View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (64 ratings)
- Date Released: March 7, 2006
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Alternative, Americana
- Label: Anti Records / Epitaph
For us, this is the right mix of high-octane reds and deep-water blues.
-
We Say...
Neko Case's 1998 debut The Virginian established her as a budding alt-country star, but since then, she's been broadening her horizons. Her subsequent solo records have drifted toward torch-singer territory, while her work with the New Pornographers is unadulterated indie-pop. On Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, all of those elements coalesce to create the most consistent and rewarding album of her career. Case's primary strength is still her voice, but whereas in the past she's often used it to over-dramatize, on Fox Confessor she strikes just the right balance between the high-octane reds and the deep-water blues. The resulting tones and textures, along with a reliance on richly romantic melodicism, make for music that's more pointedly pop than she's sounded in the past, but not so much as to be ordinary. There's still plenty of personality in Case's smoky and sultry voice, as well as in her often eccentric lyrical perspective. Those qualities are especially evident on the opening and closing tracks ("Margaret vs. Pauline" and "The Needle Has Landed"); but her emotions run deepest on the nostalgic ode "That Teenage Feeling" and the heartbreaking (if brief) ballad "At Last."
-
They Say...
Neko Case hasn't had much need to prove her credentials as a major artist since making her solo debut with 1997's The Virginian, but she's been refining her skills in the recording studio on each subsequent release, and with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood she's fashioned an album that can cautiously be called a masterpiece. As always, Case's voice, an instrument of impressive strength, grace, and expressive power, is the star of this show, and she's never sounded better than she does here, but what sets this apart from her other fine work is her growth as a songwriter and producer. Case wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her tales of failed friendship, faith stretched to the breaking point, and love that causes as much ache as comfort are subtle and expressionistic but deeply evocative, conjuring images and feelings that linger long after the album has ended, especially the spectral "Star Witness," the moody yet romantic "That Teenage Feeling" and "Hold on, Hold On," and the darkly beautiful closer, "The Needle Has Landed." And Case and her co-producer, Darryl Neudorf, have assembled a superb cast of musicians to accompany these songs, among them members of the Sadies and Calexico as well as Garth Hudson of the Band, Howe Gelb from Giant Sand, and Kelly Hogan. Together they've sculpted a dozen elegant sonic landscapes that are beautiful and richly detailed while meshing with the moody textures of the songs in their open space and unwillingness to crowd either the singer or the other players. The cumulative effect mirrors both the beauty and the sadness that lurks within the human heart, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a rich, mature, and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention -- if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Margaret vs. Pauline |
2:52 |
|
| 02. | |
Star Witness |
5:16 |
|
| 03. | |
Hold On, Hold On |
2:46 |
|
| 04. | |
A Widow's Toast |
1:36 |
|
| 05. | |
That Teenage Feeling |
2:42 |
|
| 06. | |
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood |
2:42 |
|
| 07. | |
John Saw That Number |
4:06 |
|
| 08. | |
Dirty Knife |
3:18 |
|
| 09. | |
Lion's Jaws |
2:28 |
|
| 10. | |
Maybe Sparrow |
2:37 |
|
| 11. | |
At Last |
1:35 |
|
| 12. | |
The Needle Has Landed |
3:45 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 35:43 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Neko Case, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Joey Burns - Guitar (Acoustic) // Joey Burns - Cello // Joey Burns - Bowed Bass // Joey Burns - Bass (Upright) // Sean Dean - Bass (Upright) // Kelly Hogan - Vocals // Kelly Hogan - Vocals // Kelly Hogan - Vocals (Background) // Kelly Hogan - Vocals (Background) // Garth Hudson - Organ // Garth Hudson - Organ // Garth Hudson - Piano // Garth Hudson - Piano // Dexter Romweber - Guitar (Electric) // Tom Ray - Bass (Upright) // John Convertino - Drums // Howe Gelb - Piano // Howe Gelb - Guitar (Electric) // Darryl Neudorf - Producer // Darryl Neudorf - Engineer // Darryl Neudorf - Mixing // Neko Case - Guitar (Acoustic) // Neko Case - Guitar (Acoustic) // Neko Case - Guitar // Neko Case - Guitar // Neko Case - Piano // Neko Case - Piano // Neko Case - Arranger // Neko Case - Arranger // Neko Case - Guitar (Electric) // Neko Case - Guitar (Electric) // Neko Case - Tambourine // Neko Case - Tambourine // Neko Case - Vocals // Neko Case - Vocals // Neko Case - Vocals (Background) // Neko Case - Vocals (Background) // Neko Case - Producer // Neko Case - Producer // Neko Case - Dulcimer (Hammer) // Neko Case - Dulcimer (Hammer) // Neko Case - Artwork // Neko Case - Artwork // Neko Case - Mixing // Neko Case - Mixing // Neko Case - 6-String Bass // Neko Case - 6-String Bass // Neko Case - Assembly // Neko Case - Assembly // Neko Case - Tambo Drums // Neko Case - Tambo Drums // Neko Case - Guitar (Electric Tenor) // Neko Case - Guitar (Electric Tenor) // Mike Belitsky - Drums // Randy "Tex" Iwata - Assembly // Chris Schultz - Assistant Engineer // Brian Connelly - Guitar (Electric) // Steve Chahley - Engineer // Steve Chahley - Mixing Assistant // Jon Rauhouse - Banjo // Jon Rauhouse - Hawaiian Guitar // Dallas Good - Guitar (Electric) // Dallas Good - Guitar (12 String) // Dallas Good - Guitar (12 String Electric) // Travis Good - Guitar (Acoustic) // Travis Good - Guitar (Electric) // Rachel Flotard - Vocals (Background) // Paul Rigby - Guitar (Acoustic) // Paul Rigby - Guitar // Paul Rigby - Arranger // Paul Rigby - Guitar (Electric) // Paul Rigby - Guitar (12 String Electric) // Paul Rigby - Guitar Loops // Anna DeWolf - Violin // Sean Gugula - Engineer // Sean Gugula - Mixing Assistant // Julie Morstad - Cover Design // Julie Morstad - Drawing
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC