Rating: NNNN
Neko Case’s fourth studio album is a convoluted tangle of dreamlike narratives speckled with feral beasts, biblical figures and court trials. She draws you in with a howl about leaving parties alone one minute and sighs dreamily about teenage yearning two tracks later. Riskier still, she opens up the lonesome country of Blacklisted and Furnace Room Lullaby to a bolder, more textured sound that brings in more soul and gospel influences. Her backing band is typically stellar, though our Sadies are overshadowed by nuanced keys from the Band’s Garth Hudson and beautifully evocative work from Calexico’s Joey Burns. Case’s overzealous self-production means there are layers upon layers to every track, which sometimes works to her detriment. The arrangements can grow muddy – Burns’s bowed bass on Dirty Knife deserves more space – and Case can sound like she’s singing from a well. Without a neutral third-party on hand, she overuses vocal reverb on too many songs she’s one of the few singers out there who really doesn’t need assistance.
