Hypnotic Twang

My wife Lisa and I caught Neko Case at The Canopy Club last Friday.

Though Lisa has always championed Neko, I've not been a huge fan of her music, per se. But I've always been impressed by her expressive voice.

I think Jon Stone nails my hesitations (what other listeners might reasonably find attractive):

As I listened to the set, a few things occurred to me. The first was that unlike the New Pornographers, Neko’s solo work isn’t really pop. The songs don’t really have big pop hooks; the band doesn’t just crunch along in three-chord cycles. Rather, Paul Rigby and Jon Rauhouse’s guitar, banjo, and pedal-steel work build layers of nuance underneath the soaring vocals and vocal harmonies (thanks here to the lovely Kelly Hogan). Everything blends together into a seamless, pristine whole--it’s really quite a feat considering the material and the, well, liveness of the performance.

The live show experience certainly stirred renewed interest for me ... and we sat at the farthest possible remove from the stage.

Have a look--or a second look--at Neko Case in our library.