Neko Case, Live in Bed

Literally the most charming thing ever? Neko Case singing a song from bed with her dog. I have two things to say about this, but they’re not important and just GO WATCH, it’s great. (Okay, so: 1. I have always loved Neko Case but having her on Twitter and now in videos made in bed with her dog has totally transformed the way I think about her. Previously she was distant to us — all I really knew before was that she hated piracy and was great. Now? I know when her dog shits in the truck. 2. I suspect that the reasons that Liza the enormous truck-shitting dog gets all pissy with Case’s singing are A) the sheer volume and B) also the totally intense overtones. Remember how Sasha Frere-Jones wrote, “when the throttle is open her chest voice is more than a mere horn section.” There’s like four voices in there when she’s really going, and Liza is hearing way more than we people are, particularly in-person, without the reducing and distorting effects of the audio codec on the video. I would love to know what it sounds like for Liza! If you’ve ever had a singer-singer sing at you up close, it’s crazy. Like, hearing Mariah Carey from three feet away? It’s a completely different harmonic experience, the “partials,” as they call them, are all over the place, and I imagine you’d hear so much wildness up close with the Lady Case.) Anyway! Charming! And all in support of a benefit for 826 National that is ending tonight.