Peace Queer is an EP by the American musician Todd Snider, released in 2008.[2][3] It was made available as a free download before it appeared in stores.[4] The Riverfront Times labeled the EP "a don't-let-the-door-hit-you adios" to George W. Bush.[5]
Snider supported Peace Queer with a North American tour.[6] He made a 43-minute movie as a companion piece.[7]
Production
Snider considered the EP to be a political record, with the caveat that one shouldn't take political advice from a "stoner."[8] Because the songs didn't fit in with Snider's typical songs, he considered simply throwing them away.[9] The album cover is a photo of a masked Snider being held hostage by a hippie.[10]
"Fortunate Son" is a cover of the John Fogerty song, with Patty Griffin providing backing vocals.[11][12] "Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith)" is built on the musical structure of George Michael's "Faith" and incorporates Will Rogers's most famous saying.[13][14] "Stuck on the Corner" is about a man driven insane by the materialism of his family.[15] "The Ballad of Cape Henry" was cowritten with Will Kimbrough.[16] "Is This Thing Working?" is an allegorical song about the victim of a high school bully.[17]
The New Yorker wrote that Snider's "brilliant brand of rambling, homespun comedy is in fine form on the title track."[20]The Independent deemed the EP "a gorgeously atmospheric experience, from its opening acoustic Bo Diddleyisms via its unaccompanied versifications to its blues."[21] The Dallas Observer stated that "Snider has always incorporated wit and a leftist political bent into his folk/country, but about half of Peace Queer comes off as heavy-handed and predictable."[22]
The Associated Press considered Peace Queer "more funny than angry but passionate, too."[23] The Boston Herald opined that the only worthy track was "Stuck on the Corner".[19]NPR determined that the tracks "are heavy on melody and metaphor, mixing politically and socially disgruntled themes while maintaining Snider's stinging wit."[24]
AllMusic called the EP "a short and bittersweet gem, a rant that's funny enough to make the venom sting all the more and a cry of protest with joy and compassion in its heart."[18]
Track listing
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith)"
12Edwards, Mark (January 11, 2009). "Rock, pop, jazz". Features. The Sunday Times. pp.32, 33.
↑Harrison, Shane; Murray, Sonia (September 29, 2008). "Hard Tunes for Hard Times: Music for a Modern Meltdown". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p.C1.
↑"Spin Factor". Lifestyles. The City Paper. November 7, 2008.
↑"For Todd Snider, the a song is a portrait, not a lesson or lecture". The Kansas City Star. January 22, 2009. p.E28.
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