Peter Case has been digging deep into his tape library in recent
years, releasing fine archival albums from his bands the Plimsouls,
the Nerves, and the Breakaways, and now The Case Files finds him
offering up some rare and unreleased nuggets from his solo career
(...) Considering the odds-and-ends nature of this album, it's a
pleasant surprise that The Case Files is so consistently strong, and
coming after Case has jumped back into rock & roll, it builds up a
solid and enjoyable head of piss and vinegar, with a thread of
articulate anger running through these songs, whether they're one-man
acoustic numbers or exercises in full-on electric bash. (...) Even
though these tracks were either demo tapes, radio sessions, or stuff
that didn't make the grade somewhere else, it's clear Peter Case has
admirably high standards, and these 12 songs make for an entertaining
and empowering album that delivers the goods with smarts and simple,
sweaty force. The Case Files proves this man's cast-offs make for a
better album than most acts' level-best efforts, and with any luck,
he'll offer another look into his archives before long. - Mark Deming
/ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
