1001 Albums Summary

For my personal tastes, I give this a 2.5/5 on the first listen. Neil's style might just not be for me, but I did enjoy parts of the album. I found the opening track "Tell Me Why," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," and, of course, "Southern Man" to be the best tracks of the album, musically. Neil has more variation and well-developed musical elements in these tracks that create more musical depth, emotional range, and momentum that I feel are lacking across much of the other tracks, particularly the last half. "Tell Me Why," was a strong opener. It has playful melodies across the vocals and guitars that I think are some of his strongest on the album. I'll be honest, I don't really know what Neil is trying to say in those lyrics though lol. On "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," it's really the chorus that carries the track. I don't enjoy the verses, sonically speaking, and thankfully they're short. The swell of vocals in the chorus creates melancholic yet romantic emotions that conveys the heartache in his story-telling. "Southern Man" is, of course, a standout with a lot of emotion, percussive elements, and impassioned guitar solos. Lyrically, I have thoughts on how Neil Young addresses the topic of racism, but that's more than I can tackle in this review. Honorable mention to the french horn solo in "After the Gold Rush."

Overall, this album feels like mega church music. There are a lot of dramatic musical elements, but the execution of these elements in some way feels soulless and shallow. Arcade Fire's sound feels dated to me. I don't enjoy Win Butler's vocals or lyrics, but that's just me. Songs I enjoyed were Black Wave/Bad Vibrations and No Cars Go. 2/5

I don't have much to say about this album. It was pleasant. It was chill. It was folksy. It also didn't have many standout moments. My favorite song was "Things Behind the Sun." 3/5