Top spot in my heebee-geebee list goes to Neko Case’s _Hold On, Hold On_. The pitch black heart of an artful, tuneful, and downright beautiful country rock album, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.The song narrowly beat out the entire back catalogue of Antony Johnson, the possessor of a voice so heart-sinkingly mournful that I’ve yet to find the right time of day, or indeed, year to listen to him properly. Sadly he was just _too_ disturbing._Hold On, Hold On_ depicts a woman’s complete and utter rejection of all earthly love. The kind of unrepentant nihilism that’s often found somewhat incongruously in country music, a seemingly safe, salt of the earth genre if ever there was one. This makes the darkness all the more contagious. Johnny Cash sang joyfully on _Folsam Prison Blues_ of shooting a man just to watch him die. And we all sang along with him. Case passionately exclaims how “it’s the devil I love, and it’s as real as true loveâ€. And we do likewise.Case’s devil ain’t Beelzebub. Nor is she comparing a former lover to the spawn of Satan. (Hey, we’ve all done it.) Case’s narrator is completely alienated, not only from her family but also from society. She seethes with anger at the demands put on her to find a man, any man, and then do everything possible to “hold on, hold on.†An anguish that has led her to drug addiction. _That’s_ the devil she loves.Case puts it a tad more poetically, of course. The first line expresses of an uncomfortable truth that we’ve perhaps all felt at one time or another. “The most tender place in my heart is for strangers/I know it’s unkind but my own blood is much too dangerousâ€. If there’s been a more beautiful lyric to convey the feeling of being an outsider to your own kin, I’ve never heard it.She then succinctly presents a flawed person who was once hopeful of finding true love. “Compared to some, I’ve been around, but I really tried so hardâ€. However it all turned bad, “in the end I was the mean girl, somebody’s in-between girlâ€. For this she blames the “echo chorus who lied to me, with their hold on, hold on, hold on.â€Case drops a broad hint as to the identity of her devil, thusly, “I leave the party at 3am, alone thank God/With a valium from the bride, it’s the devil I love.†This is a person now infinitely happier with drugs rather than a lover…or indeed a wedding. And for those clinging to the ‘Neko loves the devil’ theory, a true child of Satan wouldn’t never “thank Godâ€â€¦Aside from the masterful lyrics, the sing is bona fida _tune_, with ice-cool guitar licks paving the way for Case’s strident and melodic vocals. The result is an incredibly intelligent and affecting song.One final note: Johnny’s lyrics for _Folsam Prison Blues_ were thankfully all made up. Case says _Hold On, Hold On_ is her most autobiographical song.Like I say. Disturbing.
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