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Middle Cyclone
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by: Neko Case
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$14.41
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Sales Rank: 5988
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Released: 2009-03-03
Media: Audio CD
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Title Tracks for Middle Cyclone
- 1. This Tornado Loves You
- 2. The Next Time You Say "Forever"
- 3. People Got A Lotta Nerve
- 4. Polar Nettles
- 5. Vengeance Is Sleeping
- 6. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
- 7. Middle Cyclone
- 8. Fever
- 9. Magpie To The Morning
- 10. I'm An Animal
- 11. Prison Girls
- 12. Don't Forget Me
- 13. The Pharaohs
- 14. Red Tide
- 15. Marais La Nuit
Product Review
Product Description
The fifteen-track Middle Cyclone is Neko Case's first release since 2006's Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, the best-reviewed and best-selling album of her career. Middle Cyclone was produced by Case with Darryl Neudorf and recorded in Tucson, Brooklyn, Toronto, and Vermont. It features Case backed by her core band - guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, and drummer Barry Mirochnick - along with numerous guests including M. Ward, Garth Hudson, Sarah Harmer, and members of The New Pornographers, Los Lobos, Calexico, The Sadies, Visqueen, The Lilys, and Giant Sand, among others. In addition to twelve new songs written by Case, Middle Cyclone includes covers of 'Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth' by Sparks, and "Don't Forget Me" by Harry Nilsson.
Amazon.com
It’s apt that this record opens with tense, trembling guitar tones: ominous beacons of the gale-force songs to come. Middle Cyclone finds Neko Case--she of the flaming hair and unforgettably tremendous voice--returning to the darkly romantic sound of 2006’s near-perfect Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, only this time the songs are even more fervid and more troubled. Take the title track, a sylphic, heartbreaking confession of love. Case has never had qualms about baring her soul; by now it’s actually a signature element of her charm and power as a performer. And whether she’s declaring herself a maneater (“People Got A Lotta Nerve”) or covering Harry Nilsson (the touchingly plaintive “Don’t Forget Me”), the results are always epic and visually loaded. “The Pharaohs,” for example, might be the best ancient Egyptian-themed love song ever written. Middle Cyclone’s biggest statement, though, is the sprawling, organ-driven “I’m An Animal,” in which Case doesn’t so much sing as brazenly, decisively intone, “I’m an animal / You’re an animal too.” Neko Case’s frequent employment of nature-based imagery--singing magpies, tornadoes, killer whales--only underscores the sweeping, organic quality of her music. --Erin Thompson
Product Details
Middle Cyclone
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2009-03-03)
- Publisher: Anti
- Label: Anti
- Studio: Anti
- Sales Rank in Music: #5988
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94 of 107 people found the following review helpful:  Orchestral and Dark: In Defense of Frogs, By Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Middle Cyclone (Audio CD) I'm going to start my review talking about the album art, which is spectacular. It has more of Neko's signature artwork than her other albums and expresses the concept of the album much like her drawings on "The Tigers Have Spoken" and "Fox Confessor"--if there were some kind of award for this, Neko would win it. What is so great about Neko Case is that nobody captures the essence of nostalgia quite like her. Her nostalgia is not the sentimental kind--not a wistful longing for what once was--but a deep ache for what we have unthinkingly destroyed. Her voice itself has an organic reverb that is not created by a production mixer. For people who tuned into Neko as an indie rocker, I encourage you to download individual tracks that sound like her old work, like "This Tornado Loves You" and "The Pharoahs"--"Middle Cyclone" is kind of a departure from her previous work if you are looking for songs that use her voice as the main instrument to play darkness with sweet...Read more 27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:  Big voice returns with a more conventional album of alt-pop, By This review is from: Middle Cyclone (Audio CD) As a singer-songwriter, Neko Case is streets ahead of many of her contemporaries but, on this album, some of her vocal phrasing and song melodies are beginning to have an all too familiar ring to them. A number of the supporting musicians have also played on her earlier albums but, despite this, their hitherto 'stripped back', semi-acoustic sound has been replaced, on many songs, with a more fashionable echo-laden jangling sound, and a distinct lack of groove - but there are times when her musicians manage to conjure up some quite interesting sounds. On a more positive note, NC doesn't disappoint with the power and clarity of her vocals; and her lyrics, whilst less opaque than those on 'Fox Confessor', still place the emphasis more on imagery and less on transparency; also, several of the songs are love songs with lyrics evoking a strong nostalgic-reflective mood.
The songs I enjoyed most were : 'Polar Nettles', 'Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth' and 'Red Tide'; but...Read more 28 of 35 people found the following review helpful: Let's Play Twister, By Chuck Hancock (McDonough GA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Middle Cyclone (Audio CD) Another good one from Neko Case and her band. This CD has all that Neko's fans have come to expect from her, chapter 5 of her studio releases, if you will. The melodies resonate strongly with those on her earlier works. Her fans will recognize the instrumental invention here as a direct descendant of the previous albums. Where she breaks new ground is the subject matter of her lyrics: more love songs - with a twist. Neko still delivers the dark stuff, too, but just in smaller doses. Oh, yeah, let's don't forget the perfect backing vocals thoughout - but especially in "Prison Girls".
The trajectory of the album, overall, is remarkable. It starts out with high energy for 3 songs. Then, the good stuff, the middle songs, and here going on for 11 tracks strong. By the time you get to the last track, you're ready to wind down. If you like Neko, you'll probably love this CD. Not revolutionary, just a nice evolution. And you can still count the animal...Read more |
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Middle Cyclone
