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Avg: 4.0 (64 ratings)
- Date Released: March 7, 2006
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Americana, Alternative
- Label: Anti Records / Epitaph
For us, this is the right mix of high-octane reds and deep-water blues.
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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."
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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.
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| 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
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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
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