Neko Case Melts Buildings in Dallas

There was a giant owl behind Neko Case last night in Dallas, TX. When the lights went out, the owl's eyes were yellow and peering into the crowd. Hard not appreciate the metaphor of "soaring birds" when Neko Case sings. Seriously, does anyone sing better? Right now, Middle Cyclone is nested in several "Best of" lists already; Amazon already named it the best of the year. (it's also my personal favorite of the year).

A perfect glimpse of the show last night in the blue, humming Granada: the first song ended and a fan somewhere in the middle of the crowd belted "WOW." It was something everyone felt: "That voice..." She's a life ender voice: "You said I was your blue, blue baby and you were right" She sings with a blast of brightness during "The Pharoahs."

So what do you say about a perfect show? It was no less than everything Neko Case does well--"the boyfriends" (the band) weaving webs of guitar and Case and her backup singer truthfully illuminating everyone in the audience. There were no stuffy, bloated covers or long rock jams. Just folk-rock and Neko's soaring voice. The band finished with a song that was requested live, "Teenage Feeling," and came back for a encore that could melt a building.

"Vengeance is Sleeping" let Neko shine with the wildly capable guitar letting loose like a hundred shooting stars behind her. Middle Cyclone is almost entirely about morphing and incarnation, and listening to the tornado of the guitar, Neko's owl wings flapping over us and into the trees: we were all morphed animals.

Concerts to Make You Bankrupt Report

Bank loans for concerts will be needed. MP3s are attached, listen away!

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Lola's Saloon, Fort Worth, TX

The Mountain Goats w/ Final Fantasy, Granada Theater, Dallas, TX

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Longhorn Saloon, Fort Worth, TX

Neko Case, Granada Theater, Dallas, TX

J. Tillman, Hailey's, Denton, TX

Fanfarlo, The Loft, Dallas, TX

Rural Alberta Advantage, The Cavern, Dallas, TX

Thao & Get Down Stay Down - Feet Asleep

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Final Fantasy - The Butcher

Jason Isbell & 400 Unit - Seven Mile Island

The RRA - Frank, AB

J. Tillman - Year in the Kingdom

Hey It's a Andrew Bird Discussion! (That's hopefully about bigger things)

What do you think of Andrew Bird? Want to have a discussion? I've heard interesting arguments on both sides. He's a virtuoso; he's pretentious. He's intellectual; he's convoluted. His newest album, Noble Beast, gathered reviews from both sides:

Pitchfork said this: "The sound of the album is as important as the notes Bird plays, and this extends to the lyrics, where he's gradually gone from word-play to syllable-play, often choosing lines for their sounds and tonal quality more than for their meaning."

Paste said this: "Bird’s cutback in musical drama inadvertently begs for a sharper focus on individual parts, including the lyrics, their grandiosity making up for the music’s lack thereof—and then some. But listen too hard, and his words turn into flashing lights."

So there's two conflicting opinions on the subject of Andrew Bird's writing. I think Andrew Bird is a good musician to spur a few questions: Do people care about writing in music? Or more specifically, are people comfortable with only ONE type of writing? There's poetry in some songwriters, and some are more straight forward. Brendan Benson's new song "Garbage Day" has strong, fun, straight-as-nails lyrics:

"Alone in my apartment / lights out / I'm in the dark again.../If she throws her heart away / I'll be there on garbage day / to sift through what's left I guess"

Then there's Neko Case, weaving webs of poetry:

"...retching pennies in a boiling well / in a dream that it once becomes
a foundry of mute and heavy bells / They shake me deaf and dumb"

Boiling water and hurling pennies...it's surrealism and Dream Psychology in one minimalistic song (Middle Cyclone). Beautiful. Two songwriters, two different kinds of music in the same spectrum - but each is good. Is one more "approachable" than the other? Is one "better" than the other? Maybe; I don't think there is a "better."

Andrew Bird likes to experiment with words and syllables. If he didn't, his lyrics would be vexing and exciting at the same time. I think it's weird to narrow, whittle the spectrum of songwriting down so sharply that every line has to be the next Top Ten Indie Hit. Sometimes music can just be music to our ears, and that's one thing Andrew Bird does well:

"flailing fetal fleas / feeding from the arms of the master /burrow into me /and this is sure to misspell disaster / Oh and the young in the larval stage / orchestrating plays / in vestments of translucent alabaster"

"Vestments of translucent alabaster" fits like a puzzle piece into the song, but what does it mean? It's beautiful, that's a definite. Isn't that all it needs to be - part of a "song" - a lyrical work? Not every song has to tell a story. Not every song has to have a beginning, middle, and end. Sometimes it can just be playful and be the higher aspects of improvisational music. Isn't that "jazz"?