Watch Neko Case’s Contemplative ‘Last Lion of Albion’ Video
Neko Case meditates on the colossal damage human beings have wreaked on Earth – from environmental devastation to animal extinction – with her profound “Last Lion of Albion” video.
Using handcrafted puppets and props, director Laura Plansker frames the clip around the tearjerking journey of the titular lion, who glides through a stream and gazes out at the remnants of our natural world: roses, waterfalls, butterflies, frogs, squirrels, rabbits and birds. Humans, meanwhile, send a rocket to Mars.
Case, in a statement, praised Plansker as “one of [her] favorite artists.” She continued, “I’ve loved her work forever; she‘s so skilled at using handmade figures and props to create surreal worlds. Her work perfectly balances humor and darkness in a way that breaks my heart. She has a way of making something so artificial so very alive. The turning of the lion’s head to look at the sky, or its own reflection makes me cry my eyes out. There is so much straight ahead compassion in Laura’s work, there’s no need to manipulate emotion of the viewer, it is the perfect balance.”
“Last Lion of Albion” appears on Case’s June-issued seventh LP, Hell-On. The singer-songwriter is currently promoting the album on a European tour that continues Thursday, November 1st in Berlin, Germany; she will launch a round of North American dates on November 27th in Missoula, Montana.
Along with the video, Case also announced a new round of North American dates for 2019. That leg kicks off January 23rd in Providence, Rhode Island.
Neko Case Tour Dates
January 23 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
January 24 – Boston, MA @ Royale
January 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theatre
January 26 – Washington D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre
January 27 – Washington D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre
January 29 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Memorial Hall
January 30 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
January 31 – Ponte Vedra, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
February 1 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
February 2 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater
February 4 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon
February 5 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
February 7 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
February 8 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
February 9 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
February 12 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
February 13 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
February 14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren