NEIL YOUNG

Le Noise

[Reprise Records]

If nothing else, Le Noise is proof that Neil Young doesn’t need a band to raise a ruckus. The elements are simple: Young’s voice and guitar, treated with the aggressive sonic manipulation of producer Daniel Lanois. The title is a pun on Lanois’ name, but it’s perfectly apt nonetheless—Young’s electric guitar rumbles and roars, and his producer’s eerie soundscapes are dissonant and dark. The sonic treatments, buzzing with distortion and delay, cast even the most optimistic material here in a dark light. “Walk With Me” plays as a challenge as much as an invitation, especially given lines like “I lost some people I was traveling with” (a line that resonates given the recent deaths of Young collaborators Ben Keith and Larry Johnson). Young’s lyrical approach has become more plainspoken over the years, a tendency that sometimes finds him veering into awkward turns of phrase. Still, Neil Young in an adventurous mood is something to behold. –CN

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