Neko Case - Blacklisted

In a four-and-a-half star review of 2002's Blacklisted, the album was listed as "highly recommended" by AllMusic, and described as "a personal exploration of the heart and soul that proves sad and beautiful can often walk hand in hand."

More subdued than its predecessor (Furnace Room Lullaby), Neko Case's 2002 album, Blacklisted, is the singer/songwriter's first outing not co-billed to "Her Boyfriends." Backed by a cadre of intuitive musicians that includes multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino (both of Calexico) and their Giant Sand peer Howe Gelb (on various keys), Case offers up a largely down-tempo set that's steeped in a dreamy, noir-like atmosphere.

The haunting "Deep Red Bells" masterfully showcases the range of Case's resonant voice, while "Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" evokes the cinematic mood of a vintage black-and-white thriller as narrated from the perspective of the femme fatale. Even Blacklisted's most upbeat moments — the soaring "Lady Pilot" and the twangy "Stinging Velvet" — carry a palpable sense of melancholy, resulting in a record that's in line with Nick Cave's dark aesthetic. (In fact, Case would go on to open for Cave on tour, and the two would become label-mates on Anti- with subsequent releases.) Arguably Case's most focused and consistent album, Blacklisted is the perfect portal into her gorgeously half-lit world.

Side 1

Things that Scare Me

Deep Red Bells

Outro with Bees

Lady Pilot

Tightly

Look For Me (I'll Be Around)

Stinging Velvet

Side 2

Pretty Girls

I Missed the Point

Blacklisted

I Wish I Was the Moon

Runnin' Out of Fools

Ghost Wiring

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