After 18 albums, Neko Case continues to captivate with songs that are current and potent.

With nine solo albums, and another nine as the lead vocalist of The New Pornographers, Neko Case keeps releasing incredible, fresh music – a rare case of a unique, potent voice paired with strong poetry.

Case’s musical immortality seems to stem from her constant appetite for experimentation and authenticity, as her latest record, 2025’s Neon Grey Midnight Green, testifies. Case keeps looking ahead. “Wreck,” “Rusty Mountain” and “Winchester Mansion of Sound” are all from her latest album. As a lyricist, Case doesn’t fear talking about her selfishness, greed for love or envy of youth, while her voice keeps soaring above the artist’s truth, firm, wise and adamant.

There was always wisdom in Case’s lyrics, likely coming from early life lessons. After her mother faked her own death and left her, Case was legally emancipated at age 15. It’s clear that she never catered to mainstream expectations in life, and the same can be said about her music.

With decades of solid material, one can only speculate which songs will make it to the setlist in Monterey. From her 2002 album Blacklisted come such unique tunes as “I Wish I Was the Moon,” maybe the most recognizable of her songs, a beautiful ballad that takes the matter of aging seriously, or “Deep Red Bells,” one of the tracks that fully presents the spectrum and melody of Case’s voice, which some critics described as having the bell-like resonance.

From Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006), we have hits as brutally honest “Hold On, Hold On” or “Star Witness” – the latter being an example of the conversational style of her lyrics that at times seem like journal entries: “Hey pretty baby, get high with me / We can go to my sister’s / if we say we’ll watch the baby.”

Case’s poetry is inspired by everyday experiences; listening to her songs is living her life, sharing her good and bad moments that she presents to her listeners nakedly and unapologetically, as if nothing or no one could take advantage of her vulnerability.

In her insistence on being who she is – an independent, strong woman, playful as a child and wise as a witch – Case is a special gift to her female audiences, a bold, shiny example of exercising total freedom.

NEKO CASE performs 8pm Thursday, March 5. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $82-$110. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com