KevinG Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 This is slowly becoming my favorite album this year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 who is singing on "Madonna of the Wasps" with her? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Discogs tell me it is M Ward. Howe Gelb plays organ. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Don Draper Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 That Over/Under is fantastic. I really want to like Neko more than I do, she's fantastic, but if this makes sense, I think her voice is too powerful to convey the vulnerability that some of her songs demand. That being said, "I Wish I Was the Moon" is a Top 10-ever song for me, and this new album is pretty great. Can't wait to see her in October. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Neko is on the Nerdist Podcast this week. An entertaining listen; she has a great sense of humor. Bonus: Who would have guessed that Kelly Hogan is obsessed with Frasier? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 "I Wish I Was the Moon" is a Top 10-ever song for me Same here. That's the song that convinced me Neko deserved attention. Been a huge fan ever since. (Incidentally, around the same time that I discovered Neko, I interviewed an indie filmmaker who had used "I Wish I Was the Moon" in his movie. I asked more questions about that scene than any other, perhaps betraying my bias!) Still love that song beyond reason. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Don Draper Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Yes, it really is amazing. I heard that she wrote it about her father, watching him come home tired from work every day. Whatever the context, it is a beautiful love song about unrequited something. And surely I'm not the only person in the world who wants to be her best friend? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold as Gasoline Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I hardly even know where to post this, but Neko Case interviews Mavis Staples! http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mavis-staples-neko-case-interview-hideout-block-party/Content?oid=10814344 Seeing both of these fabulous women Friday night at the Hideout Block Party in Chicago. Can't wait! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knotgreen Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 A solid review from Pitchfork: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18451-neko-case-the-worse-things-get-the-harder-i-fight/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 (edited) Neko and Kelly are on WXRT now - just started. http://betaplayer.radio.com/player/93xrt well that was quick - they're done. Edited September 6, 2013 by calvino Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I think I listened to "Ragtime" 15 times yesterday. Even more today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Ragtime is a very good song. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 This whole album is great (I still applaud Honolulu, while not really enjoying it). Calling Cards has quickly become a favorite along with City Swan. I think of her solo albums I could say: The Harder I Fight....Fox ConfessorMiddle CycloneCanadian AmpThe Tigers Have Spokenthe boyfriends albums Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 This whole album is great (I still applaud Honolulu, while not really enjoying it). Calling Cards has quickly become a favorite along with City Swan. I think of her solo albums I could say: The Harder I Fight....Fox ConfessorMiddle CycloneCanadian AmpThe Tigers Have Spokenthe boyfriends albumsWhere's "Blacklisted" on that list? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I haven't listened to it enough to rank it, but it would be hard for anything to top Middle Cyclone for me. I still remember the first time I listened to that album. I was in my office listening on headphones, being blown away and then it all culminated with Prison Girls and a moment in that song that caused me to well up. It's a reaction I get whenever I'm experiencing something that can't be described by words. Anyway, all that to say Neko Case is a transcendental artist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Where's "Blacklisted" on that list?Oh, crap you're right. The Harder...Fox ConfessorMiddle CycloneBlacklistedCanadian AmpThe Tigers Have Spokenboyfriends albums Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 She gave a very good performance at the Hideout Block Party. She will be on the road for two years behind this album. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I haven't listened to it enough to rank it, but it would be hard for anything to top Middle Cyclone for me. I still remember the first time I listened to that album. I was in my office listening on headphones, being blown away and then it all culminated with Prison Girls and a moment in that song that caused me to well up. It's a reaction I get whenever I'm experiencing something that can't be described by words. Anyway, all that to say Neko Case is a transcendental artist. Middle Cyclone ranks at the top for me as well. I've only seen her play live once, and it was in support of this album. She played every track off Middle Cyclone (minus the field recording, and the tunes were out of sequence) and pretty much all the "greatest hits" from Blacklisted, Fox and a few non-album live favorites. That show was transcendental. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Harsh review from the Av Club. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Harsh review from the Av Club. A bad one at that, too. In the comments section, someone posted links to the writer's previous reviews of Middle Cyclone and The Tigers Have Spoken... for other publications. She lifted a lot of the same stuff she wrote about Middle Cyclone for this review. Not to mention the fact that she didn't seem to listen to any of the lyrics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Harsh review from the Av Club.That is harsh, but I kind of see their point. I like the new album, but don't love it. Fox Confessor was stunning, this one is merely really good. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Lou, I think I agree. There are tracks on the new one that rank among her absolute best--"Ragtime" comes to mind--but as a total package, it's a tad uneven, much like "Middle Cyclone." "Fox Confessor" remains my favorite. That said, the last two records, despite their flaws, still strike me as vibrant and exciting, because they represent such a unique and evolving vision. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Ragtime is great. I think it's a solid album with some of the most interesting songs she's ever written. It isn't as great as her previous two, but that's an unfair and impossible standard to hold her to. I am surprised that I seem to be in the minority in thinking Middle Cyclone is her best. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 bleedorange, I'm w/ you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KevinG Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Wow, I guess I am in the minority here thinking this album is Neko's absolute best work. It is densely layered and exceedingly dark without succumbing to its own weight. I found an interesting article, not so much about the album (though there is a review at the end), but about the new alt-folk bands that have been popping up in the last couple of years (Avett Bros, Mumford and Sons, Lumineers, etc.) and what they can do to learn from acts like Neko Case and Richard Buckner. Interesting read http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2013/09/the_lumineers_and_mumford_sons_what_they_could_learn_from_neko_case.2.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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