Neko Case rides the ‘Cyclone’
by James Reed
Let’s talk about that album cover. On the front of "Middle Cyclone," Neko Case is in full-on battle stance. Squatting on the hood of an old Mercury Cougar and gripping a long sword, the singer-songwriter looks like a cross between a flame-haired chanteuse and a medieval warrior staring down an invading army. Bring it on. She’s ready.
It’s a jarring image, but when you hear her new songs, the artwork comes into focus. Case is indeed ready for battle on the new album – to reclaim dormant childhood memories and face her need to be loved.
"Middle Cyclone," which is out tomorrow, is by far Case’s most quixotic album, and that’s saying a lot considering the abstract ideas behind her last studio album, 2006′s "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood." Yet it’s also the most revealing and rewarding work in a 12-year recording career that has seen Case evolve from an alt-country siren to a singular songwriter as capricious as a weather vane.
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Two popular indie artists, Neko Case and Andrew Bird, are scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza 2009, which will take place on August 7-9, 2009 at Grant Park in Chicago.
