Case/Lang/Veirs – Case/Lang/Veirs (2016)

Sometimes albums made by so-called supergroups are not as great as the acts behind it. I think this is normally the case since all the members have to make compromises while working with other people with strong opinions what their music should sound like. This is not, however, the case (pun intended) with Case/Lang/Veirs album. It takes the strengths of each of these singer-songwriters and makes something beautiful out of their collaboration. The album doesn't sound like a collection of three different artists' songs, but like a true band effort. All of these three women are known for their great solo careers making Americana folk music. On this album, the best parts are the ones where they use their recognisable vocals in turns and sing harmonies for each other. The songwriting is definitely as strong as you could find on any album released by any of the three.



Of these three artists, I've definitely listened to Laura Veirs the most. Her singer-songwriter folk really appeals to me and I own many of her records. She's a terrific songwriter. Neko Case I mostly know from The New Pornographers, but I've also listened to her solo records (and even own them). There are some songs that I really like a lot, but then again, the albums have not ever really convinced me on the whole. K.D. Lang I know well as someone I should listen to more, but I just have never gotten round to really getting acquainted with her career as a whole. Anyway, as far as female musicians playing Americana folk go, these three are among the best artists out there. I was quite excited when I heard this kind of album was about to come out.

I think it's quite appropriate that the album starts with a song where it's impossible to say who's the lead singer. Atomic Number is sung in harmonies and all the three singers take turns in singing their own sequences. Their vocals work beautifully together and this song really sounds like a great folk trio that has played together for years. Honey and Smoke is a clear K.D. Lang song. Her voice is a bit deeper than the voices of the other two and there's some great music hall style in this song. Song for Judee on the other hand is a classic Laura Veirs song, but what makes it special is that it sounds more like her early albums that were more classic country/folk music. Delirium is the first obvious Neko Case song on the album and I was really surprised to realise that this is actually one of my absolute favourite songs on the album. I feel like this is one of the greatest songs Neko Case has ever written. All in all, I think Neko Case makes the greatest impression on me on this album. I feel like her songs work better here than on her solo albums. I don't know, maybe she's just grown as a songwriter and I should listen to her more recent songs more. In most of the songs it's very clear who's the lead and whose composition the song is, but I still like to think that the album brings a bit of extra to each member's normal songwriting.

It's really appropriate that the one song that has a music video is Atomic Number, which is the song that is the most collaborative song on the album. I've always felt that when this song opens up, it's like a sunrise to a sunny day. At least that's what it sounds like. So, I was really excited to see that also the music video starts with coffee being poured into a mug. The video itself is an animation of a man doing a journey through cities and landscapes.

It would've been great to see this trio live but I don't think they came to London, or if they did, I missed it. The trio have said that this is a one-off album and they probably won't collaborate on this scale anymore. That's kind of a shame, because I really really like this album.

Listen to the album on Spotify.