“Le Noise is complete. It is a solo record. Playbacks are happening now. I love snails and Godard.” So says Neil Young’s Facebook page announcing the completion of his newest album and hinting at a change in lifestyle. Recently, Young (recent photo above) was sighted eating from a cheese platter, sipping on a 1997 Bordeaux, and wearing socks with sandals on the beaches of the French Riviera, and one can only deduce that he’s fallen under the sway of the lifestyle François.
Rabid fans and cultural rubber-neckers are waiting patiently for Le Noise’s September 28 release day to learn what they can about Neil’s preferred country of origin but will most likely discover that the new record, a follow-up to 2008’s Fork in the Road, will once again see Young experimenting with distortion and sonic dissonance, à la Neil’s 1970s albums with Crazy Horse, but with a grace only achievable with age.
Aiding the suspicions of Young’s conversion to Frenchophilia is the interesting choice of French-sounding producer Daniel Lanois to work the boards. Lanois, who is at least of French heritage, provided hints to the album’s auditory makeup: “We cut a couple of solo acoustic songs… There’s no band, but I got in there with my sonics. There’s nothing else out there like it.”
Despite your feelings on the French, it’s just un-American to dislike Neil Young (who’s Canadian), so I recommend that you check this shit out. It’s sure to be the coolest punk music that your Grandpa will ever make.
• Neil Young: http://www.neilyoung.com
• Warner Bros./Reprise: http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com