The new Knight Theater in downtown Charlotte will no doubt usher in a cultural surge to our city. One such event is a rare local appearance by musician Neko Case on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30pm. A critical darling and indie rock superstar, Case is a must-see performer.

Neko Case. Even if you are familiar with her, the name is as mysterious and intriguing as the woman herself. Her voice and music recall a melancholy country music singer belting out her tunes to an empty echo-filled 19th century concert hall. The kicker is that her music is everything but melancholy, country, or empty. Quite a dichotomy, much like Neko Case herself.

Case started performing in the late ‘90s with a band collectively known as Neko Case and Her Boyfriends. They recorded a couple of albums of rock-tinged country numbers and established themselves as front runners in a burgeoning alternative country scene. In 2002, Case recorded and released her breakthrough solo record Blacklisted. The country vibe was still there although now it was drenched in blues and drifted in and out of the songs like ghosts in the darkest parts of a dream.

Shortly after Blacklisted was released, one of her side projects, the band The New Pornographers, began to receive greater notoriety for their impeccably crafted pop songs, multiple vocalists, and indie rock "supergroup" status. The New Pornographers have released four records to date with Case contributing her vocal talents to each release.

She followed up Blacklisted and her work with The New Pornographers with a stellar record called Fox Confessor Brings The Flood in 2006. It was clear by the music and songwriting on this release that Case had pushed her abilities as a vocalist and songwriter. Her voice looms larger than ever. Her songs are mysterious and more refined. The dark country mood still lingers, especially in lyrics like these from the tune "Hold On, Hold On" where she sings "The most tender place in my heart is for strangers / I know it's unkind but my own blood is much too dangerous." The album went on to top many best-of lists that year.

Case released her latest record Middle Cyclone earlier this year to much anticipation and subsequent raves. Her tour in support of this new release comes to the Knight Theater and will likely feature a healthy dose of tracks from the album. Case's songwriting reaches a major peak with this record. She looks to nature for inspiration and writes from the point of view of a tornado wreaking havoc across a countryside; an elephant and a whale forced to defend themselves from the men who capture and keep them; and declares "I'm an animal, you're an animal, too" in one of the record's most poignant tunes. The country music is now distant, making way for more strings, rock, and touches of folk.

Middle Cyclone firmly establishes Case as a fascinating vocalist, songwriter, and performer. Each of her albums has built on its predecessor, each set of songs more intriguing. We as listeners and music lovers are the lucky ones. Especially lucky will be those in attendance when Case performs here on November 18th. The alternative country band Deer Tick opens the show.