Staff Picks Blog
The last few weeks the leaves have finally turned and are starting to drop! For me it’s the perfect time of year for a polished voice paired with slightly sinister music and lyrics for my walk to work iPod playlist. Neko Case’s latest album Middle Cyclone has been filling that niche as I shuffle through the crunchy (sometimes wet) leaves.
Her voice can have a country twang at times but she’s more versatile than any modern pop-country artists. Her band is super talented and the album has a big production sound without losing an emotional resonance. What I most admire about Neko are her lyrics. The opening track, “This Tornado Loves You”, is a dark scorned-love tale with an urgent rhythm behind it to match an intense delivery and lyrics:
My love, I am the speed of sound
I left them motherless, fatherless
Their souls hanging inside-out from their mouths
But it’s never enough
I want you
I also recommend her previous album Fox Confessor Brings The Flood for more of the same.
Along these lines, try Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis, or even Rattlin Bones by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson.
neko case is the best EVER.
*addendum!*
i must also recommend ms. case’s album “the virginian.” i am kind of obsessed with it.
Thanks for the tips John! For those that like Neko’s band’s style I would also recommend The Avett Brothers (we just ordered the new one here) and M. Ward. For those that love the intimate voice and shorter story-song structure I’d suggest Bon Iver and Springsteen’s Nebraska. For those that just want more Neko but with big rock sound be sure to check out her work with The New Pornographers!
Thanks Dawn, I think that’s the one Neko album I haven’t heard yet! The new one is definitely in my top 5 albums of 2009.