neko case

"Did someone make a fool of me/'fore I can show 'em how it's done?" Neko Case croons on the title track of her newest album, Middle Cyclone. But if the joke's on anyone, it's certainly not Case, who reveals more daring and finesse as the album progresses without ever falling flat.

Case's voice has always sounded a bit out of place when she extends it; there is a distinct otherworldly quality to her held notes, like someone singing underwater.

On Middle Cyclone, her vocals are throaty and deep, less like a temptress than a hunter who uses her voice as a Gatling gun on tracks such as "Polar Nettles." "I'm an Animal" opens brilliantly and only grows stronger as Case mixes courage and vulnerability, confessing, "I do my best but I made a mistake." Later, she moans, "Just because you don't believe it doesn't mean I didn't mean it." We can't help but believe that she's tapping into a deep reservoir of sorrow to bring forth this visceral emotion, and we can't help but appreciate it.

There are moments of levity on the album as well. On "People Got a Lotta Nerve," she describes someone getting a leg torn off by a killer whale. Case flings her vocals far out and back as if they were a yo-yo, carrying the instrumentation along with her. Occasionally, she explores themes that are incongruous with the rest of the album, such as the environmentalism of "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth." These diversions can be distracting but are easily forgiven.

Neko Case's career has entered its second decade, and with Middle Cyclone she continues to keep herself relevant.