1. This Tornado Loves You 9.3/10

I have waited with a glacier’s patience

The first song from Middle Cyclone is a peppy piece of work in which Neko is reminiscing about someone who “sighed themselves to sleep”. Deceivingly good drumming on this one. And a high quality start to the album.

2. The Next Time You Say Forever 8.9/10

Strong guitar strumming with some choice string arrangements form a kind of Americana Eleanor Rigby. It would have received a higher score but it’s incredibly short at 1:46.

3. People Got A Lotta Nerve 9.2/10

I’m a man eater
Still you’re surprised when I eat ya

This track sounds like it would be right at home on Steve Earle’s masterpiece “I Feel Alright”. The main vocal line contains a wicked melody.

4. Polar Nettles 9/10

Military style drumming and a dark tone flitter in and out of Neko’s powerful voice. An eloquent and beautiful number that shows a fine balance between power and finesse, something many artists have no idea how to balance.

5. Vengeance Is Sleeping 10/10

I’m sure you’re sleeping sound
with a mistress of the hours
the hours that grind your life to dust

One of the finest tracks yet to be released in 2009. An absolutely gorgeous acoustic based piece with piano sprinkles in all the right places. This song is worth the price of the album alone. The mood fades from organic melancholy to defiance.

6. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Nature 9.4/10

Sort of a bull fighting swing to the music, with a lesson to be taught. The drums stumble through the song like a rambling animal, only to pick up into a triumphant gallop.

7. Middle Cyclone 10/10

The kind of thing that Neil Young would have put on After the Gold Rush. Do I need to explain further? That’s the highest compliment one could possibly apply to a song.

8. Fever 8.8/10

A darker tone with Neko in ferocious form. A delayed drum track ads a bounce to the piece. This track would have fit very well on her previous effort, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. On here it feels a touch out of place.

9. Magpie to the Morning 9.8/10

At this point Neko is basically writing modern lullabies of the highest possible quality. The melody here is first rate, and the direction of the track always maintains verve while keeping the listener’s interest. At one point in the song before she belts out some vocals, you can hear Neko say “here I go”. Even she knows she nailed it on this record.

10. I’ m an Animal 9.7/10

I’m an animal
You’re an animal too

The songs on Middle Cyclone contain this elastic, fine tuned energy that really gives the songs a certain quality that stretch out across the entire disc. This track is only 2:21 long, but not a second of it is directionless or spotted with filler.

11. Prison Girls 9.7/10

I love your long shadows
and your gunpowder eyes

It almost sounds here like Neko is referencing some sort of western theme. The drumming thunks along, and then builds into the stunning chorus.

12. Don’t Forget Me 10/10

In the summer by the poolside
while the fireflies are all around you

Yeah it’s a Harry Nilsson cover. however, it’s done with complete perfection on every possible level.

This is the reason why people still buy music.

13. The Pharaohs: 9.5/10

I want the Pharaohs, but there’s only men

One gets the impression after listening that Neko is not satisfied with mere mortal men. A beautiful track on an album full of them. A quirky carnival organ closes out the track unexpectedly.

14. Red Tide 9.8/10

The pace picks up with an ominous tone. A sax that sounds like it was stolen from early King Crimson penetrates the song like a crazed, big-eyed slobbering dog. An extra chorus is added that is quite possibly one of the finest moments in music since Joanna Newsom’s Emily. At only 2:54 the song packs on emotional wallup.

15. Marais La Nuit 10/10

Basically this is 30 minutes of frog and cricket ambiance. How could I give it a 10/10? How do you not give thirty minutes of swamp frogs singing a 10/10? Plus, frogs are dying from climate change, so they could use a little support. I’m sure some of the frogs ate some of the crickets during the recording, making this an evolving natural orchestra. That said, this song won’t count against the regular score. It’s cool to fall asleep to this record and wake up to the frogs though.

Middle Cyclone is nothing short of a modern day masterpiece. It is a short record, but incredibly effective within the time it is allotted. There is not a single second of lazy songwriting here. All the ideas are interesting and fresh. The sound and use of the pianos on Middle Cyclone are the best I have heard on any rock/pop record in a long time. The drumming is excellent, the guitar work frenetic yet focused. Lyrically, it’s top notch when compared to it’s peers. Easily the album of the year at this point.

Ribbit.

Response Keywords after hearing this album:

beautiful, energetic, melancholic, uplifting, melodic, short, engaging, affirming

Album Total 9.6/10

You can purchase a copy of the album or download MP3’s from here:

Middle Cyclone