Back in June, Neko Case played seven shows in Toronto and Chicago with the likes of the Sadies and Kelly Hogan. For a while we thought we were just lucky; as it turned out, she was in the process of recording a live album. The Tigers Have Spoken contains only two songs from Case’s back catalog; two other songs, including “If You Knew,” are new originals, and the rest are a collection of standards and covers.

Apparently, the intent of the album is partially to dispel the idea that Case takes her live cues from Blacklisted’s dark, low-key atmosphere. I had the exact opposite problem not long ago; I’d heard a webcast of one of her earlier Toronto shows before the release of Blacklisted, and the setlist included a couple of then-unreleased tracks from that album and Canadian Amp, also a quiet and subtle affair. Hearing the studio (or kitchen, for the Canadian Amp tracks) versions of “Make Your Bed” and “Look For Me (I’ll Be Around)” were a bit of a shock because they weren’t the uptempo rollicking numbers I’d expected. Since then I’ve grown to love both sides of her music, but it’ll be good to hear her kick things up again.

Case will be on tour throughout November to support the album (Vancouver show at the Commodore!) and is still readying a proper follow-up to Blacklisted for next spring.