Four or five years ago, I took it on recommendation to check out Neko Case. At that point I wasn’t familiar with any of her musical output, nor her time spent with the New Pornographers, whose name alone put me off to the idea of giving their music a spin. In fact, even after purchasing Case’s most recent CD at the time, Blacklisted, I was left scratching my head. It crossed genres to create an echoey, haunted, bleak universe; a fragile, still world who’s only warmth was fed by Case’s booming voice, which I do believe can melt ice and break down doors due to it’s sheer force. Yet, after repeated listens, I couldn’t get the math to work out in my head and cast it aside and went along my way.
Two years later, after hearing Fox Confessor, I caught her show at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta’s Little Five Points and was totally, completely, 100% blown away. I swear that there really were sparks in the theater that night as Case belted out her torch twang compositions with a concussive force. She bent her guitar, voice, and the audience to her will, and the ease with which she did it, made it all the more impressive.
Bringing all of this full circle, April 2, 2009 brought Neko Case back to the Variety Playhouse (my most favorite venue ever!) for a sold out show that really showed a progression of everything that makes Neko Case, Neko Case. I’d like to say it’s from years of touring, but compared to the woman who had hesitantly walked out on stage in a modest black dress and plugged into a small amp behind her, this years Neko wasn’t even thinking about drowning. It’s as if her flame haired persona had grown to match the size of her voice, which just exploded. And with the always amiable (and incredibly talented) Kelly Hogan to her left, the banter was almost as good as the music!
Pulling a good portion of the tracks from her latest CD, Middle Cyclone, it was interesting to hear her recent compositions compared to old favorites. Having grown in stature, so too did her band, and the full sound they created really fleshed out the older songs, such as Favorite and Deep Red Bells, adding to their intensity while almost overpowering the bleak, desperate tone of their recorded counterparts. Yet, while some may say that the added band members detract from the intimacy of her songs and their ability to connect with the audience the same way in which they play out on record, I think this new sound suits her well as it creates a chair for Case’s voice to sit down and get comfortable rather than separating it from and hovering above slight instrumentation.
In addition to her larger band, there were also visual projections, which eschewed the DIY charm of her previous tours for something more technically adroit. Granted, it wasn’t a laser show, but rather animated vignettes to match each song. The highlight of the visual experience was played behind Case as she sang This Tornado Loves You, which really made the song that much more perfect. Other highlights of the evening included “Deep Cuts” (Kelly Hogan’s nickname for the older songs) I Wish I Was the Moon and Hold On Hold On, along with new songs I’m an Animal and, Red Tide, the latter of which didn’t really hit me on CD, but rocked hard on stage.
I can only imagine what the audience there thought who were seeing her for the first time. It’s a kinetic experience that combines talent and craftsmanship and creates fission. Here’s hoping she’ll be back soon!
