Music:
The musicians play together like old friends sitting around the living room in the wee hours of the morning, and Case's voice wraps everything together like a fireplace and a bottle of cider. Every time I listen, I find a new second-favorite song. ("Pretty Girls" is always my favorite, for it is the moment when everything and everyone on the record gel together perfectly.)
Packaging:
There's a beauty and desperation in the cover that accurately reflects the music. Case lies seductively on the pavement behind an old van filled with someone's possessions, highlighted in a bright flash that darkens the warm oranges of a cloudy sunset. The text that forms Case's name wraps off of the booklet, which is a really nice touch that you don't really notice until you're holding the booklet. The inside of the jacket is typical indie rock fare. There are no lyrics, which is a shame because I'd much rather read Case's words than look at trite mirror-images of old guitars.
Listen if you like: Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, k.d. lang, Shelby Lynne, Wilco, The Sadies
If it were food, it'd be: That bottle of cider I mentioned a few paragraphs back.
5: should be heard by all music fans; a "perfect" album
4: best of genre; sets a standard within its genre
2: below average; listenable for fans of a genre, but only if there's nothing else to hear
1: poor, and whatever good qualities it has can't save it
0.5: no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
2 comments:
I l-o-v-e Neko Case. She is an incredible talent. I'm dying to see her live. Blacklisted is a fantastic album...have you listened to Fox Confessor Brings the Flood?
I think I'm one of about six people who doesn't absolutely love Fox Confessor. It's good, but I thought it was weak in comparison to Blacklisted.
The album art for Fox Confessor, however, is incredible. It's one of my all-time favorite album covers.
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