Where the Girls Are

Look, I like female vocalists. I like female vocalists who give the female perspective on relationships, and not in a Supremes kind of way. Think "You Keep Me Hangin' On" here, just as an example.

NYMary's Life Lesson #312: If you are in a relationship and The Supremes make sense to you, even seem to have a point, get the hell out. Thank you. And you may thank me later.

No, I prefer my girl singers with the bite of punk. Mary Prankster, Sleater-Kinney, even pre-Matrix Liz Phair. Some Kim Gordon stuff, The Breeders. Veruca Salt and solo Nina Gordon too. Sam Phillips. You get the idea.

It's not so much the vocal stylings that get me, though they're often fabulous: it's the sense that one is getting the rest of the story. Maybe it's the lit geek in me, but I love that.

And Neko. *sigh* I have such a girl-crush on Neko that I even listen to country for her. I drink bitter gall that she was not at the TNP show last month, but am confident that she'll be along in the fall.

A recent Pitchfork review:

Case's set involved a full band, including multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse (his arsenal included pedal-steel and banjo). Case herself played guitars, and her band was loose and lively. But everyone seemed to understand that the voice was the centerpiece. It's almost a cliché with Case, how captivating and powerful her vocals really are. But there's no getting around it, and especially not in concert, where the instruments weaved around her voice, creating little warrens she could sing her way out of. (Or stay comfortably within, for an extra velvety touch.) "Favorite" was a highlight, just as it is on Tigers, with Case's voice climbing the lingering rollercoaster melody and breaking with the plaint and sigh of a million tear-soaked date nights.

I mean, Johnny Loftus can write, too. No doubt. But damn.

Also worth noting: every man I know is in love with Neko. And I view it as a sign of their good sense.