Wintersongs, Pt. IV

This song’s simple acoustic guitar strumming introduction is enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. And once the lovely Ms. Case’s siren-like vocals kick in I’m lost in the song. It’s clearly one of the standout tracks from her breakthrough 2002 record Blacklisted that saw her move beyond the simple alt-country stylings of her earlier efforts and into a darker, deeper, haunted, Judy Garland-as-channeled-by-David-Lynch type of vibe. (Did I use enough descriptions there?) Well-suited to late night winter drives when abundant snow flurries whip past the windshield on lonely two-lane country roads, her velvet voice and the rich production and arrangement keeping my soul warm.

(horrible fan-made video since she never made one for the song):

Neko Case – Stinging Velvet

Rain falls, I fix my eyes
Let go of the focus and I blur out all the lines
Just to remember, remember

Crying 'cause it's not my fault
Water through my lashes look just like Christmas lights
And I still remember, remember

Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering warm

Sing please, rock me to sleep
Quiet as a canyon up under heaven's eaves
I surrender, surrender

Downstairs the furnace swells
Safe from all the horrors in your stinging velvet arms
And I surrender, surrender

Cold and shivering
Cold and shivering