New York spring preview

Music: Neko Case at Nokia Theatre

With her torch tales and golden pipes, not to mention singing hook after hook with “side project” The New Pornographers, Neko Case has found a way to break just about every guy’s heart who’s given her records a spin. Dudes just want to be her friend, for like a day. For a beer at the dive down the street. Case refined her rusty-nail country in a post-grunge Seattle, a city that played host to the drifters and broken down lovers that star in her six studio albums. 

On the cover of her latest, "Middle Cyclone," the singer crouches barefoot on the hood of a muscle car, her sword raised, her jaw set. The image captures well the promise of the embattled songs within: Double-edged with wildness and wisdom, they vanquish the notion of love as an easy prospect. Catching back-to-back nights at Nokia would be intense. It also would be amazing. Do you dare?

Also coming up: Primal Scream (March 28), Gomez (March 31), Digable Planets (April 1), Vivian Girls (April 2), Ra Ra Riot (April 4), Black Kids (April 6), Chris Cornell (April 8), Crippled Black Phoenix (April 12), Flight of the Conchords (April 14-15), Of Montreal (April 15-17), Lucero (April 18), Lily Allen (April 20)