Blacklisted [LP]

by Neko Case

Overview

While the spare and often haunted sound of Neko Case's home-recorded Canadian Amp EP seemed at the time like a late-night detour from alt-country's leading songbird of the North, listening to Case's first full-length album following Canadian Amp suggests it may have been the first step along a new and different path for her. Blacklisted is a considerably darker and more understated affair than The Virginian or Furnace Room Lullaby, and its sometimes stark, sometimes elegant 3 a.m. sound is informed as much by pop, jazz, and blues flavors as the country & western-slanted melodies of her first two solo albums. Which isn't to say Blacklisted is a total departure for Neko Case; her big, bold, but silky smooth voice is still a thing of beauty, and if anything, she's still learning more remarkable things she can do with it, with the result being some of her finest and most insightful performances to date. And Case continues to grow as a songwriter; penning most of the album all by herself, Case is a lyricist willing to answer to both her heart and her head, and she had a fine ear for a melody to boot. With Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, Dallas Good of the Sadies, and Kelly Hogan all contributing to Blacklisted, Neko Case has crafted an album whose quiet drift only adds to its power; it's hard to say if hanging out with Nick Cave on tour had much of an influence on her, but this disc sounds a bit like Case's version of The Boatman's Call, a personal exploration of the heart and soul that proves sad and beautiful can often walk hand in hand. Highly recommended. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	07/22/2016
Label:	Anti- / Anti Records / Epitaph
UPC:	0045778691616
Rank:	19020

Tracks

1. Pretty Girls
2. Things That Scare Me
3. Deep Red Bells
4. I Missed the Point
5. Blacklisted
6. Outro With Bees
7. I Wish I Was the Moon
8. Lady Pilot
9. Runnin' Out of Fools
10. Tightly
11. Ghost Wiring
12. Look for Me (I'll Be Around)
13. Outro with Bees (Reprise)
14. Stinging Velvet

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Neko Case   Primary Artist,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Percussion,Tambourine,Musical Saw,Guitar (Tenor),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Electric Tenor)
Kelly Hogan   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Howe Gelb   Guest Artist,Organ,Piano,Wurlitzer,Pump Organ
Joey Burns   Guest Artist,Bass,Cello,Organ,Guitar,Accordion,Pump Organ,Vibraphone,Double Bass,Bass (Upright),Guitar (Tenor),Bass (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
John Convertino   Drums
Tom V. Ray   Bass (Upright)
Mary Margaret O'Hara   Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Dallas Good   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Brian Connelly   Guitar (Baritone)
Jon Rauhouse   Banjo,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel),Hawaiian Guitar
Tom Ray   Double Bass

Technical Credits

Kurt Dahle   Photography
Tom V. Ray   Arranger,Composer
Richard Ahlert   Composer
Neko Case   Arranger,Composer,Mixing Engineer
Nick Luca   Assistant Engineer
Guy Wood   Composer
Darryl Neudorf   Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
John Anaya   Engineer
Alfio Annibalini   Mixing Assistant
Sylvia Dee   Composer
Chris Buck   Cover Photo,Photography
Craig Schumacher   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Jon Rauhouse   Arranger,Composer
Peter J. Moore   Mastering
Kay Rogers   Composer
Tom Ray   Arranger,Composer
Darryl   Mixing
Randy "Tex" Iwata   Assembly,Layout Design
Jim Blackwood   Assistant Engineer
Mac McGill   Mixing,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer