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Neko Case


Born: 1970
Location: Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Genre: Alt-Country, Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Years Active: 1995 -
Real Name: Neko Case
Way of Working: Collaborates with other musicians
Associated: Maow, The New Pornographers, Laura Veirs
Labels: Mint, Bloodshot, ANTI-

Essential Releases

Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby

Furnace Room
Lullaby (2000)

Moves away from the cover songs of her debut to craft a passionate alt-country album.

Neko Case - Canadian Amp

Canadian Amp
EP (2001)

Beautifully haunting. Introduced her signature country noir sound.

Neko Case - Blacklisted

Blacklisted (2002)

Darker. Refined the country noir elements she would become famous for.

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Fox Confessor Brings
the Flood (2006)

Regarded as an instant classic of haunting country.


Running away from a neglectful home at 15, Neko Case traversed the Pacific Northwest as the drummer for punk bands such as Maow before pivoting to alt-country and indie rock. At the time, one of America's most prolific serial killers, Gary Ridgeway, was hunting around Neko's hometown of Tacoma, Washington for troubled young women to murder, and Neko fit the profile. She told the A.V. Club 'I grew up while he was killing women.' These hard experiences, surviving deep poverty, her parents' substance abuse, and potential brutality steeled her against a cruel world and inspired her later projects.

In the beginning (see The Virginian), however, she mostly covered the work of other artists such as Hank Williams and her major influence Loretta Lynn, as a self-taught musician. However, joining the Canadian power pop outfit The New Pornographers in 1997 helped her gain the confidence needed to strike out on her own as a singer-songwriter.

With her Canadian Amp EP (2001), and then more forcefully on Blacklist (2002), she became a pioneering force in the bleak form of music known as country noir or gothic country. The style paints rural America as a place of peril, inhabited by deeply flawed eccentrics roaming the corn fields long after decent folk have called it a night.

Violent and nightmarish, it covers subjects such as murder and alienation with a devilish smile. Neko's 'Deep Red Bells', about Gary Ridgeway, is a perfect example: 'Those like you who lost their way, murdered on the interstate.'

Neko's troubled early life inadvertently left her perfectly suited to lead country noir. It was refreshing for a songwriter to have real-world experiences related to her songs, leaving in the gritty details others would omit, while also serving as a direct rebuttal to the sanitised Nashville sound that many country fans were tired of.

Featuring deeper, more complex narratives drawn from Southern gothic literature is another hallmark of the genre in general, and in Neko's work specifically. For example, her song 'Margaret vs Pauline' tells a tale of two women from the same town, one rich, the other poor: "One left her sweater sitting on the train. The other lost three fingers at the cannery."

Thematically distinct from Nashville, country noir was also an ideal fit for Neko's untrained, booming voice that can burst the eardrums of people a mile away. When at full volume, the sheer thunderous power of it feels like a force of nature, destructive and unforgiving. The powerful volume of her vocals are so recognisable that they became a defining feature of her work. When combined with sparse instrumentation, hearing them feels like being outside in a deafening storm.

Some people say they listen to everything except country. To those people, Neko Case is the perfect rebuke. Her complex themes of savage violence, bitter heartbreak, haunting beauty, and hard-earned redemption make her a compelling artist unlike any other. Crafting consistently great records for over two decades, she steered a stagnant country music in a new and exciting direction when most people thought it was impossible.


Skills

*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.

Emotional Impact

i Does it connect with the heart? What does it make you feel and how much of it?
70

Mental Impact

i Does it connect with the head? Social issues, interesting observations, clever lyrics, similies etc.
55

Originality

i Are they unique? Did they break new ground, use new techniques or create new genres.
90

Artistry

i Using creativity and imagination to present themselves in a unique way. Example, Wu-Tang Clan as Shaolin and Marvel characters etc.
70

Authenticity

i Do they really mean what they say? Is it autobiographical, personal?
65

Live

i Stage presence, working the crowd, performance. Miming, forgetting lyrics reduce this.
90

Production

i Studio techniques. More important for electronic music including hip hop.
70

Musicianship

i Their ability to play individually and as a group. Technical skills. DJing. Freestyling for hip hop.
70

Singing

i Technical attributes.
90

Songwriting

i Storytelling. Cohesive themes. Is the song about something? Stan by Eminem is an example of excellent songwriting.
85

Danceability

i Does it make you move? Do you tap your foot, nod your head or move your whole body?
55

Fun

i Is listening to it a good time? Are the lyrics funny? Depressing themes lowers value.
40

Consistency

i Have they put out good music across their careers. Two good albums and 5 band ones will reduce this value.
90

Range

i Fast, slow, ballads, party jams. Do they go beyond their own genre?
65

Cool

i Laid-back, icy detachment, unflustered.
60

Charisma

i Factors include appearance, force of personality. Elvis making people faint etc.
55

Commercial & Critical Success

Awards >>>

  • Grammy Award Nominee x4
  • Juno Award Nominee x1 - Twin Cinema - Best Alternative Album
  • Polaris Music Prize Nominee (shortlist) x1 - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Certifications

Charts

  • Middle Cyclone - Number 3 in the US; Number 5 in Canada

Critics >>>

  • Paste - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time: 12th
  • Paste - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - The 50 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time: 14th
  • Pitchfork - Blacklisted - Top 200 albums of the 2000s: 141st
  • The A.V. Club - Hell-On - Top 20 Albums of 2018: 2nd

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