Neko Case

As a singer, Neko Case has already taken indie supergroup The New Pornographers »above any suspicion of kitsch« (Spex). She began her career as a drummer with various punk bands, while completing her art studies. As a solo artist she broadened the Alt-Country genre with dark, surreal songs about man-eating tigers, city swans and loving tornados. After her twice Grammy nominated 2009 album, »Middle Cyclone« and some deaths in her family, the singer-songwriter withdrew from public life and (according to her statement) retreated to the abyss of her own childhood. In 2013 she came back with the programmatic album, »The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You« – and in 2014 she was once again nominated for a Grammy. It is certainly the most autobiographical and strangest album from the now 43-year old artist. With guests including Howe Gelb and Mudhoney’s Steve Turner, and convoluted arrangements and phrases, Neko Case has found her powerfully shimmering sound, characterised by her ostensively optimistic voice.