Despite the wishes of many, many music fans, Britney is back. This makes me sad. If I were to pick a female singer whose image could adorn the bedroom walls of millions of teenage girls, I would pick Neko Case without a second’s thought. The part-time New Pornographer and full-time solo artist has a rich, evocative voice and a gift for songwriting, as well as a clever sense of humor in her lyrics, onstage banter, and album art (see above right).
However, my dream of a rock-idol Neko may be coming true. Ms. Case’s latest album, the much-anticipated Middle Cyclone, debuted last week at the number three spot on the Billboard charts. It might just be a fluke due to the record’s prominent placement in Starbucks cafes, but Neko seems to be on the road to much-deserved superstardom.
The nomadic singer-songwriter finds inspiration in everything from old gospel songs about John the Baptist to short fiction to a bandmate’s drunken rants about how much better love is for a teenager than for a grownup. She also has a refreshing lack of solipsism, claiming that the only purely autobiographical song she’d ever written was 2006’s “Hold On, Hold On,” which also happened to be one of her best. What makes her such a fascinating (and fun) listen is that her best songs evoke the same settings and characters of great short stories. Middle Cyclone continues along this route, building on the momentum that she built with her last record, the instant classic Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.
The first song, “This Tornado Loves You,” sets the bar high for the rest of the CD. While Neko’s songs for the New Pornographers are blissful power-pop gems that induce the sensation of drinking three cans of Red Bull with your ears, her solo backing band, The Sadies, specializes in a much more low-key sound reminiscent of Loretta Lynn, alternative and indie-pop, and that weird guitar-rock soundtrack to the Johnny Depp movie Dead Man. “This Tornado” begins with a rattling, staccato guitar part that sounds like The Edge circa 1982. Case sings, sweetly but passionately, “My love, I am the speed of sound/I left them motherless, fatherless/Their souls they hang inside-out from their mouths/But it’s never enough/I want you.” Then, things get really weird.
“Carved your name across three counties/Ground it in with bloody hides/Their broken necks will line the ditch/’til you stop it, stop it/Stop this madness.” Case has taken on her most bizarre character yet, a love-sick tornado. As the song swirls and builds towards its climax, the story grows more frightening, more poignant, and yet, more humorous.
“This tornado loves you,” she sings over and over before crying out, “What will make you believe me?” The song borders on the absurd, but always remains oddly beautiful in its own way. Case’s poor twister leaves a path of destruction she knows still won’t be enough to impress the man she loves. When the storm passes, the listener is left with the sense that they’ve just heard the first great love song of 2009. “This Tornado Loves You” works on many levels–-as a clever metaphor, a surreal ballad, and a laugh-out-loud goof.
The record is astonishing in its lyrical creativity, as cyclones, also featured on the title track and “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth,” a cover of a song by glam-rockers Sparks, are not the only non-human entities Neko manages to personify. “People Got A Lot of Nerve” is a Neko-as-Elephant/Neko-as-Killer Whale tune with a sing-a-long chorus of, “But I’m a man man man man man man man eater/But still you’re surprised prised prised when I eat ya.” (Beastial metaphors also feature heavily in the self-explanatory “I’m an Animal.”)
Another standout is “Prison Girls,” a story of lonely nights in seedy hotel rooms. Feeling a kinship with the imprisoned, Case’s character pines, “They’ve traded more for cigarettes/Than I’ve managed to express.”
Behind Case’s soaring voice, an all-star cast of musicians serves the songs with the selfless mentality that continues to be one of the strong points of country music session players. Of note are the previously mentioned Sadies, the brush-heaving drumming of Barry Mirochnik, and indie-rock heartthrob M. Ward adding his trademark guitars. Also, following his guest-appearance on Fox Confessor’s “John Saw That Number” is Garth Hudson, former organist for The Band and, in my opinion, the greatest keyboard player in the history of rock. (Essential listening: “Chest Fever” from Music From Big Pink.) Hudson builds a mountain of organ and piano sounds that serve as the perfect counterpoint to Case’s vocals, whether she lays low in her husky alto or belts high notes up to the rafters.
Middle Cyclone is an ambitious work that achieves on many levels. If you’re the sort of fan who cares about the words, these 14 songs provide a lyrical feast. If you’re interested in vocal acrobatics and skilled musicianship, you will not be disappointed. And if you’re the sort of person who cares about the person behind the music, then you’re in luck. Neko Case is an original voice, a fiercely independent woman with no contemporary equals, and yet, still a hell of a lot of fun. So, boys and girls, leave Britney alone. Get yourself a copy of Middle Cyclone. It may well be the most enjoyable 42 minutes you will have with your stereo all year.