That Young takes risks with his music at this stage in his career is remarkable enough; that this one has paid off so handsomely is nothing short of spectacular.
Le Noise is also the most intimate and natural-sounding album Young has made in a long time: just a songwriter making his way through a vividly rendered chaos of memoir, affection and fear.
There are no enduring classics here like the songs on 2007's Live At Massey Hall, or anything to rival the material that helped define late '70s AOR from, say, American Stars 'n Bars or Rust Never Sleeps. But this is a record well worth having, and it's a blessing that we still have enduring artists like Neil Young creating such vital music.
Le Noise, produced by Daniel Lanois and recorded solo with a reverb-swathed electric guitar, is all about doubt and desperation, and Young is never better than when he's unsure of himself.
Chalk it up to Lanois, near-death experiences, or the wisdom of youth. No matter the cause, this is the Neil Young to embrace.
Of course, ambience is a big part of Le Noise's widescreen appeal, and Young's playing is as intriguingly exploratory as it is sometimes explosive, taking advantage of Lanois' trademark bag of tricks like a kid testing pedals in a guitar store.
While his supposed contemporaries are recording covers albums or rehashing their back catalogue, Young is reflecting on his own past in this unusual, vibrant way.
Neil Young makes a noise rock album and tricks everyone into thinking it's a new and exciting album from him after he already proved dozens of times he's run out of ideas, but in reality it's yet another post-grunge era Neil Young album but with particularly interesting production.
When it comes to Le Noise, it's the production that really sells this album. Songwriting-wise, this album is no different from anything Neil released the decade prior. It's just a shell of his former self, sometimes ... read more
Just Neil and his guitar and a crap ton of feedback. It's a really interesting idea and one that works better than you may think thanks to the excellent production coupled with a motivated Neil. Starting the new decade with a challenging album and one that polarizes fans?
Very Neil Young.
Essential Track - Angry World
Up until this point in Neil’s discography, most of his big surprises have been pretty massive disappointments. The 80s saw many different genres and experiments, most of which fell flat, but this is the first time I feel like Neil got it right. This album is by no mens groundbreaking, but it’s by far Neil’s dirtiest, most reverb-soaked and heaviest album in his entire discog. You read that right—a heavy Neil Young album, with down tuned guitars and fuzzy, dark effects ... read more
1 | Walk With Me 4:25 | 75 |
2 | Sign of Love 3:57 | 71 |
3 | Someone’s Gonna Rescue You 3:28 | 67 |
4 | Love and War 5:36 | 62 |
5 | Angry World 4:13 | 57 |
6 | Hitchhiker 5:31 | 67 |
7 | Peaceful Valley Boulevard 7:09 | 59 |
8 | Rumblin' 3:36 | 73 |
#2 | / | Uncut |
#8 | / | American Songwriter |
#20 | / | Rolling Stone |
#25 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#28 | / | Spin |
#31 | / | MOJO |
#31 | / | PopMatters |
#34 | / | Rhapsody SoundBoard |