Details
Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Margaret vs. Pauline
2. Star Witness
3. Hold On, Hold On
4. Widow's Toast, A
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. Needle Has Landed, The
DISC 2:
1. Set Out Running
2. Furnace Room Lullaby
3. Deep Red Bells
4. I Wish I Was the Moon
5. Behind the House - (Demo)
Album Notes
Personnel: Neko Case (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, tenor guitar, dulcimer); Kelly Hogan (vocals); Travis Good (electric guitar, 12-string guitar); Dallas Good, Dexter Romweber, Howe Gelb, Paul Rigby (electric guitar); Anna DeWolf (violin); Joey Burns (cello, upright bass); Garth Hudson, Jon Rauhouse (piano); Tom V. Ray (upright bass, bass guitar); Sean Dean (upright bass); Tim Ray (bass guitar); John Convertino, Mike Belitsky, WILLIE B (drums); Rachel Flotard (background vocals).
Issued more than three years after Neko Case's BLACKLISTED, 2006's FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD finds the alt-country chanteuse finally unveiling a new full-length studio album. During the preceding years, Case built a sizeable following both on her own and with the New Pornographers, making this record one of the most anticipated releases of early '06.
On this assured and inventive outing, Case does not disappoint, as she revisits the haunting atmosphere of earlier offerings, but also broadens her sound. Incorporating elements of country, early rock & roll, and moody film scores, Case creates a fascinatingly anachronistic aesthetic, evoking some enigmatic lost era with songs such as the lilting "Star Witness," the soulful "John Saw That Number," and the ominously orchestral "Dirty Knife." While Case--with her bold, sensual, and dynamic voice--is clearly the main attraction of FOX CONFESSOR, the record also features an impressive supporting cast, including the Band's Garth Hudson (piano, organ), Giant Sand's Howe Gelb (guitar, piano), and members of Calexico and the Sadies. For longtime Case fans, the album will only increase adulation, while those unfamiliar with this unique performer will likely discover a favorite new artist.
Industry Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- [F]rom her luscious, aching croon, and her ensemble's solemn high-mesa twang and groove, you'd never guess she wasn't covering Patsy Cline standards.
Neko Case not only carries torch songs, she handles them with care. And when she belts it out, she's as stirring as her gospel heroes and as punk as Exene Cervenka.
4 stars out of 5 -- [D]rawing on Baptist spirituals, lush country-pop and torch-song twang, it's less alt.country history lesson, more fairytale fever dream of Americana.
4 stars out of 5 -- [T]hese songs -- build on melodies resonant as hymns, but without traditional structures -- reveal themselves only in repetition; they're well suited for winter nights spent staring at a fire.
The songs themselves are so lush and layered that they sound orchestrated....[The songs] stay with you for a long, long time.
5 stars out of 5 -- [With an] unearthly beauty and uninterrupted landscapes of life after life...
Ranked #17 in Spin's The 40 Best Albums of 2006 -- Her music is a study in visceral pleasure; when those pipes kick in, it's like sunlight piercing storm clouds.
Ranked #45 in Rolling Stone's The Top 50 Albums Of 2006 -- [Featuring] her smoky voice, rootsy band and cryptic songwriting...
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