In 2014 k.d. lang sent an email to Neko Case and Laura Veirs on a whim. It read simply: “I think we should make a record together.” Though the three musicians were barely more than acquaintances, “Laura and I both responded immediately,” recalls Case. “There was no question.” Now known as a seminal album in each of their catalogues, case/lang/veirs was released ten years ago today. In celebration, a new 10th anniversary edition will be released on September 4 with the previously unreleased track ‘Accidental Tattoo’ and 12 live versions of each other’s songs that were recorded during the original 2016 tour. Pre-order on metallic orange swirl vinyl, limited to a pressing of 500, in the Anti- Records webstore. Listen to ‘Accidental Tattoo’ below.
Listen to previously unreleased track ‘Accidental Tattoo’
“ ‘Accidental Tattoo’ is a song that came from a sudden creative spark that happened between all 3 of us a couple of years ago,” lang explains. “Neko wrote the lyrics, Laura and I organized Neko’s poetry, adding arrangements and intertwining it with melodies and music. And then I worked closely with Larry Goldings on the actual production to fasten all of it into the song you hear now.”
Added Veirs: “So much in the world has changed since this album first came out in 2016, but when I listen back, these songs still hold up to my ears. I’m proud of what we made together and am thankful for the opportunity to have been part of it. The experience challenged me, taught me a great deal, and ultimately helped shape the artist I am today.”
Full of stunning harmonies and spellbinding rhythms, case/lang/veirs draws inspiration from alluring, mysterious subjects: a supermoon, the tumbledown story of 70s singer Judee Sill, and the “best kept secret” in Silver Lake, to name but three. It’s a true collaboration between “the strongest voices in their field – lang the full-voiced seductress, Case the hurricane, and Veirs the wry storyteller” (Pitchfork). The women wrote all 14 songs and shared lead vocals equally, sometimes even within the same track. Full of stunning harmonies and spellbinding rhythms, case/lang/veirs travels through aches and eras, torch songs and tributes to the undersung.
They worked over two and a half years in Portland, Oregon, where lang and Veirs both live, sometimes in lang’s loft with a view of Mount St. Helens, others in Veirs’ dining room or backyard studio. The album was written from the ground up without any real plan beyond a desire to make music together and a faith that it would reveal itself. “There’s a generosity of spirit to ‘case/lang/veirs’,” NPR praised upon the album’s release. “A worthy extension of three tremendous catalogs, in which three great singer-songwriters sound enhanced and invigorated by the challenge of living up to each other’s legacies.”
Last month Veirs announced her 14th solo album, Temple Songs, coming out August 14th. The first album Veirs has written, recorded, arranged, produced and performed entirely on her own, listen to the lead single ‘Flying Into Darkness’ HERE. This September she will be touring the UK and Ireland with Karl Blau, then setting off on a US headlining run in early October. All of her upcoming dates are listed below.
Neko Case released her ninth studio album Neon Grey Midnight Green last fall, simultaneously her biggest-sounding and most intimate-feeling album yet. More “in the room” than any of her past work, even breaths and shirt-sleeve rustlings were kept in the final mix as a reminder that “humans were here.” Last week she announced a new run of Neon Grey Midnight Green tour dates that begin this fall on the East coast and end with two shows in Case’s hometown of Tacoma, Washington.
Case is also the composer and lyricist for the forthcoming stage adaptation of Thelma & Louise: A New Musical, having been personally selected by original screenwriter Callie Khouri to create the score and songs. The production will make its world premiere this fall at The Young Vic in London, running from September 3 through October 24.
Praise for case/lang/viers
“A vigorous, life-affirming record” – MOJO
“An exquisite tribute to connection and reflection on the things that bind us.” – Pitchfork
“A worthy extension of three tremendous catalogs, in which three great singer-songwriters sound enhanced and invigorated by the challenge of living up to each other’s legacies.” – NPR Music
case/lang/veirs’
10th Anniversary Edition
Tracklisting
1. Atomic Number
2. Honey and Smoke
3. Song For Judee
4. Blue Fires
5. Delirium
6. Greens of June
7. Behind the Armory
8. Best Kept Secret
9. 1000 Miles Away
10. Supermoon
11. I Want To Be Here
12. Down I-5
13. Why Do We Fight
14. Georgia Stars
15. Accidental Tattoo
16. Greens of June (live)
18. I Can See Your Tracks (live)
19. Margaret vs Pauline (live)
20. Helpless (live)
21. Supermoon (live)
22. July Flame (live)
23. Sorrow Nevermore (live)
24. Man (live)
25. Best Kept Secret (live)
26. Hold On Hold On (live)
27. Constant Craving (live)
28. People Have The Power (live)
https://nekocase.com/
https://kdlang.com/
https://www.lauraveirs.com/
