Q

Neko Case on the value of a mid-career retrospective

Singer-songwriter Neko Case returns to studio q to preview her vinyl box set, Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule.
Neko Case says she experienced some "option anxiety" while narrowing down the musical catalogue she's been building for 20 years. (Jason Creps/nekocase.com)

Her work is still evolving. Her collaborations are still going strong. But Neko Case still thinks now, mid-career, is the right time for a full retrospective. 

The New Pornographers collaborator returns to studio q with Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule, her new box set of albums on vinyl that is due out in November. The record braids together 20 years worth of musical threads, including folk, country, rock and the styles in between. 

Today Case swings through studio q to perform three songs from album. She also sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss option anxiety, the beauty of liner notes, and how curating your own work is like "getting to go to your own funeral." 

As promised on air, here's a shot of Neko Case's "make-it-yourself music box", affectionately nicknamed the shigby. (Fabiola Carletti/CBC)