Kitsune is the sly and shape-changing Japanese fox.

Neko Case is a Seattle punk rocker turned alt-country crooner. It could be just me, but her Ukrainian heritage isn’t evident in her name. Before I ever heard her incredible voice, I was drawn to her name: Neko means “cat” in Japanese. The title song from the album pictured above “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” includes a reference to “I flooded my sleeves.” The only place I’ve heard anything like this is in classical Japanese poetry, where forlorn courtiers and princes were always mopping up their tears with the sleeves of their robes. Of course, one of you can come along and crush all of my Japanese impositions upon Neko. I’ll manage.

Here’s a clip of her playing the song live:

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And another clip with the much clearer studio version, at the expense of a strange Battlestar Galactica mash-up:

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If you’re intrigued, you may want to check out Maybe Sparrow. Maybe you’ll fall in love with her voice and troubling lyrics.

I think I’ve shared this one before, but there are obvious references to kitsune in this video:

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If you can think of any other pop music allusions to mystical Japanese foxes, I’d love to hear them!