What a year for reflection. We've bottomed out economically... I think... we hope. Global leaders are currently discussing our fates for us in some beautiful formal dining hall in Europe. There is an open space for thoughtful examination of humankind. What music do you turn to in times like these? Here's my two cents: Neko Case. Here it is, barely April, and with the March 3 release of Middle Cyclone, Neko Case has already claimed 2009 for herself. Even without its context, Middle Cyclone is revelatory and exceptional. With her latest album, Case challenges our commonly held notions about emotion, animal instincts, fallibility, the (un)predictability of behavior, darkness and despair - holding the mirror to herself and to the rest of us as well.

The vocals for which Case is already famous are here in abundance, and she sounds stronger than ever. Adding to the album's overall uniqueness is the lilting, soft yet hearty rock and roll that compliments the lyrics of every song perfectly. If you think the hype about Middle Cyclone is unwarranted, I defy you to glean everything this album offers lyrically and musically with just a few listens. If you're already a Neko Case fan, you will probably be more convinced than ever of her musical wiles. In fact, I think Middle Cyclone ushers in a new standard for writing/performing/singing on an album. The material is courageous and intriguing: dashes of sounds from the natural world mix with classic, Americana sensibilities. This album should guarantee Case's prominence as a musician, singer, and songwriter, I'm sure of it.

If you've read anything about Middle Cyclone, you're probably already familiar with the various animals and other curiosities who act as protagonists on the album. A tornado in love with a human; a killer whale exhibiting its natural instincts, with injurious results for its trainer; clouds that say, "hush." All of those things are certainly here, but you really won't come away from the album concerned with the quirky nature of the songwriting. Instead, you'll be enamored with the self-confidence you hear on "I'm An Animal" when Case sings, "You could say it's my instinct - yes I still have one" and "I'm an animal, you're an animal too." The thesis, if you will, seems to center around the notion that she, Neko Case, is quite comfortable with her animal instincts - unpredictable, sometimes cruel, without conscious or emotional barometer. I'm not sure the rest of us are as eager to own up to these instincts, but Case seems to assert that we are certainly as unpredictable and incalculable as anything else in the natural world. Just as eye-opening as "I'm An Animal" is the thematic follow-up to "The Tigers Have Spoken," "People Got A Lotta Nerve." This song highlights a curiosity about that singular moment in which an animal, although "tame" for perhaps the entirety of its life, snaps and charges the human it has come to "know." These lyrics strike a nerve with anyone who marvels at the raw instincts and unpredictability of animals, caged or not. As recent events have affirmed, it's well worth remembering that our level of "control" over this world is tenuous at best.

Case possesses a rare level of curiosity, and it's a gift - "Everybody tells me this is crazy, yes I know, but I'm a man-man-man-eater! But still you're surprised when I eat you!" It is remarkable that humans still expect animals to behave only as we train them to, and if they strike unpredictably (or isn't it predictable, Case seems to be saying, when you're a "man-eater?") we're still a little stunned by it. "The Tigers Have Spoken" never fails to make me well up with tears, I admit, so I have to thank Case once again for making a statement about the unruly, incalculable essence of nature. It's still a beautiful, mysterious entity on a planet where mystery seems increasingly scarce (and what mystery remains is scarcely revered by humans any longer).

You'll be confounded by "This Tornado Loves You," which takes on the perspective of a tornado chasing down the person it (she?) loves. It took courage to write material like this, without concern for what people might think. The way Case pairs her lyrics with swirling, dreamy rock is so effortless, this song sounds like a completely new thing under the sun. It does make you wonder about the purpose of describing a tornado creating a swath of destruction... all in the name of love, until you consider how reckless and bold humans can be when it comes to love and attraction.

The master stroke on Middle Cyclone has to be the title track, a song that (for me, at least) recalls Bob Dylan's similarly stunning "Mississippi." The emotional intensity of Case's words here can stop you in your tracks. It's difficult to fully describe the impact, but let's just say it's a trip down memory lane for the purpose of recalling a shaky past, filled with insecurity and serial emotional detachment. But it seems there's also a bit of surreal embellishment and randomness, which memory tends to do (we are animals, after all, and no one can argue that our minds are perfectly tuned instruments, incapable of quirks). The seemingly incidental lyrics add to the dreamlike trance of the sound, "…retching pennies in a boiling well, in a dream, that at once becomes a foundry of mute and heavy bells. They shake me deaf and dumb." This line, in particular, shocked me with its aural imagery and I'm sure most of us can relate to this sort of emotional numbness. I especially love the soft guitar, backup vocal harmonies (a bit reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel), and the superb use of what sounds like a toy piano, played slightly off rhythm, which creates a sense of "here and now" imbues the song with a bit of playfulness. The lack of order or tidiness is again highlighted here, making for a brilliant statement in sound.

Middle Cyclone was made for times like these. Be sure not to miss the merits of "Polar Nettles" (so sad!) and "Vengeance Is Sleeping" (a tale of "bruises from strangers' kisses" and a "nobody"). I really like the waltz-paced, airy drums of "Fever" and I love the earthy, sight and smell evoking lyrics of "Red Tide"... plus, Neko Case singing over pulsing electric guitar rhythms can never be wrong. Middle Cyclone's final track, "Marais La Nuit," is nothing but a recording of frogs, presumably in a marsh (the title is French for "The Night Marsh"). It's not something you expect, but I think Case has decided to cap her album with a little experiment: it's almost as though she's asking what effect listening to these frogs and the sounds of the marsh for 30 minutes straight would have on you. Wouldn't the effect be nearly inexplicable? Would you respect nature more after listening to the sound of it, perhaps realizing that there is no mathematical equation, no clearly defined rhythm, no real pattern to be found in the sound? Would it help you to better tune into the whirring reverie of the natural world all around you? Could you perhaps consider the notion that human behavior, too, can be both as indiscriminate and resolute as nature itself?

- Amanda Carnes

This review was originally published at http://www.tracermagazine.com.