PREVIEW
NEKO CASE
Saturday, November 2
MacEwan Ballroom (U of C)
Neko Case is of a rare breed. There are few musicians as multi-faceted and talented, who can hold their own across such a varied field of styles. She is a multi-tasking creative force to be reckoned with – be it through her solo work (most often credited with Her Boyfriends), in the hayseed sing-song duo The Corn Sisters (with Carolyn Mark), her guest-star spot in Vancouver super group The New Pornographers or her strikingly distinctive photographs.
NEKO AS INTERPRETER
With her first two solo albums (the spry The Virginian and near-masterpiec Furnace Room Lullabye), Case announced herself as a major interpreter of songs largely written by others. Few voices are capable of displaying enough depth and range (in Case's case, an equal ability to move mountains or lull sheep into slumber) to mark a new rendition as the version by which all others will be judged. Case is one of the few vocalists whose personal re-configurations stand equally as tall as the originals, whether by Ron Sexsmith (Furnace Room's "We've Never Met," for which Case grabbed a co-writing credit), Loretta Lynn (whose "Rated X" Case converted into a high-octane romper with The Sadies on a rare 7") or Tom Waits (Case's "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis" very nearly steals the song out from under Waits's feet).
Shortly before the release of her newest album, Blacklisted, Case compiled and recorded a short set of a few old and new favourites. Released as Canadian Amp, these ghostly "kitchen recordings" transformed works from sources as varied as Mike O'Neil (formerly of East Coast popsmiths The Inbreds), Neil Young and Sook-Yin Lee. Case outlines her intentions as primarily educational.
"I wanted to learn how to properly engineer a recording," she says. "I had been making records for years and I thought it was ridiculous that it was still a mystery. I had a bunch of songs that I didn't write that I wanted to record, so it was the perfect time."
Besides moving Case behind the control console, Canadian Amp also serves as a mark of transition – the shift from translator to a genuine solo voice.
NEKO AS ARTIST
After cleaning the slates, Case started in on Blacklisted, her first release made up almost entirely of her own compositions. Left with a veritable pick of the litter, Case's backing band (for the first time, not credited at all – Blacklisted is attributed solely to Case herself) includes a list of luminaries as varied as Howe Gelb, Calexico and members of old compatriots The Sadies. As a personal statement, it's a brave and attention-grabbing leap. From the sparse and fragile "Outro With Bees" (little more than piano, distant cello and breezy acoustic guitar astride a simple vocal hook so simple and direct it's ageless) to the rambling "Things That Scare Me," Blacklisted has all the beauty of Furnace Room Lullabye, but comes from an entirely solitary source.
Case has always sounded slightly lovelorn, but Blacklisted gives the impression of a far deeper loneliness. Considering her workload, it's not all that surprising. Balancing duties between The New Pornographers (currently in the studio touching up the sequel to last year's Mass Romantic), and Blacklisted's rigorous touring schedules, means little time is left over for a life away from the microphone.
"No boyfriend, family or home life. That sounds rather pathetic.... I guess I'll have to rethink that one."
Despite its dip in mood, don't mistake Blacklisted for a note of defeat.
"I think I just want it to comfort people," Case adds. "It's a hopeful record, even though it's often quite sad. I personally had a gratifying experience making something with my friends, that I felt proud of. That really is what it's all about, as cliché as that may sound to jaded people like me."
NEKO ON HER OWN
Touring full-time with a brand new band ("The Boyfriends have never been one band and that seems to confuse people, so I dropped it. The band I have now are full-time, and they didn't care for it too much...."), Case promises to keep up the hectic schedule she's maintained the last few years for the enjoyment of nobody except herself.
"I'm not going to choose (between projects)," she says. "I'm not looking for 'stardom' anyway. I'm in all those bands because I work hard and I want to do what I want with my free time – not that there's much of it. That sense of competition is what made me a musician and not a football player or a lawyer." |
