Neil Young is a man who is clearly enjoying the renaissance of his golden years. More than 40 years after he left Buffalo Springfield he is still practically a household name and has earned his position as rock and rolls favourite curmudgeon. When he's not promoting eco fuels, raising money for charity, or mocking other musicians (cough, Bono, cough) he is – gasp – actually making albums. Even more shocking is that the music he is making in the 21st century is actually good. How many of his contemporaries from the late 60s can say the same thing? His latest album, along with the legendary Crazy Horse, is Psychedelic Pill and it is an album that is destined to test the patience of his fan base while simultaneously luring them back for more punishment.
Opening your album with a rambling 27
minute long muddle of a song is more than just a big ask for the
listener; it's a leap of faith. Yet that is exactly what we have here
with 'Driftin' Back' – an absolute marathon of a song that
unfortunately does not justify the enormous play time. Add to that
the fact that later in the album there are two more pieces that cross
the 16 minute mark and you can start to see why Psychedelic Pill
is a frustrating listening experience. This protracted bout of
egotism and/or madness is followed up with the short but suitably
trippy title track. The guitars are heavily treated but they still
retain that caustic power of old. A few moments here and there are
starting to sound a little too familiar. Is the riff of 'Walk Like A
Giant' swiped directly from 'Like a Hurricane' or is my mind playing
tricks on me?
That familiar but deadly saw-toothed
guitar sound reigns supreme as do the long meandering jams that
recall the gob-smacking might of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.
This is Crazy Horse we are talking about here, not some over the hill
cash-grab from washed out has-beens. Also don't forget that this is
Young & co's second album of the year, following on from the
mangled standards presented on Americana. If Crazy Horse can
stir up two pretty good albums in the course of a single year why do
bands like The Rolling Stones take eight years to make just one of questionable quality? In
fact Psychedelic Pill is Young's ninth in a decade proving
once and for all that rust, indeed, never sleeps.
Rating: B
Recommended tracks: Walk Like A Giant,
Psychedelic Pill
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