It has been three years since Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko Case’s brilliant last album. Fans of Neko will not be disappointed by her new release, Middle Cyclone, which displays her powerful voice and blunt, unnerving, lyrics.
Neko Case’s Powerful Voice Stars on Middle Cyclone
Neko Case has been known throughout her career for her incredible voice, and she does not disappoint on Middle Cyclone. Neko’s voice is a honey-dipped hurricane, clear as a desert sky and fierce as a dire wolf.
Whether she took the form of a tornado and “carved your name across three counties and ground it in with bloody hides (“This Tornado Loves You”) or simply wants to punch you in the face (“The Next Time You Say Forever”) her voice creates a hunger in the listener-- even being snapped in half by a twister sounds good.
Several Standout Songs on Middle Cyclone
Middle Cyclone is a fine album that contains several standout songs on it. The opening track, “This Tornado Loves You,” contains a driving, synthetic rhythm that supports Neko’s voice and at times, disturbing lyrics, describing an unrequited love between a very angry tornado and a train.
The first single from the album, “People Got A Lotta Nerve,” is a poppy track with the infectious, sing-a-long chorus “I’m a man-eater/ Still you’re surprised when I eat you.”
“Prison Girls” is an eerie 5 and a half minute piece that has the feel of a waking nightmare. It contains smoky lyrical gems like “long shadows crawl beneath my door/ to a passage/ so poorly lit/ there are moths flying away from it.”
Nature Imagery, At Times Unnerving, Abound on Middle Cyclone
Neko Case has filled Middle Cyclone with images of nature, both in its beauty and its horror. From the love starved tornado from “This Tornado Loves You,” to her crying out “I’m an animal” on the track of the same name, to the closing track, “Marais la Nuit.” “Marais la Nuit” is a 30 minute field recording of the frogs at the farm where Middle Cyclone was recorded (Neko Case Interview. pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/01/catching-up-with-neko-case.html)
Middle Cyclone also includes a cover of 70s glam band Sparks’ “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth.”
The fierceness of nature meshes perfectly with Case’s powerful voice. She has an affinity with Nature and it shows, even when it is destroying the world around her. After all, Nature rebuilds as well.
Middle Cyclone Track Listing
- "This Tornado Loves You"
- "The Next Time You Say Forever"
- "People Got a Lotta Nerve"
- "Polar Nettles"
- "Vengeance is Sleeping"
- “Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth“
- "Middle Cyclone"
- "Fever"
- "Magpie to the Morning"
- "I'm an Animal"
- "Prison Girls"
- "Don't Forget Me"
- "The Pharaohs"
- "Red Tide"
- "Marais la Nuit"
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