Neko Case – "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu"

NSFW. Some of the other songs on Neko Case's new album are quite good and pretty catchy, but this is the one that's been sticking with me the most. It's unconventional, pretty but raw, personal and powerful. As Neko Case explained in a frank NPR interview, it's based on a real incident she witnessed. Given her description of her own upbringing, the pain and empathy in the song become all the more striking.