2002’s Blacklisted was singer-songwriter Neko Case’s third solo album and the one that really struck a nerve with critics. This album introduced the dominant sound of her next several releases, including my favorite, 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.
Case is the whole package. She pens memorable melodies and evocative lyrics, creates soundscapes in a ghostly alternative bluegrass style that sounds like nobody else, and has one of the best voices in the game.
Today’s track is as good an example of all of the above as any.
Let go of the focus
And I blur out all the lines
Just to remember, remember
Crying ’cause it’s not my fault
Water through my lashes
Look just like Christmas lights
And I still remember, remember
Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering warm
Ooh, ooh
Sing please, rock me to sleep
Quiet as a canyon
Up under heaven’s eaves
I surrender, surrender
Downstairs the furnace swells
Safe from all the horrors
In your stinging velvet arms
And I surrender, surrender
Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering warm
I like her sound.