Album Reviews10/10
Ragged Glory: Loud, Loose and Better for It
A record of steady guitar and long repetition, wild and loud, wherein a band lets each song run as long as it will.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: Neil Young
Album Reviews6/10
Neil Young Reunites Crazy Horse on ‘Life,’ but 80s Production Muffles the Band
Neil Young brings back Crazy Horse for a record that reaches for a loud old sound but finds the studio working against it.
Album Reviews6/10
Young Bites the Sponsors’ Hand: ‘This Note’s for You’ and Its Anti-Advertising Snarl, 38 Years On
A grim tale of Neil Young's 1988 Bluenotes record, its banned title song, and the guitar that saves it from excess brass.
Album Reviews6/10
Old Ways Was the Full Country Swerve of 1985, and Only Four Songs Earn Their Keep
Neil Young turns country on Old Ways, ten plain tracks of steel guitar and sentiment, with four songs worth keeping.
Album Reviews4/10
Landing on Water: Neil Young’s Machines Cover the Writing
A look at Neil Young's 1986 Landing on Water, where heavy production covers the writing beneath its own weight.
Album Reviews9/10
Neil Young Opens ‘Freedom’ Soft and Ends It Loud — a 9/10 Return to Form
Neil Young's Freedom opens soft and ends loud with Rockin' in the Free World, a record that holds every side of his sound together.
Album Reviews7.8/10
Feeling Through the Machine: Neil Young’s Trans
A voice made distant by machines: Neil Young's Trans weighs feeling against synthesizer and voice box, a strange record time has judged kindly.
Hawks & Doves Splits Neil Young Down the Middle, Acoustic Grief on One Side and Flag-Waving Bar Songs on the Other
A record split in two: quiet old songs on one side, quick country songs on the other. Nine tracks, thirty minutes, no true settling.
Album Reviews6.8/10
Re·ac·tor at 45: Neil Young and Crazy Horse Chase Noise for Its Own Sake
A forceful record: Neil Young and Crazy Horse chase noise and repetition on Re·ac·tor, a small, rough turn in a long career.
Album Reviews6.8/10
Loose by Design: Neil Young’s “American Stars ‘n Bars” Still Rides on Its Best Tracks
A review of Neil Young's American Stars 'n Bars, a mixture of country tunes and wandering guitar pieces that never quite agree.