Neko Case

Nearly three years to the day that Fox Confessor Brings the Flood hit shelves, Neko Case returns with her latest sonic squall, Middle Cyclone. Like its predecessor, Cyclone is chockfull of stunning visuals, lush melodies, and Case’s warm signature twang, making for an album that is about as thematically cohesive as they come. Weaving images of the pastoral with tales of emotional longing (“Can’t scrape together quite enough/To ride the bus to the outskirts/Of the fact that I need love”) is what Case does best, and Cyclone certainly is no exception. From start (the percussion-fueled “This Tornado Loves You”) to finish (a 30-minute recording of chirping crickets), the disk captures a fantastic world where nature is brimming-and Case is the reigning, guitar-toting Mother Earth.