Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
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Music Reviews of Middle Cyclone
Music Review: It comes as no surprise
Rating: 5 Stars
A review in The New Yorker claims "Middle Cyclone" is Neko Case's best album "by a generous margin." This at first seemed misleading because all of her albums are very good. I have given it over a month before writing this review and have to say that this album is so good that the New Yorker claim now doesn't seem so overblown. Last week, "The Pharaohs" was my favorite song, earlier, "Vengeance Is Sleeping." This album is tremendously strong throughout. I heard "Don't Forget Me" on UC Berkeley's college radio station and to me a song hasn't sounded so precious and perfect on the radio since probably the time that song was first written (the 70's). One cannot help but be somewhat surprised at how high Ms. Case has raised the bar. Bravo!Music Review: And Heaven Will Smell Like The Airport.
Rating: 5 Stars
So, "Middle Cyclone" was officially released only three weeks ago and it already has 39 reviews on Amazon. Looks like I'll be number 40.
Neko Case, you have arrived.
Without a doubt this is already a front-runner for numerous "Best Of 2009" lists, and deservedly so. Neko and the Bloodshot gang have delivered an album that is absolutely on par with "Blacklisted" and "Fox Confessor."
All of the songs are outstanding--including the two covers--but my favorites are People Got A Lotta Nerve, Fever & I'm An Animal.
(Oh, and just in case you were wondering, there isn't a hidden track buried within "Marais La Nuit"; it really is just 31 minutes of chirping & croaking.)
Music Review: Chilling, ominous, and still trying to get my arms around it...
Rating: 4 Stars
How can something so ominous be so alluring? Middle Cyclone begins with several rolling tunes that lure you innocently in; each sequential track opens new doors to new places. Case's voice is smooth, but attacking at-times - music and chord progressions are often dark and menacing, sustained by off-kilter chord progressions, creating an edgy, almost sinister atmosphere. But it works. It can take multiple listens for the songs to penetrate, but the depth and presence she creates are well worth it.
GENRES: Contemporary Folk, Folk Rock, Mellow Rock.
BUY IF YOU LIKE: Rickie Lee Jones, Patty Griffith.
MUST HEAR TRACKS: "People Got A Lot Of Nerve," "Middle Cyclone," "Prison Girls," "The Pharaohs."
Music Review: gotta go (somewhat) against the grain on this one
Rating: 3 Stars
There are few voices I love more than Neko's -- so I'd probably enjoy listening to her singing the words off a Chinese restaurant takeout menu. And I know that critics of all stripes and persuasions are calling this her best effort to date.
But for some reason, I just can't get into it, as our hippie forefathers used to say. Compared to "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood" -- her last album -- this seems bland and somewhat uninviting, to my ears. Her previous work has always had an emotional and sonic lushness that I just don't find here.
So, if you're a Case completist, by all means get this album. But if you haven't bought "Fox Confessor," that's the first place where you should spend your money....
Music Review: Mostly Awesome
Rating: 4 Stars
Two of my favorite songs from last year came from this album ("This Tornado Loves You" and "People Got A Lotta Nerve") so I want to give it five stars. However, this album is rather uneven because it isn't completely (and I hate to say this about Neko) engaging. I am a little biased because I always prefer it when she really rips into a song, but I also find that songs like "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" and "Prison Girls" are more like messages than songs. Interesting, but not engaging. The title track is sweet, but rather sleepy/weepy for my taste. "Fever," "Magpie to the Morning" and "Don't Forget Me" make it all okay in the end, so all in all these are some solid, alt-country lullabies and nearly-rocking ballads.