Neko Case | A Review of The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You

Neko Case has released a new album with perhaps the longest title in the history of albums. It’s called The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. If you are unfamiliar with Neko Case, she is one of the lead singers of indie darling, The New Pornographers but she also has a solo project under her own name. In fact, her latest album (insert huge title) is her sixth album as a solo artist. Case is excellent at writing lyrics with emotional force but all of her words would mean much less if not for her distinctive and soulful voice. Somewhere between a sultry lounge singer and a professional singing instructor, Case’s voice is uniquely beautiful.     

The latest album has a different tone from her 2009 album Middle Cyclone which was  well-received by music lovers and critics alike.  The lyrics in The Worse Things Get… have a directness to them, like there was very little time given to dress things up and make them pretty. Any crass lyrics or imagery are offset by Case’s vocal execution. This idea is exemplified in the track Nearly Midnight, Honolulu; here you can really see how raw and sometimes surprising this album can be.  It works, and pays credence to the idea that sometimes it is nice to be surprised.

There are a few standouts on this album that will no doubt live on as repeating lyric or melody in the minds of those who hear them. I’m From Nowhere is essentially just Neko and an acoustic guitar, but it is in the odd transitions and strange sentiment regarding the 80s that makes this song memorable. Then we have Where Did I Leave That Fire. This track articulates, in a abstract way, the realization that you have lost something that used to define you as a person and you cannot get it back. Ragtime, which is the final song on the album, has a very good bassline, trumpets have found their way on this track to great effect.

The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You is perhaps better than Middle Cyclone, and that is saying something.  

Deer Tick | Negativity Review

Deer Tick has released their fifth full length album called Negativity and it’s a worthy successor to the band’s previous effort Devine Providence. Stylistically, Deer Tick could be considered a country band but when you really get down to it they are more of an old fashion rockin’ roll band with a bit of a country flare. Over the years this band has been able to produce some very memorable tracks that have enough nuances to allow for a continuing appreciation.  Take a track from their 2010 album The Black Dirt Sessions, When She Comes Home. This track features strong lyrical imagery matched with a very compelling hook. The way that it plays out allows for multiple listens without disappointment, not unlike a good radio single, When She Comes Home just grows on you. The same can be said for the band as a whole, all the gravelly vocal timbre and stylistic tone of Deer Tick grows on you over time.  

One of the standouts on their latest album is Mr. Sticks; it really touches on what makes Deer Tick a consistently excellent producer of music. This track, just like When She Comes Home, has a tight hook that is matched with emotionally engaging imagery, all of this creates an atmosphere within the song that is hard to achieve and rarely this well done.  This album has a grander vibe than previous Deer Tick albums. The explosive horn portion featured on the album’s first cut, The Rock, sets the tone of the album as though the statement being made here is: we’ve been doing this for a while now and if you haven’t been listening so far it’s time to do so.  Negativity overall is not as playful as Devine Providence, which ranged from a very lighthearted drinking song like Let’s All Go To The Bar to the rather dark track Chevy Express.  But it’s also not as sombre as The Black Dirt Sessions, which dripped with sadness and melancholy from start to finish.  Negativity is a good representation of what Deer Tick can produce, even though it may not be their strongest album to date.    

Fishboy | IMAVOLCANO 7” EP

Denton Texas natives Fishboy recently have come out with a follow-up to 2011’s Classic Creeps. Fishboy’s style of pop music is both lighthearted and imaginative. If you had to put your finger on what Fishboy draws musical influences from, you would have to picture the offspring of a union between The New Pornographers and vintage Sentridoh.  IMAVOLCANO, not unlike Classic Creeps, is a narrative however this EP is a bit more surreal than Fishboy’s last one.  The title and fantastic album art might suggest the story being told here is about a volcano. And if you want to take each track on this EP literally, it is about someone turning into a volcano. On the other hand, if you want to read into it a bit more it could be seen as a metaphor for smoking too much weed, being restless and a slight bit emotionally volatile. Regardless, IMAVOLCANO is a brief shot of energetic music that is worth a listen or two.  You can listen to it here. 

Wall | Shoestring EP

The London band Wall released an impressive EP a while back called Shoestring. It’s impressive due to the way it can be mellow without being boring and emotional without being sappy. The fine line that this band walks on their latest effort is made most apparent on tracks like Left To Wonder or Valentine.   These two tracks are the standouts on the EP simply because they both combine a moderately paced melody that works well with the imagery of the lyrics. It’s this calm quality which creates the distinctive atmosphere that populates the Shoestring EP and makes it worth the money to buy or time to listen to it. 

Painted Palms | Nothing Lasts Long EP

Painted Palms are an alternative rock band that call San Francisco home. They recently came out with an EP called Nothing Last Long and among other things, has characteristics that make it perfect for summer listening. What might strike you upon first listening to Painted Palms is just how similar the vocal style is to that of The Shins frontman James Mercer. It should be said though, Painted Palms are not some kind of derivative impersonators, and their style has a distinctively west coast vibe.

The highlight of the Nothing Last Long EP comes right on its final cut with Anna. Anna is an incredibly upbeat pop number with a dreamy refrain that takes a bit from The Beatles but there’s nothing wrong with injecting a touch of nostalgia to go along with this song’s bright imagery. EPs always just give you a little taste of what a band is like and a sort of feel for what their future projects might sound like and Nothing Lasts Long does that very well.  Another nice thing about this EP is that it is completely free on their Bandcamp web page, so now you have no excuse not to get it.