Neko Case

Twist The Knife, by Neko Case.

The 2000 Festive Fifty #1

Neko Richelle Case (born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers.

Case recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before performing solely under her name. She primarily performs her own material ... (read more at Wikipedia)

Links To Peel

The track 'Twist The Knife' from Neko Case's second album, Furnace Room Lullaby, reached #1 in the 2000 Festive Fifty. It would be the only case of a country song topping the list and her one and only Festive Fifty entry.

Peel first played a track from the album on 08 February 2000 but admitted he'd had the LP at home for some time already. He soon made up for lost time, however, and the LP was featured heavily in his shows over subsequent months. The DJ also went back to play tracks from her debut album and her early recordings as a member of Canadian indie rock band Meow (later Maow), which he styled her "day job" (02 April 2000 (BFBS)). There would also be a live Maida Vale session later in the year.

Peel, however, was less keen on her later musical direction. On 01 January 2002, he commented:

"I was sent actually toward the end of last year a new record by Neko Case [presumably Canadian Amp] ... and I have to admit that I was disappointed with it. Because her previous one was #1 in last year's Festive Fifty and was terrific and it was kind of country stuff, and she had reverted more to the kind of singer-songwriter things, which were perfectly acceptable but not as dramatic or as exciting or just as plain good as the country things she was doing. So perhaps she will go back to the country in 2002. Let's hope so."

After Peel's death, a six-track 1992 EP featuring Case as a member of Meow was found in John Peel's Record Box.

Festive Fifty Entries

• 2000 Festive Fifty: Twist The Knife #1

Sessions

One session. No known commercial release of sessions.

1. Broadcast live from Maida Vale 13 September 2000. Repeated: 22 February 2001.

• Set Out Running / Make Your Bed / I Still Remember / Favourite / Twist The Knife /Bought And Sold / Furnace Room Lullaby / (Look For Me) I'll Be Around / Running Out Of Fools / Lord Don't Move The Mountain / Bought And Sold

Live

• 12 April 2001 (live from ULU, London, with Calexico). Repeated: 14 June 2001. Case only features on two tracks.

1. El Picador
2. The Ride Part 2
3. Piker Sam
4. Ballad Of Cable Hogue (featuring Neko Case)
5. Stingin' Velvet (featuring Neko Case)
6. Stray
7. Lost In Space
8. Minas De Cobre
9. The Crystal Frontier

Other Shows Played

2000

• February 2000 (FSK): Twist The Knife (CD - Furnace Room Lullaby) Loose

• 08 February 2000: Porchlight (LP-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint (JP: "Pretty teen terrific, I'd say.")
• 10 February 2000: Twist The Knife (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint (JP: "Now that is the one, I think, let's be honest! Almost too much.... And you will certainly hear that one again on this programme.")
• 13 February 2000 (BFBS): Porchlight (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 15 February 2000: Porchlight (LP – Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 16 February 2000: Duchess (LP - The Virginian) Bloodshot
• 17 February 2000: Twist The Knife (LP – Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 17 February 2000: Twist The Knife (LP – Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 17 February 2000 (Radio Eins): Mood To Burn Bridges (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 17 February 2000 (Radio Eins): Twist The Knife (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 19 February 2000 (BFBS): Twist The Knife (CD-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 22 February 2000: Twist The Knife (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 23 February 2000: Set Out Running (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 24 February 2000: Somebody Led Me Away (LP - The Virginian) Bloodshot
• 24 February 2000: How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? (LP - The Unforgiving Sounds Of...Maow) Mint (Maow)
• 24 February 2000 (Radio Eins): Porchlight
• 25 February 2000 (BBC World Service): Twist The Knife (album - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 26 February 2000 (BFBS): Set Out Running (CD-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 01 March 2000: Very Missionary (LP 'The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow') Mint (Maow)
• 01 March 2000: Boy Groupies (7" EP - I Ruv Me Too) Twist Like This (limited edition of 500 copies) (Maow)
• 02 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Bought And Sold
• 02 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Somebody Led Me Away
• 03 March 2000 (BBC World Service): Twist The Knife (album - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 07 March 2000: Porchlight (CD - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 08 March 2000: Twist The Knife (CD: Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 09 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Very Missionary (album - The Unforgiving Sounds Of... Maow) Mint (Maow)
• 09 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Twist The Knife (album - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint (JP's favourite LP of the year so far)
• 13 March 2000 (BFBS): Porchlight (CD-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 15 March 2000: Thanks A Lot (LP - The Virginian) Bloodshot
• 16 March 2000: Twist The Knife (LP - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 16 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Thanks A Lot (LP - The Virginian) Bloodshot
• 20 March 2000 (BFBS): Porchlight (CD-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 23 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Set Out Running (CD - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 30 March 2000: How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? (LP - The Unforgiving Sounds Of...Maow) Mint (Maow)
• 30 March 2000 (Radio Eins): Lonely Old Lies (CD - The Virginian) Mint
• 02 April 2000 (BFBS): How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? (LP - The Unforgiving Sounds Of...Maow) Mint (Maow)
• 04 April 2000: Twist The Knife (CD - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 06 April 2000 (Radio Eins): Twist The Knife (CD - Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 27 April 2000: Duchess (CD – The Virginian) Bloodshot
• 02 May 2000: 'Somebody Led Me Away (CD-The Virginian)' (Bloodshot)
• 12 September 2000: Twist The Knife (album: Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 13 September 2000: One Night Stand (EP - Meow) Twist Like This (Maow)
• 21 September 2000 (Radio Eins): Twist The Knife (album: Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint
• 28 December 2000: Twist The Knife (CD-Furnace Room Lullaby) Mint FF#1

2001

• 14 January 2001 (BFBS): 'Rated X (Compilation 7"-The Shortening Sessions: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn)' (Bloodshot)
• 27 March 2001 (with Jon Rauhouse): Favorite (Compilation LP: Down To The Promised Land) BLOODSHOT RECORDS SAMPLER WHITE LABEL
• 12 April 2001 (Radio Eins) (with Jon Rauhouse): Favorite (Compilation LP: Down To The Promised Land) BLOODSHOT RECORDS SAMPLER WHITE LABEL
• 26 June 2001: Guided By Wire (CD - Rough Guide To Americana) World Music Network

2002

• 24 April 2002: Rolling Stone (LP – Nashville A Tribute To Robert Altman) Mint
• 09 May 2002 (Radio Eins): Rolling Stone (album - Nashville A Tribute To Robert Altman) Mint
• 09 May 2002 (Radio Eins): Poor Ellen Smith (The Executioner's Last Songs)
• 03 October 2002: Blacklisted (CD-Blacklisted) Metador
• 03 October 2002 (Radio Mafia): Waiting For The Sunrise (with Jon Rauhouse) (Bloodshot)
• 10 October 2002 (Radio Eins): Ghost Wiring (album - Blacklisted) Matador
• 15 October 2002 (with Jon Rauhause): The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise (LP - Steel Guitar Airshow) Bloodshot
• 20 November 2002: I Missed The Point (LP - Blacklisted) Matador
• 27 November 2002: I Missed The Point (LP - Blacklisted) Matador
• 05 December 2002 (Radio Eins): I Missed The Point (album - Blacklisted) Matador
• 07 December 2002 (BBC World Service): Blacklisted (CD-Blacklisted) Metador

Post-Peel

• 23 November 2004: 'If You Knew' - (Anti)
• Pop Depresija (Pop Depression): Twist The Knife (Peel Session)

External Links

• Wikipedia
• Official site
• 2014 Telegraph interview
• AllMusic