With a clean, controlled, vibrato-less voice as smooth as untouched ice, Neko Case guides listeners through her story-like songs. This alt-country songstress (yes, the genre Country just made an appearance on an Indie music blog, don’t panic) weaves mysterious narratives that rise above the proverbial din and hang in the air indefinitely.
Neko Case is a singer-songwriter with the unique ability to capture a noir-like country vibe without coming across as oppressively dark or intrusively twangy. The country characteristic of story-telling is evident, but the alternative, indie music quality of twisting the lyrics into poetic riddles fuses these seemingly opposite genres together. While her songs tend to channel dust-bowl desolation, she also touches upon innocence and whimsy leaving you with at least a taste of the carefree.
This talented artist seemingly lives two musical lives acting as solo alt-country crooner as well as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. As a member of a group her distinctive voice serves the collective, but as a solo artist it towers over the music and drips in echoing reverb that allows it to linger. The best way to enjoy Neko Case is simply to let the songs float into your consciousness and allow them hover there like those great films with the satisfying yet unresolved endings.
Is alt-country still too country for your inner hipster?
If you like: Patsy Cline, Mazzy Star, Jenny Lewis
Check out: Neko Case (start with “Star Witness” and “The Needle Has Landed” from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, continue with “People Got a Lotta Nerve” from Middle Cyclone and graduate with “Deep Red Bells” from Blacklisted)
Feeling brave: The New Pornographers, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly BearAI level: Intermediate