Today’s random weekend selection is the title track of Neko Case’s 2009 album Middle Cyclone, her fifth solo release. This album was the follow-up to 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, my favorite Case album.
Recorded partly in a barn in Vermont, Middle Cyclone has the same earthy richness that makes all of Case’s work so resonant. Her powerful but melancholy vocals are the perfect complement to the music.
This is the fifth Random Weekend song from the Hunger Games soundtrack, a compilation of songs “inspired” by the 2012 film.
This was a worthy collection, featuring contributions from Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Arcade Fire, Glen Hansard, Maroon 5 and Kid Cudi, among others. Today’s track comes courtesy of the great Neko Case, who wrote two songs for the film but had only one selected for the soundtrack.
I was surprised to see that I hadn’t featured this song on the blog already. It’s one of my favorite tracks on one of my favorite albums, Neko Case’s 2006 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.
It turns out I’ve blogged about a third of the album’s 12 tracks, but never this one.
‘That Teenage Feeling’ is short and sweet, and it captures the yearning spirit of this album better than almost any song on it.
‘Night Still Comes’ was an early single release from Neko Case’s 2013 album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. That title is certainly a mouthful.
This is a quintessential Neko Case song. It’s atmospheric, haunting and gorgeous, and its lyrics are evocative but largely inscrutable. The online commentary I’ve found seems to agree that the song is about Case’s battle with depression.
2002’s Blacklisted was singer-songwriter Neko Case’s third solo album and the one that really struck a nerve with critics. This album introduced the dominant sound of her next several releases, including my favorite, 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.
Case is the whole package. She pens memorable melodies and evocative lyrics, creates soundscapes in a ghostly alternative bluegrass style that sounds like nobody else, and has one of the best voices in the game.
Meet Me In Montauk 