Apr 06 2009
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
This is my first time listening to Neko Case, but she’s been a part of Canadian and international music for many years now. She first started as a part time vocalist for the New Pornographers, and began releasing her solo albums soon after that.
Her latest album, Middle Cyclone, is a good example of how powerful she can be as a vocalist and as a guitarist. The album features several guest musicians including members of Calexico, New Pornographers, M. Ward (click here to read a review of his latest album), and more.
Some songs on this album feature what Case refers to as a “piano orchestra”. She collected as many free pianos that she could find and placed them all in her barn/studio, tuned them up, and had her and her friends play several of them at the same time. It doesn’t sound as epic as you might think, but the effect is still pretty cool. Also, on the song Polar Nettles you can clearly hear naturally recorded birdsong, which was a staple of recording in the barn.
There’s some great drumming on this album, and I particularly like the spacious introduction to Fever. The rest of the song is equally enjoyable, and the rest of the instruments come together with the drum track quite nicely. This is one of the best songs on the album.
Overall, the instrumentation was solidly performed and the songs are passionately written - although not overly inspiring for me. I’m not sure if I’ll be listening to this album after I write this review, but I can say the the music was entertaining for the time being.
Sincerely,
BW.
