lursday • April 23, 1998
The Battalion
%C 51ELIFE
I k. i
lacks new spark on Viva Satellite
By Rhonda Reinhart
Staffwriter
W ith an opening track called “Rocket Fuel,”
you might think Todd Snider’s newest al
bum, Viva Satellite, would start out with a
bang. But the song and the rest of the album fizzle
faster than a wet bottle rocket on the Fourth of July.
Viva Satellite has the same high energy that is
Snider’s signature, but this latest effort lacks the
rugged spirit that exploded on 1994’s Songs From The
Daily Planet. Snider has managed to sand the rough
edges, but at the same time, he has filtered out most
of the impurities that gave his music the rowdy bar
room soul that many fans have grown to love.
It almost seems that Snider has given up his
rugged individualism for slick, formula melodies.
Several of the tracks on Viva Satellite sound like re
gurgitated tunes from early Tom Petty and the Heart-
breakers. There is also a cover of The Steve Miller
Band’s “The Joker” that is barely tolerable. Somehow,
I don’t think that even a barroom of drunken baby
boomers could appreciate this blast from the past.
In all fairness, Viva Satellite does have some re
deeming qualities. Although the sound of the songs
has suffered, the lyrics haven’t. Snider’s ability to mix
quirky metaphors with heartfelt emotion is just as
prevalent as ever. In this area, Snider is in top form.
On “Can’t Complain,” he provides an anthem for
those struggling with the cards life has dealt them,
but he does it with the backdrop of a baseball dia
mond. “We’re all waiting in the dugout/ wishing we
could pitch / But how you gonna throw a shutout / if
all you do is bitch?” The setting is a little unorthodox,
but he makes his point.
“Once He Finds Us,” perhaps the best track on the
album, is a tender ballad about getting in touch with
one’s spiritual side. “I don’t know how I found Jesus /1
don’t care now, he’s in my heart / And once he finds us /
he ever ever leaves us/ no matter how far we fall apart.”
With lyrics like these, angelic background vocals and an
electric guitar, Snider creates a pleasant blend of gospel
soul with a dash of rock ’n’ roll. “Once He Find Us” is
certainly the standout track on Viva Satellite.
From love songs to up-all-night party songs,
Snider covers his musical bases on Viva Satellite.
But no Todd Snider album is complete without a
tune like “Doublewide Blues.” This tribute to the
trailer park community is hilarious, yet troubling.
“V-neck T-shirt with a mustard stain / rollin’ up a
Viva Satellite
Todd Snider
MCA Records
Critique: C-f
hose outside in mmm
the rain / He’s
been my neigh
bor since ’79 /
course he was in
prison most of
that time.”
Much like his
1994 ode to Seat
tle grunge rock,
Snider’s “Dou
blewide Blues”
paints vivid por
traits of eccentric characters. He exaggerates their so
cial imperfections in a way that makes us laugh, but
at the same time makes us think.
Unfortunately, neither the quirkiness of “Dou
blewide Blues” or the sincerity of “Once He Finds Us”
is enough to blast Viva Satellite into a realm of quali
ty, original music.
Let’s hope Snider’s next effort is an album with all
the necessary ingredients — or his next quirky song
might be about a washed-up rock singer playing
seedy hotel lounges for the price of a couple of drinks
and a pack of cigarettes.
l/i
Sid 1
4
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