Neko Case
With her soulful voice and wild attitude, Neko Case is a human force of nature on the indie music scene. Case is best know for her solo work, though she's lent her powerful vocals to Country and Power Pop.
Biography
Heading out on her own at age 15 from Tacoma, Washington, Neko Case eventually found her way to the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While in school, she really began to branch out musically, playing drums with numerous bands including cuddlecore groups Cub and Maow. Before leaving Canada for Seattle, Washington, Case recorded some vocals for future Canadian super-group The New Pornographers, which ended up being a long term collaborative experience.
In Seattle, she explored her altsongwriter. Her sometimes wild behavior at shows (she has been known to threaten to beat audience members who throw things, she has taken her shirt off during performances due to heat stroke) has helped bolster this reputation, and has earned her a lifetime ban from the Grand Ole Opry.
She has since gone on to record solo albums while occasionally reuniting with the New Pornographers to record and tour, or adding her vocals to other collaborations. In recent years, she's also worked with Adult Swim's Dave Willis to create the pop music satire cartoon Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge.
Discography
Because her body of work is so large, it will be split into two sectionsher work in a larger group, and work where she's featured as a solo artist.
In a Group
* Cub:
** ''Betti-Cola'' (1993)
* Maow:
** ''I Ruv Me Too'' (1995)
** ''Unforgiving Sounds of Maow'' (1996)
* Neko Case & Her Boyfriends:
** ''The Virginian'' (1997)
** ''Furnace Room Lullaby'' (2000)
* The Corn Sisters:
** ''The Other Women'' (2000)
* The New Pornographers
** ''Mass Romantic'' (2000)
** ''Electric Version'' (2003)
** ''Twin Cinema'' (2005)
** ''Challengers'' (2007)
** ''Together'' (2010)
As a Solo Artist
* ''Canadian Amp'' (2001)
* ''Blacklisted'' (2002)
* ''The Tigers Have Spoken'' (2004)
* ''Fox Confessor Brings the Flood'' (2006)
* ''Live from Austin, TX'' (2007)
* ''Middle Cyclone'' (2009)
Those looking to explore her work, having perhaps heard one of her Country music covers or her vocals with another group, should take her work in a little at a time, to better savor it. ''Furnace Room Lullaby'' represents a real breakthrough for her as a Country artist, turning towards heavier themes and a deeper sound. ''Middle Cyclone'' has some beautiful orchestration that supplements Case's powerful voice, particularly the title song and "This Tornado Loves You". Her live performances are known to be fantastic, so taking a peak at her live albums is a good idea once you've got a good feel for her sound. Her work with The New Pornographers is more subdued but very addictive, though fans of her darker stuff may come away disappointed with the group's airier tone.
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