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Before becoming one of the most original voices of alt-country,
Virginia-native and Tacoma (Washington) resident Neko Case
got her training in an all-female punk-pop band called Maow, documented on
The Unforgiving Sounds Of (Mint, 2009).
However, Case later transformed into a country singer and started
crooning and serenading with the coarse, gritty, passion of a Bruce
Springsteen and the raw, drunken energy of cow-punks.
The autobiographical The Virginian (Mint, 1997), half devoted to covers,
and Furnace Room Lullaby (Bloodshot, 2000 - Lance Rock, 2010), entirely
written by her, are as noteworthy for their songs as for the impressive parades of guest appearances.
The latter (featuring
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet's
guitarist Brian Connelly, the
New Pornographers'
vocalist Carl Newman, the Sadies,
Kelly Hogan),
alternates catchy tunes
(the soaring gospel-ish ode Set Out Running,
the folk-rocking singalong Guided by Wire with a jangly instrumental break)
and straightforward
honky-tonk (Mood To Burn Bridges) with her emotional outpours
(the martial dirge Lonely Old Lies,
the vibrant howling funereal Furnace Room Lullaby,
the twangy waltzing South Tacoma Way,
the tender Bought and Sold).
The Corn Sisters were the duo of Neko Case and Canadian singer-songwriter
Carolyn Mark that released The Other Woman (2000).
Mark also released Party Girl (2000),
Terrible Hostess (Mint, 2002),
The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration (Mint, 2004) ,
Just Married (Mint, 2005),
Nothing Is Free (Mint, 2007).
Case relocated to Chicago and joined the
New Pornographers.
The EP Canadian Amp (Lady Pilot, 2002), recorded in her kitchen, is a
stripped-down effort that features the usual cast of friends
(Kelly Hogan, Robert Lloyd, Chris Von Sneidern, etc) and the usual dose of
covers.
Blacklisted (Lady Pilot / Bloodshot, 2002) is
finally an album of original material (except two covers).
Case has matured both as a
singer and as a songwriter and arranger.
She can also afford to round up a back-up band made of
Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino,
Giant Sand's Howe Gelb,
Jody Grind's Kelly Hogan,
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet's Brian Connelly
and (drum roll) Mary Margaret O'Hara in one of her rare appearances.
Her alt-country fame is justified by the breezy bluegrass of
Things That Scare Me, the solemn honky-tonk of Stinging Velvet,
and the ethereal country of I Missed The Point (each a pretext to
display her voice's stunning register), but her status as a creative auteur
depends on the mood that her carefully crafted compositions forge.
Her subtle art is best displayed in
Deep Red Bells, a sinister and suspenseful ballad over
feverish rhythm that suddenly soars in a John Denver-ian anthem;
or in I Wish I Was The Moon, that has the naive quality of the French singers of the 1960s (Francoise Hardy).
Case intones the bluesy meditation of Pretty Girls in a register that
recalls Grace Slick while guitar and bass pen an almost apocalyptic atmosphere,
whereas the confessional style of Lady Pilot and
Ghost Wiring evokes Joni Mitchell with a bolder, deeper voice.
The ghost of Nick Cave rises from the
slow, dark, tense, heavy, desolate Blacklisted
and from Tightly's interplay of
Connelly's ominous twang, swampy rhythm and pensive piano.
Her vocal acrobatics help achieve a kind of drama that is simply out of
reach for most musicians.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Paolo Latini)
Nata in Virginia e cresciuta a Tacoma (Washington) Neko Case ha avuto
la sua formazione in una punk-pop band chiamata Maow. Presto però,
Case si tramuta in una cantante country e ora borbotta e canticchia serenate
con la stessa passione ruvida e tenace di un Bruce Springsteen e la grezza
energia ubriaca dei cow-punks.
L'autobiografico The Virginian (Mint, 1997) e Furnace Room
Lullaby (Bloodshot, 2000) sono degni di nota tanto per le loro canzoni
quanto per l'impressionante parata di ospiti (Kelly Hogan, Ron Sexsmith).
Il secondo alterna motivi orecchiabili (Set Out Running, Guided
by Wire) e honky-tonk diretti (Mood To Burn Bridges) con le
sue forti uscite emozioanali (Twist the Knife, Furnace Room Lullaby,
Bought
and Sold).
L'EP Canadian Amp (Lady Pilot, 2002), registrato nella sua cucina,
è un lavoro scarno che presenta il solito novero di amici (Kelly
Hogan, Robert Lloyd, Chris Von Sneidern, etc) e la solita dose di covers.
Blacklisted (Lady Pilot / Bloodshot, 2002) è finalmente
un album composto da (per lo più) materiale originale. Case è
maturata sia come cantante che come arrangiatrice, come dimostrano Pretty
Girls, Things That Scare Me, Deep Red Bells e I Wish
I Was The Moon. E si può anche permettere una band di supporto
con i Calexico (Joey
Burns e John Convertino), Howe Gelb dei Giant
Sand, Kelly Hogan dei Jody
Grind, Brian Connelly dei Shadowy
Men On A Shadowy Planet e (rullo di tamburi) Mary
Margaret O'Hara in una delle sue rare apparizioni.
La sua fama alt-country è giustificata dal vivace bluegrass
di Things That Scare Me, dall solenne honky-tonk di Stinging
Velvet, e dal country etereo I Missed The Point (ognuna un pretesto
per mostrare il registro sbalorditivo della sua voce), ma il suo status
di autrice creativa poggia sul mood forgiato dalle sue composizioni raffinate.
La sua sottile arte risalta maggiormente in Deep Red Bells,
una ballata sinistra e piena di suspence su una ritmica febbrile che d'improvviso
si schiude in un anthem John Denver-iano; o in I Wish I Was The Moon,
che ha lo stesso tocco naïfe dei cantanti francesi degli anni '60
(Francoise Hardy). Case intona la meditazione blues Pretty Girls
in un registro che richiama Grace Slick mentre chitarra e basso tratteggiano
un'atmosfera quasi apocalittica, mentre lo stile confessionale di Lady
Pilot e Ghost Wiring ricorda una Joni Mitchell con una voce
più nitida e più profonda. Aleggia lo spettro di Nick Cave
nella lenta, cupa, contratta, gravosa, desolata Blacklisted e nel
minaccioso pianoforte vibrante e profondo di Connelly nell'intermezzo di
Tightly. Le acrobazie della sua voce l'aiutano a raggiungere un
senso di drammatico che è semplicemente fuori portata per molti
musicisti.
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