#20: Diagonal – Tomorrow – My wife doesn’t really like shoegaze music. She just doesn’t get it. This record, however, made her say she might grow to like shoegaze. I can’t write a better recap than that.
#19: Blackwater Holylight (self-titled) – This debut from these dark psych rockers has sexy goth touches, doom riffs, and psychedelic flair that made it high on my list this year.
#18: Neko Case – Hell-On – Case’s latest is another beautiful record of masterful songwriting, sometimes heartbreaking lyrics, and plenty of folk, Americana, and outlaw touches.
#17: Shopping – The Official Body – This post-punk fun-fest is poppy, peppy, and punky. It’s fun from beginning to end.
#16: Terminal Mind – Recordings – Speaking of punk, this reissue of rare material from Austin, Texas punk legends Terminal Mind was a great time capsule from the Regan administration and full of anger, chugging riffs, and trashing of authority figures.
#10: “Never Coming Back” by A Place to Bury Strangers – I was excited to learn that Lea Braswell was the new drummer for APTBS. I thought she’d match the powerhouse duo of Oliver Ackermann and Dion Lunadon well, and this single not only proved me right, but it also heralded a new sound for the band that was outstanding.
#9: “Asia (Adrenaline)” by Hprizm – This single, and really the whole album, reveals more and more with each listen. Plus, the beats on it are great (That referee’s whistle used for timing!). It’s a song that makes you want to explore more of Hprizm‘s catalogue (as you should).
#8: “Fighting” by Here Lies Man – I was sent this by HLM‘s label, Riding Easy Records, in a clever scheme to make me fascinated with HLM’s heavy Afrobeat jams. The scheme worked, because this single was not only all over my earbuds, I even heard it on BBC 6 Music.
#7: “Great Job” by CHAI – These post-punks from Japan are fully committed to the DIY life and have serious musical chops. You can’t help but love them, especially when they make music as good as this single from their new record due later this year.
#6: “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” by Neko Case – Stunningly beautiful, this song is a prime example of Case‘s vocal wonders and songwriting skill. Few artists nowadays can write and sing a song like her, and even fewer could write and sing something like this.
Who made the top 5? That will be revealed tomorrow!
Singer-songwriter Neko Case has been through a lot in the last five years. The biggest calamity was that her home in Vermont burned to the ground while she was recording in Sweden. The loss and enlightenment that fire brought to her were the inspiration for much of her new record, Hell-On. Even the album’s cover has her wearing a crown of cigarettes while a blazing tar fire burns on her shoulder.
The title track opens the record and has Case boldly stating, “God is not a contract or a guy….God is a lusty tire fire.” Nature, much like Case, cannot be controlled. You shouldn’t even try. “Nothing quite so poison as a promise,” she warns. Just sit back and listen. You’ll come through this song (and the whole record) with respect and an altered perspective for her, nature, detachment, and femininity.
“Last Lion of Albion” is one of Case’s many songs about nature, animals, and the importance of protecting both. The beats and acoustic guitar riffs are wonderful throughout it, but they (like most everything else) can barely keep up with Case’s expert vocals and assuredness. “Halls of Sarah” encourages women to stand strong in the times of #MeToo (and check out that saxophone solo!).
“Bad Luck” is the song Case wrote after her house and barn turned into ashes. It’s surprisingly upbeat and is an anthem for standing up when you’re knocked to the ground. The song ends with Case stating, “I died and went to work.” You take the loss, and you move on. The past is gone so take the moment now and run with it. “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” is a stunning showcase for Case’s voice as she sings, “I miss the smell of mystery.” and tells the story of a woman who left home with a fake I.D. and wandered in and out of relationships, one night stands, and life in general until she meets up with a former lover in old age when they both might be mad and facing death. It’s one of her best.
“Gumball Blue” has Case singing about the trappings of fame, “Dirty Diamond” seems to be an ode to the (currently) necessary evil of petroleum, and “Oracle of the Maritimes” is a lovely story of fishermen, lost love, and the dangers of the sea. I love how “Winnie” (a song about love among women) starts off with a quick four-count drumstick tap and then switches to a sultry bass groove that moves like a bathrobe being slowly dropped to the bedroom floor.
Case includes her cover of Eric Bachmann‘s “Sleep All Summer” (a song that, as the story goes, made her pull over her car and weep the first time she heard it) with Bachmann performing a duet with her is another stunner about lost love. Guests artists are all over this record. K.D. Lang, Beth Ditto, Mark Lanegan, Carl Newman, Katherine Calder, and John Collins are just a few (the last three are bandmates with Ms. Case in the NewPornographers) who provide guest vocals, production, and instrumentation to various tracks.
“Black is blue if I say it is,” Case sings on “My Uncle’s Navy” – a story about a relative she admired for his strength and resolve. The album closes with “Pitch or Honey,” in which she admits, “I use major chords to make this a sadder song…An effective manipulation.” She’s right. It works. “I wrote this song for me, and now I let it go. From the island of the Texaco, I release it into the custody of my huckleberry friend. Am I making pitch or honey?” I love the idea of Case embracing detachment yet still wondering if her work is any good. It’s the curse of any artist. Being satisfied with our work is a rarity, but we know we have to release it to someone sooner or later.
Case detached from many things while making this record, some literal (her house and many possessions) and some metaphorical (things from her past that she hadn’t yet fully sent down the river). Hell-On is another beautiful work from a master of her craft and one of the strongest voices in music today.
Keep your mind open.
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One of the best singer-songwriters of our time, Neko Case, has unveiled the first single and title track from her upcoming album, Hell-On. It’s a lovely, haunting, and slightly quirky track highlighted by a cello backing Case’s distinctive voice and witty lyrics.
Hell-On is available for pre-order and is set for release on June 01, 2018. She’s also embarking on a U.S. tour with Ray Lamontagne beginning May 27th and ending July 10th.
This will surely be one of the best records of the year. Ms. Case always delivers.
Keep your mind open.
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The second page of liner notes for Neko Case’s brilliant album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood have her name above the words “DANGEROUS TO MAN: WILD ANIMALS – A Definitive Study of Their Reputed Dangers to Man.” Ms. Case’s lyrics are often brutal in their honesty and her voice can both soothe and cut to the bone. She’s like a panther – lounging in the sun one moment, and then tearing out the throat of an antelope the other.
The album begins with “Margaret Vs. Pauline,” a tale of two girls. One, Pauline, has it made. “Everything is easy for Pauline,” Case sings. Margaret, however, has to scrap for all she can. Case has written an anthem for girls everywhere to never forget their strength. “Star Witness,” with its simple yet slick drumbeats by John Convertino, is a stunning display of Case’s vocal prowess.
“Hold On Hold On,” with the Sadies on backing vocals, is another plea from Case to stay strong in tough times, especially in matters of love. “I leave the party at three a.m., alone, thank God,” she sings at one point. It’s a haunting lyric, especially when the echoing song “A Widow’s Toast” follows it. It’s nothing but Case’s vocals and guitar, Paul Rigby’s guitar effects, and reverbed beauty.
The liner note art for “That Teenage Feeling” is a jackknifing semi-trailer with a transmission shaft shattering from the force. That, and the shuffling guitar (by Dexter Romweber, no less) backing Case’s voice, is a perfect expression of teenage emotions. The title track is about the beauty of things all around us that we don’t notice until they are gone. “John Saw That Number” is a great floor stomper spiritual with sizzling guitar by Dallas Good.
“Dirty Knife” is an ode to a murdered man and the type of song that Case does so well – a tale of death, love, violence, and rural landscapes. “Lion’s Jaws” belongs in David Lynch’s next Twin Peaks reboot. Dallas and Travis Good team up for lovely guitar work, and Kelly Hogan is listed as contributing “lovely backing vocal” to the track (which is true). “Maybe Sparrow” is one of Case’s greatest hits, and it’s easy to hear why as her voice peaks multiple times during the second verse. “At Last” is nothing but Case’s voice and three guitars, and “The Needle Has Landed” is beautiful power pop tinged with outlaw country.
Case is dangerous because her vocals and lyrics are like a hardwood staff. You can lean on them to get you through a rough patch or they can hit you in the ribs like a ball bat and bring you to your knees. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is no exception.
Keep your mind open.
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The New Pornographers returned in 2014 after a far too long absence to bring us another masterfully crafted album of power pop. The Canadian supergroup’s Brill Bruisers sounds like a long-lost ELO record and is a fine piece of work desperately needed in this world of pop divas, TV show idols, bro’ rock, country-rap, and booty call music.
The opener (and title track) starts with blaring guitars, powerful drums, vocals that swirl with great melodies, and a touch of psychedelic synths. Vocalist / guitarist A.C. Newman and his crew seem to channel the stadium-filling power of early ELO records on it. “Champions of Red Wine” doesn’t refer to my wife and one of her best friends, but is rather a fun song from outer space (judging by the poppy space lounge keyboards) sung by the always mesmerizing Neko Case. The band knocks this one out of the park.
“Fantasy Fools” will have you jumping and dancing, as it’s nothing but joyful. The keyboards on it are the hidden key to the song’s power. Those same keyboards are front and center during “War on the East Coast,” in which Dan Bejar worries more about potentially botching a relationship than about world chaos and bad news. “Backstairs” brings back the ELO influence and is big, booming, and wonderful. I can’t wait to hear this one live. It swirls into mind trip material and is all the better for it. “Marching Orders” is peppy with happy keyboards and Neko Case’s happy vocals. You can visualize her dancing in the recording booth as she sings. I love the way “Born with a Sound” dabbles in electro. The New Pornographers have the luxury of being able to do whatever the hell they want, so an electro-rock cut doesn’t jar the flow of the album at all (and Kathryn Calder’s backing vocals on it are excellent).
If you’re worried the New Pornographers are turning into an electro band, have no fear. “Dancehall Domine” sounds like something off The Electric Version with its big guitars, great Newman and Case vocal trades, and straight-up rock drums, and “Spidyr” sounds like it could’ve been a track from Mass Romantic. “Hi-Rise” and the closer, “You Tell Me Where,” dive back into the synth-heavy sounds, but it all works. “You Tell Me Where” is a nice grand finale and I’m sure is a big set-ender at their live shows.
We needed this record. It’s refreshing and lovely – the best kind of porn, really.
The New Pornographers (Kathryn Calder – vocals, keyboards, guitar, Neko Case – vocals, John Collins – bass, Todd Fancey – lead guitar, Carl Newman – vocals, guitar, Joe Seiders – drums, vocals, Blaine Thurier – keyboards, synthesizers) hail from Canada, so that might explain the title of their new album – Whiteout Conditions. Such things are frequent there in the winters. I can’t help but think, however, that the title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the result of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and the voter base that led to that result. Carl Newman and Neko Case are openly critical of President Trump on their respective Twitter feeds, so it’s not too much of a stretch.
Judging by the bright, uplifting feel of this record, the band assures us that everything will be all right. The opener, “Play Money,” is full of brilliant keyboards even as Ms. Case sings lyrics like “…just when I thought we beat the system, I knew a gentleman of leisure. He loved to talk about his treasure and how he got it for a song.”
The title track is a tale of some depression Newman’s admitted he was feeling at the time he wrote it (Shock at the result of the 2016 election?) “Flying and flat on the ceiling, I’m barely dealing…I wasn’t hoping for a win, I was hoping for freedom,” he sings, disguising the song as a tale of a man who’s sick of his job with pulsing synths and almost New Order beats. The first single, “High Ticket Attractions,” amps up the synths and witty lyrics (“You can’t imagine all the factions that form around high ticket attractions.”) even more, but now they’re backed with solid rock drumming by Seiders.
“This Is the World of the Theatre” pretty much wears its meaning on its sleeve. Like many of the tracks off their last album, Brill Bruisers, it sounds like an ELO track. “Darling Shade” has some of the funkiest bass on the record as Newman and his niece, Calder, sing, “When you give your mind to your voices, you accept the terms of your sentence.” “Second Sleep” is about insomnia (Due to stress?) as Peter Hook-style bass drives the track. “Colosseums” sprinkles in a bit of psychedelia as Newman sings about being overcome by, and warning against the distractions of, grand spectacle (“Colosseums, colosseums of the mind. Right on time, celebration in the ruin. Elation is moving in a wave. I avert my eyes, but I still see the lions.”). I love the percussion on this. It reminds me of Oingo Boingo songs, actually.
“We’ve Been Here Before” doesn’t sprinkle in psychedelia, it lays it on like a sweet strawberry jam. Just listen to those synths and vocals and you’ll hear it. Newman and Case assure us that we’ll get out of these times of “gods of bad parties.”
“Juke” is electro-psych with Newman singing about shattered crystal balls and people diverging on many paths after chaos explodes around them. The much-appreciated dive into psych-rock continues on “Clockwise.” It’s something you wouldn’t be surprised to hear on a Besnard Lakes album. The closer is “Avalanche Alley.” It opens with keyboards reminiscent of Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door,” and then breaks into a great clickety-clack beat. I love that they chose to end an album about post-election blues with such a peppy, upbeat track.
As usual, the New Pornographers have crafted a great record. They’ve yet to swing and miss. Whiteout Conditions let us know that everything will be all right. Winter always gives way to spring. Whiteouts always clear sooner or later.
