Neko Case

Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

[Anti-; 2006]

Styles: traditional country, Americana, country-noir
Others: Carolyn Mark, Patsy Cline, Catherine Irwin, Woven Hand, Calexico

You have to start somewhere when delving into a musical genre previously untouched by your ears, and while I’m sure some hardened historian would’ve preferred a classic act as my first taste of the powers of country, it was actually Neko Case who warmed me up to a genre previously disdained in my eyes. Prior to that point, country music had come across to me, for the most part, as obnoxiously square and backwards. Although in high school I began to become fascinated by the so-called alt-country movement with folks like the Old 97’s and Wilco, it wasn’t until I heard Neko Case’s solo opus Blacklisted in college that something with such a defined twang and adherence to country tradition (at least in comparison to most other "alt-country" artists) really grabbed me and rearranged my prior bias. It was a pretty short road to Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn after that.

As with most first-time listeners of Case, it was her rich, vigorous voice that most immediately stood out. And while Blacklisted saw a more pronounced Americana flavor still indebted to such honky-tonk rabble-rousers as Will Oldham, Lambchop, and even Nick Cave, it was still a far cry from pure traditionalism. Still, there was more than a touch of C&W past lurking in the shadows, adding a touching bit of reverence for an oft-misunderstood and exploited genre. Case sang like most country singers in the mainstream and elsewhere no longer did, melding the jazz-inflected composure of Patsy Cline among others to her own devices. In fact, Case had the control and restraint most vocalists regardless of genre no longer carried with them.

With her first proper release for the Epitaph-owned Anti-, following the live trifle The Tigers Have Spoken, Case continues right where her tenure on Bloodshot left off; and while saying Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is more of the same might seem like an easy answer, it’s far from a definitive one. Working with a more scopic cast of players, among them Calexico, The Sadies, and Giant Sand impresario Howe Gelb, Fox Confessor is the kind-of polished testimony befitting of her move to a more prominent (Anti- also includes Tom Waits and Nick Cave among its roster), yet fitting label.

Interestingly, Case has become known more for her role as a pop vocalist in the New Pornographers rather than the countrified torch-singer she remarkably excels at; and while countless have praised her appearances on the Pornographers’ records, Fox Confessor, like her other solo endeavors, finds her voice in a much more emotive and reigned-in environment.

Case has come along way from the sometimes self-consciously quirky and doctrinal material that turned up on her first two efforts, The Virginian and Furnace Room Lullaby, and Fox Confessor, along the lines of Blacklisted, is another masterpiece of slow-burning American gothic. Opener "Margaret Vs. Pauline" floats around dusty roads with atmospheric slide guitars while "Star Witness" shuffles along modestly with a gorgeous string section. Again, it’s Case’s voice that’s the star here, propelling these standard fares of neo-roots rock into haunting territory. While the more fleshed-out arrangements give a certain sense of extra professionalism to the record, songs like the sparse "A Widow’s Toast" and "Dirty Knife" find Case further pushing her sound into more demanding territory. Elsewhere, "John Saw The Number" is an old-timey stomper and perhaps Case’s best approximation of traditional ethos yet.

Fox Confessor runs through its gamut in a warp-speed of sorts, wrapping up in about 35 minutes. If any complaint can still be made about Case’s original work, it’s that at times it still feels fragmented – not underdeveloped per say, but cut too soon or when ideas ceased (see "That Teenage Feeling" and "At Last"). Otherwise, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is a transcendent accomplishment that, although it lacks Blacklisted’s spooky dourness, proves that the ghost of "alt-country" still has some more straightforwardly captivating gems lurking about. Neko Case is more than just an indie-pop chanteuse, and having done the country genre good for some years now, she offers proof that her soul-melting intonations are cause for much celebration.

1. Margaret Vs. Pauline
2. Star Witness
3. Hold On, Hold On
4. A Widow’s Toast
5. That Teenage Feeling
6. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
7. John Saw That Number
8. Dirty Knife
9. Lion’s Jaws
10. Maybe Sparrow
11. At Last
12. The Needle Has Landed

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