Neko Case | The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You.Empty Bottle Evenings

Feb192014February 19, 2014February 25, 2014No Commentby Bake

Neko Case | The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You.

Posted in Music

Holy shit what a mouthful of a title. That aside, this is easily Neko Case’s easiest album to get into. Easy. Maybe not the best, but for having one of the most blow-people -out-of-the-water-voices, some of her earlier stuff is really not that accessible. I mean, maybe if you’re really into old school Loretta Lynn type country, you know, as most people under 30 are, then you’ll love it. Sure some songs like “Hold On, Hold On” and “Things that Scare Me” were so hauntingly good that they transcended not belonging to popular genres, but I personally found a lot of her early stuff to be more something to appreciate but not necessarily love. Like going to see the symphony when you’re not really into classical music. You walk away impressed with their talent, but you’re probably not loading your IPod with it anytime soon.

The new album (which we will henceforth call it due to its absurdly long title) blends pretty smoothly Case’s strengths in catchy pop-rock tracks and more brooding alt-country influenced songs. Side note on alt-country. What the hell are we talking about here? I feel like I know it when I hear it, but I struggle like hell to describe it. I mean, if someone asks if I like country, I might say alt-country, but if someone doesn’t know who Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown are, well then I’d rather not say anything rather than have them thinking I’m a Toby Fucking Keith fan. I know alt-country is usually less produced and hokey. You’re sure not going to hear “Moonshiner” sung by Taylor Swift or Faith Fucking Hill anytime soon. But how do I explain it? Anyway, side note on side notes, they shouldn’t be a paragraph long. SO, how about that Neko Case?

Her latest album sounds like it was mostly created in this decade but still takes you back to a time where people could actually play instruments and sing without auto tune. Ah, the good times. Speaking of good times, most of these songs are rather depressing. At least in subject matter. But they don’t make you feel like you need to go fix yourself a milkshake and call your mother or anything. Well, only a little. The combination of Case’s voice and her words somehow tell you that, yeah life has it’s sad moments, but there can be beauty in that too. Or at least anger and frustration. Which can lead to the up tempo songs needed to make the album move along nicely. You might say (or just allow me to) that she has incorporated some of the indie rock sensibilities from her work with the super group The New Pornographers. And I don’t want to take another long side note tangent here but what hell do people mean by supergroup? Because no one knows who the hell any of the other members of that band are, right? It’s supposed to be a band with famous musicians that come together for some project. Now the Traveling Wilburys, there was a supergroup: Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty. Get the fuck out of here New Pornographers.

Regardless, Neko Case continues to deliver whoever is playing along side her. In some respects, the new album sounds like a sequel to 2009’s Middle Cyclone, but not like an Anchorman 2 kind of sequel, more like Toy Story 2. Repeating success isn’t always bad. And making music that people enjoy listening to instead of just appreciating from a distance isn’t a crime either. We’re just talking about a fucking alt-country/pop music album here. Just appreciate her talent and actually enjoy listening to the damn thing.

The Drink: A bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Red Bordeaux. Or if you’re like a thousand dollars short, any nice red wine will do. I can’t tell the fucking difference anyway.