Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday April 17, 2009

Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday April 17, 2009

The openers are called Crooked Fingers, folk ensemble that simply can't choose what genre they want to stick with. I really liked them this go. The last time I saw them was with Texas gems Okkervil River. I remember feeling very bored by their set as I looked on from a distance. This time I was closer and I could see everything. They're quite minimal, with only a guitar, drums and the occasional bass guitar. The bassist was a woman that alternated between bass, vocals or sometimes both. I was really blown away by the lead singer's vocal range. He sang in a sky high falsetto voice above the girls in one the tunes. They made very pretty tunes. I would never want to physically stand through one of their sets entirely but i found sitting to be quite the treat. The Music Gallery would be the perfect venue for this band, pews included.I'm putting it out there that I've never been a huge Neko Case fan. I think I bought her older album 'Furnace Room Lullabies' because her band was called the Boyfriends and Case is absolutely legendary. With that same logic I went to see her at Trinity St. Paul, one part because of the venue and one part because well, just because it's Neko Case.She has a dynamite voice. Her voice lit up the entire church, effortlessly. She played a good chunk of her new album, peppered with older tunes. All the songs sounded perfect, as they do on the album. She has a great band which just strengthens her live performance all the more. Neko often played the guitar and always sung. Her backup singer was cheeky, but entertaining. I read in her Eye Weekly spread that her backup signer is also her best friend. How great would it be to see the world with you second half. It's rare to find a backup singer so good. I sat closer to her so I could hear her voice real well. At times i felt that she could carry the show with her voice. She however never over shone Neko by any means. She's completely beautiful but slightly aged in the face. She's super petite for her age, she's a year shy of forty. Her comfort and ease in her performance reveals just how comfortable she is. Throughout the set she was name dropping artists she wrote the songs with. She mentioned Sarah Harmer and the Sadies—two relatively local acts that made me real happy. Unfortunately none were in attendance.'Middle Cylcone' as a whole has a natural theme to it, perfect for Earth Day, not a week after her gig. She however maintains a solid, strong female appeal to the album. 'Maneater' not in the confident girl way but in the literal, animals being 'maneaters'. Watch out Nelly. On a couple of tunes she uses a music box throughout. In the live show she used it only in the song “Middle Cyclone”. It was absolutely beautiful. Innocent and minimal. Much like the song, which lyrics I can't get enough of. It's one of the prettiest tunes on the album for lyrics and sounds. Neko is a confident and successful female artist, both solo and through her band the New Pornographers. She's a real gem, one I'm proud to say is a Canadian.

May 2, 2009