Young still bringing ‘Le Noise’

For the past 40-something years, Neil Young has collaboratively and individually created 63 albums. His falsetto pitch has remained constant, while his guitar has wavered from folksy and acoustic to harsh and amplified.

On his most recent release, “Le Noise,” he digs into the electronic face of music to orchestrate noteworthy tracks. A spacey, dark tone flows throughout the album accompanied by only sound effects, vocals and guitar strings. That means no percussion, but by no means does this album ever sound empty.

The track “Walk With Me” is a heavily distorted cut fueled by electric guitar and sporadic beeps. Young’s echo-laden vocals invite the listener to “Walk With Me,” and with the album opening on this note, even the most casual Young listener will be enticed.

Bare tracks like “Love and War” and “Peaceful Valley Boulevard” remind of the older bare Young tracks like the acoustic, rustic sounds of “Harvest Moon.”

Any listener looking for insightful lyrics on topics like conflict, humanity or love could happily spend 37 minutes absorbing this album.