was his intention?..
Go see him live and this cd will be essential. TS is infective and you won't be denied. Though this disc does not live up to the Todd Snider legend we have all come to publicly view, it does round up the "new" stuff all in one spot, hopefully, to move on to newer better ideas.

The question is....
Should YOU buy this disc?
For the songs - YES !!
for the artwork - YES
for the cheapness - YES
for the support of an artist - YES

It really isn't that bad... It is short, but short and sweet would have been better... I really like the songs, but the wit faded on this album.
I think most fans are into his wit and charm and this new cd has neither.

It's more like an E.P. rather than a full length CD.
I have noticed a lot of artist are going back to shorter releases.
Can't blame them though, it aint easy to write and compose songs.

Take out the spoken word and keep the songs and you've got yourself
a nice little set of tunes.....

That is probably a better title.

"A NICE LITTLE SET OF TUNES" minus the spoken word

Recommended, for fun
Highly Recommended, If you already own his other albums

...gave him a 5 star review and said he played with guts.

This music is an alternative to alternative.

Awesome Todd Snider, I have been listening to Todd since about day one, and have seen him in concert a few times, i love his music, but on occasion have been disappointed a little in his published efforts, not this on though, I must have listened to it 10 times in a row before I moved on. It is great, it is also one of those albums that benifits from listening to the entire album, straight through, in the order it was intended. He does a couple of old standards, Cape henry, and some awesome covers, Fortunate son. The only disappointment I have is that it wasn't longer by about 10 songs, but that is usually how I feel about all of Todds albums, the guy is a modern day troubador!!!

Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, PEACE QUEER is a powerful little record. It starts off with a Bo Diddley acoustic beat, dissecting the philosophy of Will Rogers. That acoustic rhythm flows on into a haunting rendition of CCR's "Fortunate Son" (the only non-original here), then the wry recitation "Is This Thing Working?" (re-worked later at "Is This Thing On?").

The first four tracks of PEACE QUEER dig under your skin, playing around in the dark, searching for your nerves. When the gritty electric guitar kicks in at the opening of "Stuck On the Corner," the nerve is struck. It's like a gentle massage turning into a full-on assault on your senses. Snider eases back into a more laid-back beat for the remainder of the record, but the damage is done--you're awake, you're alert, and by God you're listening. PEACE QUEER, like all of Snider's more recent releases (as he himself acknowledges here), is not for individuals afraid to look within themselves. Snider seems to suggest that we are all guilty of something, that we are all culpable--but also, more importantly, that we are our own salvation, that we can rise above and beyond whatever unconscious guilt we possess. It's not the happiest of messages, but at least Snider is talented enough to find a positive spin in all this madness. Listen cautiously...but listen carefully.

This album (more like an EP) finds Todd Snider in a more experimental mood than usual. It also finds him angry and discontent but laughing to keep from crying. Peace Queer starts out with a sparse, upbeat twang-hop tune, Mission Accomplished, that sets the tone for the rest of the music. With it's raggedy drum beat front and center, the song is obviously a reference to our past president and Snider's frustration with said president's glib denial of reality. My favorite line is typical of Snider's ability to transpose and invert cliches - "I don't know, but I've been told - might need a little fox in an atheist hole.." (A play on the "there are no atheists in foxholes" saying.)

He then moves into a more earnest tune, "Cape Henry," which is a soulful, bluesy tune that beautifully and cleverly chronicles the hypocrisy of war dating back to the founding of our country (Cape Henry was a battle site in the Revolutionary War.) From there, he covers CCR's anti-war classic "Fortunate Son" which is also given a straightforward treatment.

Next, Snider gets a bit gratuitous with a spoken work version of "Is This Thing Working" which receives musical accompaniment on the last track of the album. The song/poem is morality tale of sorts about a schoolyard bully and seemingly another allusion to Snider's disenfranchisement with American foreign policy. I actually enjoy the spoken word version and take pleasure in the rhythm and humor Snider employs in the delivery. It won't make the iPod cut, however, when importing the album. The musical version is a well-produced, rollicking tune that will be a favorite on the iPod, though.

His spoken word is followed by "Stuck on the Corner" which is a fast-tempo garage rock anthem that pokes fun at the empty consumerism of today's world.

"Dividing the Estate" might be my favorite track on the album. Once again, Snider uses metaphor to rail against the loss of the American dream, but in a deliciously ragged, bluesy sauce.

Lastly, Snider gets a touch self-involved for my tastes on "Ponce of the Flaming Peace Queer." The track starts out as pretty, melody-driven instrumental track but ends with Snider self-consciously acknowledging (in direct, spoken word) that he's become a more opinionated songwriter of late. I could have lived without this, but the cleverness and creativity of the album as a whole make this wholly forgivable.

With it's clever songs, experimental nature, and sometimes raucous nature, Peace Queer is definitely worth picking up. I've also found it's a good introduction to Snider for those less familiar.

PEACE QUEER is a small (8 tracks), quirky and quintessientially Todd Snider CD. You either like Snider's singing or you don't. I do, and he is in his usual fine form here.
The songs are about war and those who actually have to fight in them, Creedence's "Fortunate Son" among them; a song, "Is This Thing Working?", using bullies as a metaphor for big countries invading little ones (which may just strike a chord with some of you); and two songs, "Stuck on the Corner" and "Dividing the Estate" about the soullessness of working just to make money. I always like Snider's rock and roll cuts, and he has one here, "Stuck on the Corner", that is reminiscent of his "If Tommorow Never Comes" and Snider kicks a** on it with his usual intensity.
This CD really grew on me. Each time I listened to it I liked it a little better to the point that it has reached 5 star status.

Just a bit shy of the standard he has set for himself which is truly hard to acheive as a singer/songwriter, empahsis on the songwriting.
He is still much better than 90% of them.