On Neil Young’s latest studio album, appropriately entitled Le Noise, he reminds us of where he’s been and where he can go. His collaboration with Crosby, Stills and Nash, his time as part of Buffalo Springfield and his mainstream success with the release of his rock monument “Harvest” are nearly all abandoned as Young veers onto a new course. “Walk With Me” kicks off the album’s undeniably grungy, almost lo-fi atmosphere. Young has turned up the distortion on his guitar, but also pumped the reverb on his microphone and thrown in some flanger for good measure.
The album alternates between melancholic arrangements and the occasionally energizing guitar riff, as in the album’s standout song, “Someone’s Gonna Rescue You.” Stadium performances have never been Young’s forte however and the slower acoustic pieces remind us why we listen to Neil Young in the first place. Young has a heavy folk past, and occasionally it feels like he struggles to leave it behind. He tries to find a middle ground between the garage-band texture embodied by Wavves and the melodic wails that have become his trademark. The truth is that the slowed-down grunge can get repetitive and can sometimes feel angsty.
What makes this album worth a listen is the experiences, thoughts and emotions that Neil Young has always been able to convey in his music. Though the music may have changed Young’s most prevalent themes remain the same.
Sounds Like: Wavves musing on the meaning of life
Good for: Your midlife crisis 99-cent Pick: “Someone’s Gonna Rescue You”
