Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You... (2013)

Neko Case's 2013 release is likely her most accessible, taking a more moderate indie rock focus with a bit of country and folk influence. She retains her powerful voice and thought-provoking lyrics. This album, Fox Confessor, and her most recent compilation album are excellent places to start if new to Neko's solo work.

BANDCAMP  /  INTERNET ARCHIVE  /  YOUTUBE

JULY RANKINGS:

1. Negativland - True/False (2019)

2. Juergan Reiter - Dead on Arrival (2009)

3. Geoff Scott - Asheron's Call 2 Legions Promo CD (2005)

4. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get... (2013)

5. Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence (2019)

6. Zola Jesus - Arkhon (2022)

7. Roxanne Oliva - Accordion Crumbs (2012)

8. Risa Takeda - Pandora (2018)

9. Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses (2018)

10. Heather Ferrier - From the Ashes (2022)

11. Rizomagic - Voltaje Raizal (2021)

12. Flightless Birds Take Wing - Take Flight EP (2022)

13. Himiko Kucuchi - Flying Beagle (1987)

14. Advanced Corpse Materials - Travels (2022)

Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence (2019)

Chelsea Wolfe is one of quite a few modern female singer-songwriters with a tinge of goth. Out of the other two artists in this class we've covered thus far, Chelsea is more similar to Emma Ruth Rundle than Zola Jesus, going for the minimalist, stripped down alternative folk sound.

This album is a coherent whole, without any specific tracks that stand out as noticeably weaker. It's yet another must-own to add to the pile.

BANDCAMP / INTERNET ARCHIVE  / YOUTUBE

RANKINGS:

1. Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence (2019)

2. Zola Jesus - Arkhon (2022)

3. Risa Takeda - Pandora (2018)

4. Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses (2018)

5. Rizomagic - Voltaje Raizal (2021)

Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses (2018)

Not exactly obscure but still outside of mainstream music sufficiently to qualify for inclusion in this blog. Emma Ruth Rundle's take on folk music incorporates wall-of-distortion guitar sounds and her unique delivery and voice to create a wholly unique sound. Joshe24's review summarizes Emma Ruth Rundle's style perfectly:

"Rundle stands alone at the intersection of about 30 different musical genres. Sometimes she sounds like dream pop, other times she’s metal, or alternative rock, or post-rock. She often gets called folk, which I kind of get, but it just makes me think that it’s futile to try to describe her in simple genre buzzwords. It’s music that resists easy labels because nobody else has ever made it before. There are a lot of reference points and influences, clearly, but I consider her a true original with no real comparisons. She sounds like everything else and nothing else at the same time." (source)

This album straddles the line between hopelessness and optimism, leaving it up to the listener to decide how to interpret the lyrics on the album. Each song builds into the other both lyrically and musically, creating a cohesive album that seems like it's over all-too-quickly despite it's 42 minute runtime. We could demand an extra 20 minutes, but any further additions would likely only water down this masterpiece.

Bandcamp ($7.99) / Archive.org / YouTube.com