The Virginian | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996–1997 | |||
Genre | Alternative country | |||
Length | 30:31 | |||
Label | Mint/Bloodshot | |||
Producer | Brian Connelly [1] | |||
Neko Case and her Boyfriends chronology | ||||
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The Virginian is the 1997 debut studio album by American vocalist Neko Case, whose backing band at that time consisted of a rotating group of musicians referred to as "Her Boyfriends". [2] It was Case's first solo record after previously being a member of Vancouver pop punk bands Maow and Cub. [3]
Guest musicians on the album include Carl Newman, [4] Carolyn Mark, Rose Melberg, Matt Murphy, Brian Connelly, [1] and Darryl Neudorf. Case and Newman would later form the New Pornographers with other Vancouver musicians. [4]
The song "Karoline" was a re-recording of the song "Rebecca Lash" which Case had written and recorded with her previous band Maow. "Misfire" is a cover of a Queen song, originally recorded on the band's Sheer Heart Attack album. A video for "Timber" was shot; however, CMT did not air it, calling it too dark. Case herself was unhappy with the video and did not want it aired.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Pitchfork Media | 7.3/10 [6] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that Case "comes across like a latter-day Brenda Lee, warbling about bluegrass and honky-tonks as if she'd been raised on them, filling her songs with inventive word play, heartbreak and humour while refugees from bands such as Sloan, Copyright and Zumpano bang out their best impersonation of 1950s Nashville session guys." [7]
Neko Richelle Case is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case' contralto voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings," "a 120-mph fastball," and a "vocal tornado". Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic," "imagistic" lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar. Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification.
The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective and supergroup of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released nine studio albums to date. The band have received critical acclaim for their use of multiple vocalists and songwriters, as well as for the elements of power pop incorporated into their music. Pitchfork has described the band's sound as "peppy, gleeful, headstrong guitar pop", while Stereogum has retrospectively praised the band's debut album Mass Romantic as "one of the greatest and most immediate power pop albums ever rendered".
Darryl Neudorf is a Canadian musician, record producer and audio engineer.
Mass Romantic is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock supergroup the New Pornographers. Produced by David Carswell and band bassist John Collins, it was released on Mint Records on November 28, 2000. The album was three years in the making, with musicians A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar writing songs as early as 1998. With encouragement from peers, they recorded an album with other Canadian musicians from groups including the Evaporators, Zumpano, and Destroyer.
Maow was a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A pop punk combo, the band was part of the "cuddlecore" scene led by cub.
The Unforgiving Sounds of Maow is a 1996 album by Vancouver punk band Maow. It was the band's only full-length album, 21 minutes in length.
Electric Version is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on Matador Records and Mint Records on May 6, 2003.
Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards.
Twin Cinema is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on August 23, 2005. The album was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize. As of 2010 it has sold 138,000 copies in US and 20,000 copies in Canada.
Kathryn Jane Calder is a Canadian indie rock musician, who performs as a solo artist, and is a member of the bands The New Pornographers and Frontperson. She is a former member of Immaculate Machine. Calder started with The New Pornographers by filling in for Neko Case for live performances and was made a permanent member in 2006.
Together is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers. It was released on May 4, 2010 and debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200.
Are You My Mother? is a 2010 album released by Canadian musician Kathryn Calder. It is Calder's debut solo album. She had previously released records as a member of Immaculate Machine and The New Pornographers.
Shut Down The Streets is the third solo album by A. C. Newman, released on October 9, 2012, on Matador Records. It is Newman's first foray into autobiographical song writing, covering topics such as fatherhood and grief.
Allan Carl Newman is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of the New Pornographers in 2000, a band who have enjoyed both commercial and critical success.
Brill Bruisers is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers. It was released on August 26, 2014 and debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200. In describing the album, A.C. Newman called it "a celebration record... After periods of difficulty, I am at a place where nothing in my life is dragging me down and the music reflects that."
"I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" is the debut single by American country music artist Loretta Lynn, released in March 1960. The song was among the first to not only be recorded by Lynn, but also to be penned by her. She composed the song while living in Washington State, maintaining her role as a housewife and occasional member of a local country music band. The composition was later recorded in California after Lynn was given money by a local businessman, who was impressed by her singing. "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" was then issued as a single under the newly founded and independent Zero Records label in March 1960.
Whiteout Conditions is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers. It was released on April 7, 2017, and is the first album not to feature either longtime drummer Kurt Dahle or singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.
Superconductor was a Canadian alternative rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, active in the 1990s. Led by Carl Newman, the band was known for an unusual instrumental approach which saw up to six guitarists and two bassists performing simultaneously on each song.
In the Morse Code of Brake Lights is the eighth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers, released on September 27, 2019. The album was preceded in August by its lead single, "Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile".
Continue as a Guest is the ninth studio album by indie rock group the New Pornographers, released on March 31, 2023. It has received positive reviews from critics and has been promoted with several single releases and a tour.