Neill, Casey -& The Norway Rats-
Goodbye To The Rank And File
Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, including The Decemberists Jenny Conlee as a permanent member of the band, and also featuring Little Sue, Jesse Emerson, Ezra Holbrook, Chet Lyster (Lucinda Williams guitar player), and Hanz Araki, deliver their best album to date with Goodbye to the Rank and File. A 12-song collection of mesmerizing pop-rock and roots-rock songs, it incorporates moments of Pogues-influenced Irishpunk with well-crafted, timeless pop songs, all melded together with guitar-in-hand rock songs. This is Casey Neills second full-length with The Norway Rats. Instead of being recorded at various studios over a span of years, this album finds the band hunkering down at producer/drummer Ezra Holbrooks NE Portlandbased studio and recording a record that shows the growth and power of the band.