Neko Case - 'Middle Cyclone'

Breaking from the theme album bent of 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko Case's long-awaited follow-up Middle Cyclone (compare prices) saw her covering songs by Harry Nilsson and Sparks. Continuing her tendency to pack her albums with musicians from other bands, she brought in her New Pornographers collaborators, as well as members of Calexico, Visqueen, the Sadies, Los Lobos, and artists like M. Ward and others. Including an ambitious piano orchestra and a 30-minute loop of crickets at the end, Middle Cyclone has widely been praised as Case's best, most provocative and well-rounded effort to date.