case / lang / veirs
case / lang / veirs [10th Anniversary Edition]
ANTI-
After sending an email on a whim, k.d. lang began recording an album with Neko Case and Laura Veirs in 2014. They spent two years writing and working in Portland, Oregon, where lang and Veirs both live, and near Case’s childhood home of Tacoma, Washington. The result was case / lang / veirs, a gorgeous, dynamic record from 2016 that has gone on to become an indie-folk classic. With lush arrangements and songwriting themes like the coming of summer, supermoons, and the life of songwriter Judee Sill, the potent meeting of the minds brings to mind Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt’s trio collaborations and the natural inspirations of the Pacific Northwest.
Now, 10 years later, the three are releasing a deluxe anniversary reissue that tacks the delightful unreleased studio track “Accidental Tattoo” and several live performances from the album’s original 2016 tour onto its track list. The reissue of case / lang / veirs is a welcome revisit that doesn’t buckle under the weight of the original—or of the individual artists’ storied solo discographies. In fact, live nods to each of their respective careers are woven into the release. A shimmering performance of Veirs’ “I Can See Your Tracks” is paired with Case’s lament “Margaret vs. Pauline,” and lang’s “Constant Craving” hits near the end of the record.
Between numbers, the three artists’ dynamic is warm and playful, with loving banter and a deep sense of respect for each others’ craft. Before they play “July Flame,” lang describes it as the song that she “fell in love with [Veirs] to,” only to laughingly take it back when Veirs replies “shucky-darns!” There are more homages, too: A lang-led cover of “Helpless” trades Neil Young’s mellow melancholy for full-throated embodiment, and the album closes with a rousing take on Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power.” As the applause rises, lang offers encouragement that feels all the more potent a decade later: “We have the power to choose love and compassion over hatred and fear.”
The previously unreleased live takes on the case / lang / veirs material, meanwhile, provide a way to fall back in love with the record from a different angle. Climate lament “Supermoon” feels edgier in a way that makes the line “our life savings aren’t enough” cut deep. On “Greens of June,” Veirs sounds like she’s bewitching the flowers to bloom herself. It’s a treat to get to know these songs again—though one glaring omission is “Atomic Number,” the original release’s rapturous opener, which doesn’t have a live version on the record. Missing one favorite is, of course, hardly an indictment. The reissue is a gift for fans of the original collaboration, a new take on a beloved record that shines a light on the seminal artists behind it.
