I don’t know what it is, but I often find myself unimpressed with a polished voice. To me, they come off empty, and I’m really thinking like American Idol singing wimps here. The female voice that is presented is often delicate. On tone, maybe, but awkward and lifeless to me. Not Neko Case‘s. Her voice is strong and confident; it rises above any of the female singers that I hear praised for their voices. I would say she is unparalleled, but I think Jenny Toomey stands as a peer, with another unforgivably powerful voice.
Despite her gift, I don’t think Neko’s voice alone makes her music. It is an intricate construction of (North) Americana, country music that challenges the listener. And while Case might be the one who is fighting against the “Alt-Country” label in the way that it positions intelligent music outside of country’s range, it’s country that should be wholeheartedly embracing her. She raises the bar for the whole genre, while challenges its conventions. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, released earlier this year, is hard to pinpoint. In tracks like “A Widow’s Toast,” she picks up on traditional harmonies, but meditates on them in an unconventionally minimal structure. In others, it is country taken to the level of a symphony. The production, echoing and full of reverb creates atmospheric and triumphant backdrop to her voice and gives the feel that we are listening to her perform in a structure akin to the Pantheon. Her voice carries you through winding stories, and then harmonizes with itself through overdubs.
Maybe because it is country, or because it is so intricately crafted, I had trouble listening to Fox Confessor end to end. Instead it slowly registered, one track at a time, over months. “Margaret vs. Pauline” is well placed as an introduction, because its magnitude captures you and hints at the depth of the album. But incredible tracks like “Maybe Sparrow” and “That Teenage Feeling” almost feel hidden through what is not really all that long of an album. And like the sequence of songs, most of their meanings also escape me. The lyrics are dense, but entirely poetic, and instead of leaving me confused, offer a long term payoff for what is an incredible album.
By the way, is it just me or does the melody of “Star Witness” sound an awful lot like that of “Deep Red Bells” off Blacklisted? Maybe that familiarity is why it was one of the first tracks that caught me.
: Neko Case – Margaret vs. Pauline :
: Neko Case – Star Witness :
: Neko Case – Maybe Sparrow (video) :
