The autobiographic The Virginian (Mint, 1997) and Furnace Room Lullaby (Bloodshot, 2000) are as noteworthy for their songs as for the impressive parades of guest appearances (Kelly Hogan, Ron Sexsmith). The latter alternates catchy tunes (Set Out Running, Guided by Wire) and straightforward honky-tonk (Mood To Burn Bridges) with her emotional outpours (Lonely Old Lies, Twist the Knife, Furnace Room Lullaby, Bought and Sold).

Case relocated to Chicago and joined the New Pornographers.

The EP Canadian Amp (Lady Pilot, 2002), recorded in her kitchen, is a stripped-down effort that features the usual cast of friends (Kelly Hogan, Robert Lloyd, Chris Von Sneidern, etc) and the usual dose of covers.

Blacklisted (Lady Pilot / Bloodshot, 2002) is finally an album of original material (except two covers). Case has matured both as a singer and as a songwriter and arranger.
She can also afford to round up a back-up band made of Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Jody Grind's Kelly Hogan, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet's Brian Connelly and (drum roll) Mary Margaret O'Hara in one of her rare appearances.
Her alt-country fame is justified by the breezy bluegrass of Things That Scare Me, the solemn honky-tonk of Stinging Velvet, and the ethereal country of I Missed The Point (each a pretext to display her voice's stunning register), but her status as a creative auteur depends on the mood that her carefully crafted compositions forge.
Her subtle art is best displayed in Deep Red Bells, a sinister and suspenseful ballad over feverish rhythm that suddenly soars in a John Denver-ian anthem; or in I Wish I Was The Moon, that has the naive quality of the French singers of the 1960s (Francoise Hardy). Case intones the bluesy meditation of Pretty Girls in a register that recalls Grace Slick while guitar and bass pen an almost apocalyptic atmosphere, whereas the confessional style of Lady Pilot and Ghost Wiring evokes Joni Mitchell with a bolder, deeper voice. The ghost of Nick Cave rises from the slow, dark, tense, heavy, desolate Blacklisted and from Tightly's interplay of Connelly's ominous twang, swampy rhythm and pensive piano. Her vocal acrobatics help achieve a kind of drama that is simply out of reach for most musicians.

The Tigers Have Spoken (Anti, 2004) is a (mediocre and short) live album, that delivers two new songs: If You Knew and The Tigers Have Spoken.

On her way to becoming a much more conventional persona, more similar to a country singer and storyteller (and pin-up), Case displayed an uncanny talent at picking the right musical collaborators (the likes of Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Jody Grind's Kelly Hogan, Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino, and even veteran Garth Hudson of The Band). They helped her fashion the simple but subtle ballads of Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti, 2006), some distinguished by breathtaking vocal interpretations (Dirty Knife, Maybe Sparrow), some highlighted by haunting settings (Hold On Hold On, Margaret Vs Pauline) and some still redolent of her original cryptic poetry (Star Witness) and musical madness (That Teenage Feeling).

Nata in Virginia e cresciuta a Tacoma (Washington) Neko Case ha avuto la sua formazione in una punk-pop band chiamata Maow. Presto però, Case si tramuta in una cantante country e ora borbotta e canticchia serenate con la stessa passione ruvida e tenace di un Bruce Springsteen e la grezza energia ubriaca dei cow-punks.

L'autobiografico The Virginian (Mint, 1997) e Furnace Room Lullaby (Bloodshot, 2000) sono degni di nota tanto per le loro canzoni quanto per l'impressionante parata di ospiti (Kelly Hogan, Ron Sexsmith). Il secondo alterna motivi orecchiabili (Set Out Running, Guided by Wire) e honky-tonk diretti (Mood To Burn Bridges) con le sue forti uscite emozioanali (Twist the Knife, Furnace Room Lullaby, Bought and Sold).

L'EP Canadian Amp (Lady Pilot, 2002), registrato nella sua cucina, è un lavoro scarno che presenta il solito novero di amici (Kelly Hogan, Robert Lloyd, Chris Von Sneidern, etc) e la solita dose di covers.

Blacklisted (Lady Pilot / Bloodshot, 2002) è finalmente un album composto da (per lo più) materiale originale. Case è maturata sia come cantante che come arrangiatrice, come dimostrano Pretty Girls, Things That Scare Me, Deep Red Bells e I Wish I Was The Moon. E si può anche permettere una band di supporto con i Calexico (Joey Burns e John Convertino), Howe Gelb dei Giant Sand, Kelly Hogan dei  Jody Grind, Brian Connelly dei Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet e (rullo di tamburi) Mary Margaret O'Hara in una delle sue rare apparizioni.
La sua fama alt-country è giustificata dal vivace bluegrass di Things That Scare Me, dall solenne honky-tonk di Stinging Velvet, e dal country etereo I Missed The Point (ognuna un pretesto per mostrare il registro sbalorditivo della sua voce), ma il suo status di autrice creativa poggia sul mood forgiato dalle sue composizioni raffinate.
La sua sottile arte risalta maggiormente in Deep Red Bells, una ballata sinistra e piena di suspence su una ritmica febbrile che d'improvviso si schiude in un anthem John Denver-iano; o in I Wish I Was The Moon, che ha lo stesso tocco naïfe dei cantanti francesi degli anni '60 (Francoise Hardy). Case intona la meditazione blues Pretty Girls in un registro che richiama Grace Slick mentre chitarra e basso tratteggiano un'atmosfera quasi apocalittica, mentre lo stile confessionale di Lady Pilot e Ghost Wiring ricorda una Joni Mitchell con una voce più nitida e più profonda. Aleggia lo spettro di Nick Cave nella lenta, cupa, contratta, gravosa, desolata Blacklisted e nel minaccioso pianoforte vibrante e profondo di Connelly nell'intermezzo di Tightly. Le acrobazie della sua voce l'aiutano a raggiungere un senso di drammatico che è semplicemente fuori portata per molti musicisti.