The Batlord Learns to Like Country...Maybe: Part II
Neko Case and Her Boyfriends: The Virginian
Continuing on, I likes me a female singer. They make me happy and disarm me in a way that most male singers just can't, which sounds just about perfect for country. I tried to remember the name of some chick I'd heard of a while before, so here I am about to check out Neko Case. Cross your fingers...
That's more what I think of when I think of when I think of country. It's got an bags of energy and fun that could put Sylvia Plath in a good mood. Neko Case's voice might be annoying to some, but it's just as charming as a june bug with a fiddle. I don't know what that means, but I wanted to say something nonsensical that sounded Earthy. I don't know enough about old school country to compare this to that, but it has a feel to it that reminds me of what little I know of stuff like that. Just with a modern take that lets you know that Neko Case is aware of punk rock and alternative, though it never sounds like cow punk. The music just has a pep to its step that I don't imagine it would have before 1976. I imagine that this wouldn't be out of place at either a club full of college kids or a hoedown.
Of course it's not all fun and games. This is a country album after all. It's not a country album if there aren't ballads about how your man/woman done you wrong, and this album is no different. Neko Case's voice can be fun and bouncy one moment, but the next it sounds like the most heartbreaking jukebox-in-a-middle-of-nowhere-hillbilly-diner country singer.
There is something that sounds like irony throughout the album though. She definitely loves country, but I can't be sure that she's taking the whole thing entirely seriously. Maybe I'm wrong though. Either way, Neko Case is as addictive as heroin, so if you have any interest in country then I'd highly recommend this.