NEKO CASE
TEXT: Lydia Sprague ||| PHOTO: Jason Creps ||| LABEL: Anti Records
Neko Case is my kind of woman: fiery and sassy and with talent to back up her bodacious attitude. Her powerhouse of a voice sets her apart from other singers, and her twangy roots meddled with indie rock and pop meld together into a sound that is delectable.
One can’t not sing along with Case’s twisted yet brilliant lyrics, such as, “I’m a man-man-man, man-man-man-eater and still you’re surprised when I eat you.” From the song “People Got A Lotta Nerve” on Middle Cyclone.
She is leading the pack of powerful female alt-country singers from the Pacific Northwest. With the likes of Jesse Sykes and Sera Cahoone she is helping to redefine a tired genre.
Case grew up in Tacoma, just south of Seattle, and reminisces about her hometown fondly. She wrote a song on an early record about her beloved Tacoma. “The people who built it they loved it like I do/there was hope in the train yards of something inspired/once was I on it, but it’s been painted shut/I found passion for life in Tacoma.” From “Thrice All American” on Furnace Room Lullaby.
She left Tacoma to go to school in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she met future members of The New Pornographers. She recorded some songs that eventually made their way onto the first New Pornographers album while in Vancouver.
When she first started out, she and her band were called Neko Case And Her Boyfriends. After a few years and two albums under that moniker, she began performing under just her name in 2001.
Case’s captivating and unmistakable voice has earned her comparisons to country icons like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Her unique take on country music, and infusion of rock and pop, has endeared her to fans who probably don’t listen to a lot of other country music.
Case has released 8 albums over her 13-year-long career. The most recent of which, Middle Cyclone, was released in March of 2009. After its release, she performed on a myriad of late night shows and toured the U.S., Europe and Australia.
FREE MP3s (just right-cick & save)
“People Got A Lotta Nerve”“Star Witness”“Hold On, Hold On”“If You Knew”
PRESS
“Neko Case is a force of nature. Her voice can knock you over—it’s one of the strongest in any genre. She has immense control and surprising physical and stylistic range, able to jump from cowgirl honkytonk to pop muse to Americana banshee with ease and grace.” —Pitchfork
“Equally well-regarded in the indie rock and alt-country worlds, Neko Case has built a career defined by both strong will and musical versatility. Her chief attribute is her astonishing, siren-like voice, which she applies to songs that are simultaneously rugged and heartbreaking.” —Rolling Stone
“In her singing, and occasionally her guitar playing, Ms. Case created the feeling of a fragile accord between muted reflection and full-blown crisis. And like any heir of Patsy Cline—a receding but still relevant influence—she kept the lid on the boiling pot, if only barely… Ms. Case has an endearingly casual stage presence: she’s a honky-tonk heroine by temperament, even if her lyrics reveal literary designs.” —New York Times
LINKS
+ Neko case official Website
+ Neko Case on Facebook
+ Neko Case on Myspace
