Hear the album version here.

I first heard this song while I was living in Charlotte.  It was on a Paste Magazine Music Sampler (back in the day when they had a print magazine).

I was mesmerized by it back then.  I still am.  Neko Case has an incomparable voice, a weapon of unmatched ferocity.

It wasn’t until I was working in Philly at my infamous Used CD/DVD store job that I picked up the full album, “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.”  It took barely a day for me to become obsessed with it.  Her followup album, “Middle Cyclone,” is a more consistently affecting and successful album, song by song, and perhaps her career’s masterpiece (so far).  Still, I have a deep place in my heart for Fox Confessor, especially “Star Witness,” a song that displays her amazing voice and her uncanny storytelling ability.  Her songs are like beautifully rendered short stories, filled with depth and pathos.

I may be among a minority of people who came to know of Neko as a solo artist before finding out she was a member of the New Pornographers.  Just as well, I’d rather hear her sing solo any day of the week.  And next week, I’m finally getting the chance to do just that and see her live. 

Enjoy the video, and if Neko isn’t already a part of your regular musical diet, stock up.  She does a body good.