With a hectic schedule between her duties with Vancouver pop perfectionists The New Pornographers and her solo career, Neko Case cannot be blamed for taking some down time.
After all, it was that down time spent reading and enjoying her dogs that resulted in song ideas, recording and eventually a new disc, Middle Cyclone.
Case says the album was a process of venturing down different musical roads.
"When you have an idea and you look at it and explore it, it makes for about ten other ideas," she says. "So it's hard to distinguish what is the best path to follow sometimes. You have to go a little ways down the path and then come back or keep taking it or push the idea. Sometimes it's hard to pull back and see the big picture."
The album was preceded by the first single, People Got A Lotta Nerve, a song which ended up being something of a charity single for the Best Friends Animal Society. Every blog which posted the song resulted in Case and her U.S. label donating $5 to the group.
"It was a tongue-in-cheek reaction to all of the horrible animal stories in the news last year, people being mauled by tigers, etc., and people being shocked when that happens," Case says of the tune. "But they're large predators and they're called man-eaters for a reason.
"I don't know why people are so shocked, it makes me mad. What would you do if you were a tiger and somebody was poking you with something? You'd attack them. Geez Louise, it's a tiger for f--- sake."
Middle Cyclone also marks the first time Case had her touring band perform on all of the songs. But Case had some help from members of The New Pornographers, Calexico, The Sadies and The Band's Garth Hudson, who appears on a cover of Harry Nilsson's Don't Forget Me.
"I've always really loved that song," she says. "I finally figured out a way to do it that wasn't seemingly like I was trying to be a crappy version of Harry Nilsson. (My way) is getting a lot of people to play pianos at once, which was an interesting idea to me. I thought if we could do that -- Garth Hudson could be the ringer -- it might not be such a silly idea."
Case's life has been made a little bit easier by The New Pornographers adding Kathyrn Calder to the group for stretches when Case is on the road elsewhere. Prior to the addition, Case had to ensure her own solo work wouldn't overlap the band's plans.
"It used to be a lot harder than it is now," she says. "Thank goodness for Kathryn, she's a workhorse. I can't appreciate her enough. It's more convenient. I'm not a barrier. My schedule is not a barrier to something they would want to do."
Case says the next two years will be spent touring behind Middle Cyclone and most likely supporting another album by The New Pornographers, which is in its early stages.
"I'm excited and overwhelmed because there's a lot going on," she says. "It's good for me because I'm not the most prolific songwriter in the world, either."
