tunes tuesday

Neko Case

She is magical. 

Her voice makes your heart want to sing. 

Her lyrics cut you to the core. 

And her music makes you feel like you are home.

I have yet to find another female vocalist that does it for me quite like Neko does.

I discovered her music a few years ago from two sources:

My friend Nicole, who knew I would adore Neko.

And watching Big Love. 

I've seen her live twice and she is stellar.

Nicole and I went to see her when she was playing a free show for the release of Middle Cyclone at Amoeba Music in LA where we were right in front to hear and see her in all her glory.

Then we went to see her at the Greek Theatre in LA and she was just as amazing.

It's just such a lovely and heart warming experience to see her and her incredible band live. 

There's just so much talent on that stage.

It's so difficult for me to choose one singular favorite song or album of hers because it always changes.

When I listen to Neko, I listen to her all day every day for a stretch of time. 

She's addictive.

But, the title track off of her album Middle Cyclone is one of my favorites for many reasons, but the main reason being that it contains my favorite line, to which I feel I can immensely relate to. The song itself reminds me of the few months surrounding the time I met David. In my heart I knew that he was the one for me, the one I was going to marry, but I was so terrified that I nearly let him slip through my fingers. I briefly broke his heart, but I came to my senses and realized my mistake right away... and well, the rest is history.

The lyric goes as such: 

I can't give up acting tough

It's all that I'm made of

Can't scrape together quite enough

To ride the bus to the outskirts of the fact that I need love

Ugh, those words slay me. There really isn't a lyric that has ever made me feel so exposed than that one. It's not even just the love of a man/boyfriend/husband, it's the love of any human being. Some of us build such sturdy walls around our hearts that we convince even ourselves that we don't need the love of anyone else on earth... until something knocks you over the side of the head and makes you realize that you were wrong.

I hope that if you haven't heard Neko Case that you will give her a chance and a listen. 

I hope she touches your heart like she has touched mine.

~Andrea