Recoded in 2007, promptly shelved, subsequently misplaced and recently rediscovered, Crank It, We’re Doomed finds Todd Snider standing at the crossroads of folk, country, neo-funk and rock ‘n’ roll and represents the rare lost gem that actually sparkles when the dust is removed. 

A number of the 15 karats on the 50-minute Doomed – including “From a Dying Rose,” “The War on Terror” and the Loretta Lynn duet “Don’t Tempt Me” – ultimately found their way on to Peace Queer, the Excitement Plan and Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables. Some were used as recorded in ’07 (“Don’t Tempt Me”); others received fresh treatments (“Good Fortune,” which features Kris Kristofferson on Doomed); and others still were renamed, which is how “Handleman’s Revenge” became Peace Queer’s “Stuck on the Corner (Prelude to a Heart Attack).”

The lost-and-found album is a masterwork that sits easily alongside Songs for the Daily Planet and Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3. Listening to it and wondering why it sat dormant for 16 years will likely cause Snider fans to gravitate toward the title of the song that explores Billy Joe Shaver’s shooting of a man and ask: “What Made You Do It.” That one is previously unreleased but sounds so familiar upon first listen I suspect Snider’s played it live over the years.

Other previously unheard numbers include the grimy, guitar-driven rock ’n’ roll of “Juice” and the acoustic, country lope of “But Seriously Folks.” 

Violin colors the Doomed version of “America’s Favorite Pastime,” which hilariously recounts Doc Ellis’ no-hitter while tripping balls and “Mercer’s Folly” recalls the sound of 20th-century Snider with lyrics that ultimately became “Big Finish.”

The liner notes say Snider nixed Crank It, We’re Doomed for “artistic reasons,” which is a weird way of saying he fucked up in ’07. Thankfully, he wised up in ’23.