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Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
by Neko Case

Neko Case reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 84 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.2 out of 10
based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 53 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Members of Calexico and Giant Sand help provide the music for the singer's first studio album in four years.

LABEL: Anti
RELEASE DATE: 07 March 2006
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Indie, Rock, Alt-Country

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Alternative Press
An astonishing collection... that should leave Case's peers eating a cloud of Nashville dust. [Apr 2006, p.204]
91
The Onion (A.V. Club)
There's a confidence here that carried over from Case's remarkable 2004 live album The Tigers Have Spoken.
Read Full Review
91
Entertainment Weekly
Moving futher away from her early alt-country sound has sharpened Case's songwriting instincts. [10 Mar 2006, p.68]
90
Billboard
Case has never sounded as vital as she does on "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood."
Read Full Review
90
All Music Guide
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is a rich, mature and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention -- if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is.
Read Full Review
90
Amazon.com
Her uncanny, often eccentric lyrics have always been delivered with an inherent passion behind the impulse, but rarely have they approached the boldness of these dozen.
Read Full Review
90
Prefix Magazine
Case's genius as a writer, evident from track to track, stems from her ability to write lyrics that conjure up amazingly clear images but that still leave the songs as a whole up to interpretation.
Read Full Review
90
Slant Magazine
The 12 most ambitious, dense songs she's yet committed to record.
Read Full Review
90
Tiny Mix Tapes
A transcendent accomplishment.
Read Full Review
87
cokemachineglow
Neko Case has made tremendous progress here as a lyricist.
Read Full Review
83
Spin
[Fox Confessor] shows that for all her versatility, she has a singular vision when it comes to her own music. And Lordy, it is dark. [Mar 2006, p.92]
80
Uncut
With Fox Confessor, she has defiantly come into her own. [Apr 2006, p.106]
80
New Musical Express
A mesmerising album. [11 Mar 2006, p.41]
80
Mojo
Feels as old as a cracked-leather Bible that's lasted generations and witnessed many secrets. [Apr 2006, p.98]
80
Magnet
Musically, Fox fulfills the wish list of fans who've waitied for new material since 2002's Blacklisted. [#71, p.89]
80
ShakingThrough.net
Fox Confessor is often striking, intermittently dazzling and occasionally puzzling.
Read Full Review
80
Playlouder
On 'Fox Confessor Brings The Flood' Neko's voice and sheer poetry of her song-writing make hyped also-rans like Jenny Lewis look like hot-pant wearing desperados, proving to her rivals and beyond that style and substance aren't mutually exclusive.
Read Full Review
80
Under The Radar
Twelve of the most lyrically and musically ambitious songs of her career. [#12, p.90]
80
PopMatters
The numerous hired hands provide a sumptuous, varied backdrop for Case’s vocals, making for her most musically rich album to date.
Read Full Review
80
NOW Magazine
Case's overzealous self-production means there are layers upon layers to every track, which sometimes works to her detriment.
Read Full Review
80
The Guardian
The singing gives you goosebumps.
Read Full Review
77
Pitchfork
What once again prevents Case from delivering a front-to-back classic is a perfectionist streak that accounts for Flood's mannered meticulousness.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times
At first, the songs can seem remote and arty, but gradually they start to add up; they're filled with a sense of loss and a hope for transformation. [6 Mar 2006]
70
Q Magazine
Exhibits a grace and richness that is sometimes absent from Case's self-regarding live shows. [Apr 2006, p.112]
70
Blender
On this sublime set, Case's own sweeping, backwoods melodies and bloodstained Southern Gothic lyrics finally match the drama of her wails. [Apr 2006, p.111]
60
Paste Magazine
Case... still approximates a Northwestern Patsy Cline with a graduate degree, and while the stories she tells are mournful, her delivery remains buoyant. [Apr/May 2006, p.101]
60
Rolling Stone
From her luscious, aching croon, and her ensemble's solemn high-mesa twang and groove..., you'd never guess she wasn't covering Patsy Cline standards.
Read Full Review
58
Stylus Magazine
Unsurprisingly, everything on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is sublimated beneath Case’s vocals: music, momentum, the need for tunes.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 53 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Gernick K gave it a10:
played the record again this weekend after not having listened to it for a while, was again struck by the sheer gorgeousness of this album. possibly the best album of 2006 (though i struggle to think of an album that could match this in 2006) Catch her live if you can, it will be magic.

Desmond B gave it a10:
Fox Confessor is a modern classic. The songs that don't hit you at first will reveal, after repeated listens, the genius of Neko's songwriting.

Phil M gave it a10:
Beautiful.

C Le gave it a10:
Neko's voice is stunning. The way it glides reminds me of... snowboarding. I also love the abstract nature of her lyrics. It's a great contrast to the sometimes overly literal lyrics of pop country. One of the best albums of 2006.

Reuben F gave it a9:
'Hold On, Hold On' and 'Needle Has Landed' are among the most beautiful songs of 2006. She might not have quite the same cult appeal of some other alt.country female artists to have emerged in recent years, like Martha Wainright's (2005) 'Bloody Mother F..king Asshole' (my Finnish house-mate is a fan), or the more obscure Joanna Newsom. But Neko Case is producing some of the best music of the genre. Interesting to note that a fellow New Pornographers member Daniel Bejar also has a successful solo career with his band Destroyer - something I have only just discovered.

Rob C gave it an8:
1- Amazing voice. 2- Beautiful Music 3- Strange Cover

DRE From Charlotte gave it a10:
Neko Case has the clearest voice in 2006 music. 'Fox' is a lovely, sorta wacko, alt-country masterpiece. It's sort of like stepping back in time to heart Pasty Cline singing cutting-edge alt.

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