"CASE HAS A LOT OF ANIMALS of her own now — four dogs, three of them rescues from the Tucson Greyhound Park racetrack, the “home of paw-pounding action!” its ads say. The racers there have names like Dollar Fa Dollar, Phoenix Twix and Exotic Lookin, but Case has retitled hers Swan-y, Guy and Travis, the last named after the hero of one of her favorite movies, “Paris, Texas.” A fourth dog, a shepherd-chow mix, Liza, balances the bony and high-strung greyhounds with some heft and calm. The dogs have 15 legs among them; Travis lost one to cancer."
01 "This Tornado Loves You" 02 "The Next Time You Say Forever" 03 "People Got A Lotta Nerve" 04 "Polar Nettles" 05 "Vengeance Is Sleeping" 06 "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" 07 "Middle Cyclone" 08 "Fever" 09 "Magpie To The Morning" 10 "I'm An Animal" 11 "Prison Girls" 12 "Don't Forget Me" 13 "The Pharaohs" 14 "Red Tide" 15 "Marais La Nuit"
Live Video: Neko Case - Songs From The Upcoming Middle Cyclone (Plus: "John Saw That Number" - Live at First Ave.)
(Neko Case - "John Saw That Number" - Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - 9/19/08)
If you've happened to see Neko Case live (you may have caught her First Ave. show last Friday, video of which is at the top of the post) on her current jaunt--which I did when she stopped by the Hideout Block Party--you'll know that she's been playing songs from her upcoming release, titled Middle Cyclone, which is set for release in March 2009. After being totally entranced by her set at the Block Party, where she, along with Monotonix, gave what I thought was the best performance of the festival. There she played four new songs which may appear on the aforementioned Cyclone. I went on a little YouTube mission to see what I could find and--lo and behold!--there's some great stuff out there.
(Neko Case - "Blue Blue Baby" -Live at the Slowdown, Omaha, Neb.)
I don't think she announced the title of this midtempo song, but the ballad is kind of a musical sibling to Star Witness, one of the many standout tracks from Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Other videos have titled this "Blue Blue Baby", but that's obvious speculation. However, I've labeled it here as such because "New Song" proves to be awfully monotonous. At first hearing this, I balked a little bit, because it seemed like Case was trying to have songwriting strike twice. That said, it's grown on me after repeated listens. The track may not have the emotional wallop as "Star Witness", but the track easily is a strong showcase for the Case's considerable talents.
(Neko Case - New Song from Middle Cyclone - Live @ The Orpheum Theatre, Madison, Wi.)
(Neko Case - New Song from Middle Cyclone - Live @ The Orpheum Theatre, Madison, Wi.)
Both of these videos were taped at Case's recent show at The Orpheum Theatre. They're both shot at peculiar angles, but the audio quality is still quite good. The first song is a stripped-down ballad, with guitar arpeggios that will melt your heart the instant you hear them, and the second is a short, blast of country-flavored jangle-pop. Of all the new songs floating around, the second one is my favorite, because I like the idea of Case creating a record that's more of an upbeat contrast to Confessor stark lyricism. Also, because it's amazing.
(Neko Case - New Song from Middle Cyclone - Live @ Bumbershoot 2008)
(Neko Case - "Don't Forget Me" - Live @ Bumbershoot 2008)
Another pair of videos, this time taken from the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle. The audio for the first one is a little bit rough, due to the increased presence of the drums in the arrangement. It's also the least interesting song in this batch, as the track shows Case staying in her mid-tempo comfort zone. An anti-climatic ending doesn't help either, but at least there's a jangly guitar line and nice texture from a pedal-steel guitar. The second song is a cover of Harry Nilsson's wry, heartbreaking divorce ballad "Don't Forget Me", which originally appeared on his "lost weekend" album with John Lennon, Pussy Cats (You may know The Walkmen's cover version of the entire album from 2006). These have already been on Stereogum, but they're here because I'm a completist. Check those out above.
Based on these videos, I'd say March can't come soon enough.
Casting alt-country chanteuses Neko Case and Kelly Hogan as sirens is, purely and simply, a stroke of genius. Last night, on the second episode of season number five for "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", the two singers made guest appearances on the venerable Adult Swim program. You can watch the results at the top of the post. Pretty excellent, as per usual. Listen to MP3s of Neko Case and you'll hear why most music fans would consider Case and Hogan sirens.
Originally, this post was to be about The 1900s playing on Chic-A-Go-Go! on Tuesday. But alas, I could not find any footage of said performance (the mp3s posted above are compensation for that lack of footage). However, I figured this would be a good opportunity to write about Chic-A-Go-Go! itself. The cable access program, hosted by Miss Mia and her puppet friend Ratso, started in 1996 as a self-described "dance show for kids of all ages" and has continued ever since. Basically, it's a kids show done by, and for, hipsters, and not in a satirical "Wonder Showzen" way. Rather, the show has the same kind of morals as a kids show ("stay in school," etc) as a typical kids show, but instead of that message being delivered by Mr. Rogers, it's given by Sleater-Kinney. See how much cooler that is? No matter how old you are, Chic-A-Go-Go! will make you feel like this:
(Photo taken from Chic-A-Go-Go! gallery)
You can read a more detailed biography of the show here and watch past episodes of the program here. To give you a sampling of what Chic-A-Go-Go! is all about, I've posted some clips of the program I found on YouTube. In order, they are clips of Bobby Conn performing a song about Passover, Neko Case performing "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," and interviews with Sleater-Kinney and TV on the Radio. Enjoy, and let your inner child get its indie-rock on.
Here are a few excellent MP3s of Neko Case performing live on Sound Opinions, the self-described "world's only rock and roll talk show" hosted by Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot and Chicago Sun-Times rock critic Jim Derogatis. The show is broadcasted every Friday night on Chicago Public Radio. This week, Ms. Case herself was the show's guest. Click here to download an MP3 of the episode.
The interview segment of the show is really good, with the funny and lively Case revealing the inspirations for "That Teenage Feeling" and "Margaret vs. Pauline," as well as calling Fox Confessor Brings The Flood her most "smart-ass" album to date.
In other related radio news, both Case and her bandmate Kelly Hogan are going to be the guests tomorrow night (4/10/07) on Chicago station WXRT's The Eclectic Company radio show. Here is the webpage for the show, which airs Tuesday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight. Case and Hogan will be playing some of their favorite songs, so be sure to stream the show, as you'll more than likely hear some undoubtedly great music. Ten bucks says that Merle Haggard's name gets dropped at least twice.
