The most tender place in our Paste-y hearts is for Neko Case. Although she gets a great deal of press for her standout vocal contributions to the wacky New Pornographers, it's been Case's solo material that has built and cemented her legacy as a musician. Rock history is filled with legendary voices who rarely sang their own material (Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt), as well as brilliant lyricists who could barely carry a tune (Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith). Case, however, is that rare total package: evocative lyrical imagery, a deft touch with melody and atmosphere, and that voice - a sound capable of melting hearts across all genre barriers.
While it always seems to take her awhile to turn around a fresh batch of material (constantly touring with the New Pornos doesn't help), Case's label Anti- is helping to tide over her fans by taking them on a journey through the alt.country songwriter's recorded past. On Nov. 6, the label will reissue three of Case's last four releases: 2000's Furnace Room Lullabies (credited to "Neko Case and Her Boyfriends"), 2002's Blacklisted, and last year's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. The re-release of Fox Confessor will tack on five bonus tracks: a previously unreleased demo of "Behind The House," plus two songs each from Blacklisted and Lullabies.
Case is currently out on tour with her pornographer friends, and dates are available on her site.
Related links:
Paste feature on Neko Case
Neko Case at Anti- Records
YouTube: "Maybe Sparrow" live on David Letterman
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