Last night I saw Crazy Heart, a film in which Jeff Bridges plays a burnt-out country legend as effectively as he played the Dude in The Big Lebowski. In other words, he is amazing. In it, a journalist asks him if there are any "real" country music artists around anymore. I wish he'd given a more direct answer, because while I love some old country like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash, I haven't heard much new stuff that grabs me. I'm sure it's out there somewhere.I don't know if I'd go so far as to call Neko Case a country artist, but there's definitely some elements of country in her music. One thing I can say is, DAMN, can Neko Case sing. Something about her voice reminds me of Patsy Cline. I also like how she has the kind of voice that you'd expect to sing love songs, but her songs usually only deal peripherally with love. One lyric from this album is, "The next time you say forever, I will punch you in the face." My favorite (probably... I think... right now) song by her, "Star Witness," is about a murder.
I first fell in love with her solo work (she used to be in a great "power-pop" band called The New Pornographers) on her last album, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood." I was lucky enough to see her live on that tour, and it was amazing. Overall I think I prefer that album, but they're both very good. See her live if you ever have the chance!
2 comments:
Great song. Is it un-chic to say that she reminds me a lot of Natalie Merchant/10,000 Maniacs? Maybe it's just the way the song is arranged...? I love the guitar work, esp. the staccato 32nd notes on the telecaster (the dude with the hat) in the background.
I dunno, I haven't heard much beyond her big hits. I just remember "These Are Days" being the class song for every other graduating class when I was in school. Doesn't seem that much of a stretch, though.
Yeah, her band is great, they complement her voice perfectly. I couldn't figure out which were the staccato 32nd notes being played by the dude in the hat. What part is it?
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