Middle Cyclone
Neko Case
With her latest release, Neko Case proves again why she is worthy of being mentioned with the most important musical artists of her generation. Catchy pop tunes, jangling guitars, perfectly placed supporting vocals, a solid backing band, a multi textured wall of sound, animal themes and thought provoking lyrics combine with her always amazing voice on “Middle Cyclone.”
She said in one interview that the title of the disc came from a dream she once had. In it she said she had a conversation with a cyclone who wanted her to read her a book because the cyclone didn’t have any hands and even if it did it would just tear up the book to pieces. The imagery she creates takes the listener into a world filled with interesting characters and strange situations. Somehow a straight up Americana album or a traditional pop record just doesn’t seem adequate.
As she sings she continues to draw you in closer and closer. It’s almost as if it isn’t possible to turn up the volume too high. If you don’t pay attention you may miss her somehow reaching out to you directly. She has the ability to create a sexual tension without even remotely sounding corny if that makes any sense.
She knows she has the pipes to handle the task and isn’t afraid to put herself out there. On the title track she sings along with a strumming guitar, some perfectly placed backup vocals and a music box. How vulnerable is that? She has the confidence to say, “OK…here’s the song. I’ll sing it. You come along with me.” And we follow. And the result is possibly the prettiest song of the year. Close your eyes and listen.
“I’m an Animal” also jumps out as one of the stronger tracks on the disc. Case continues to subtly experiment with song structures. Where you may be expecting a chorus you instead get shifted in a different direction. On this particular track members of the Sadies seem to borrow a bit of the Velvet Underground as they go back in the song as well as time.
“The Pharoahs” is hopefully a song that Case enjoys singing because it one that her fans will expect to hear her sing for the rest of her career. It has a “Deep Red Bells” quality to it. Just like the Rolling Stones have to play “Satisfaction” and U2 has to play “Pride,” the fans at Bonnaroo 20 years from now will wait for “The Pharoahs” to be played and won’t feel like they’ve seen Neko Case until she pulls that one out of her bag of musical tricks.
Other stand-out tracks include “This Tornado Loves You,” “People Got a Lot of Nerve,” and “Magpie to the Morning.” Her cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me” also makes me smile whenever I hear it. My daughter is especially fond of that particular track as well. She’s 12. There is hope for future generations. They thankfully don’t all just listen to Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers.
Once again I must admit I make no bones about being a fan of Neko Case. Her sultry, smoky voice combined with genre bending music always makes for an interesting listen. With this latest disc she continues to build on her already impressive cannon of music. If she comes by your neck of the woods in the coming months to perform, make sure you get there.