Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Rating:

* * *

Neko Case's fifth solo studio album is near perfection. Or it should be.

Her voice is at its rich, raspy best. Her lyrics are steeped with poignant and precise metaphors. Every track has its own distinct sound, yet the album remains cohesive and retains Case's relaxed country pop flavour.

And yet, somehow the record is less than the sum of its parts. Listening to it begins to feel like a chore as the record painstakingly ticks all the boxes.

Probably her most accessible, mainstream album to date, there are some rich delights throughout this record - particularly in the latter quarter. The rumbling pianos of

Don't Forget Me

has Case at her lush, cooing best, as she jokes about missing her ex - and the alimony - combining both heart-achingly, beautiful lyrics with a cheeky sense of humour.

But elsewhere the record is irritatingly earnest, with songs about cloud gazing and Mother Earth.

Vengeance is Sleeping

is a lullaby for grownups that will have you asleep in seconds.

There is little to fault with this record, it just doesn't play as well as it should. Even without the final 30-minutes of bugs-at-night recording

Marais La Nuit

, the album still clocks in at more than 50 minutes, much of which feels like wading through a pretty-but-lifeless stream. It's serene to the point of tedium.

Joanna Hunkin