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He was a child. |
When I think of songwriting genius, names like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Prine come to mind first. And I use the word genius especially because they have managed to create brilliant music and lyrics over a sustained period of time, from a pretty limited set of chords/melodies/vocabulary/instrumentation.
When I think of powerful rock n roll, names like Neil Young, the Stones, the Clash are near the top.
As you can see, one name appears in both groups, so as you might imagine I find myself looking for newer artists who emulate artists like Neil Young, who, using a limited palette, somehow infuse their music with both great power and beauty nonetheless.
During the early 70s everyone was looking for the "New Dylan". Now we may be looking for a New Neil Young without even knowing it. We should have started a while ago, but here we are.
The following three artists have gotten me thinking of them as possible new Neil Youngs. Here are my thoughts on their latest albums:
MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks (2024)
I'd run into this guy a couple of years ago as part of Wednesday, which, if anything, sounds more like Neil Young than he does alone. And while their guitars delivered an overwhelming intensity, the melodies were less forthcoming. Neil wouldn't make that mistake.
MJ himself has put out five solo records, and this is his latest. He's more laconic and more country than Wednesday. His singing style makes Neil seem like one of the Three Tenors. The lyrics pretend to be about nothing much, which makes them interesting. He almost dares you to not like him.
He plays a rudimentary style of lead guitar, much like Young, but doesn't make it a central part of his performance. The songs aren't as immediately catchy as Young's, either, but they do grow on you.
Overall, less assaultive and more tuneful than Wednesday. Instead of a bunch of drunks in a bar fight, there's just one drunk minding his business. But he is still drunk.
B+
Wussy: Cincinnati Ohio (2024)
With both a male and female vocalist, Wussy covers Neil Young's vocal range. Their first album, Funeral Dress, was ragged, with electric guitars up front, interspersed with beautiful songs, and one of the best albums of the aughts. I thought of it as the Neil Young comeback album he never quite got around to making.
My next Wussy album was Attica! It was a bit more polished while simultaneously leaning even more heavily into droning guitar noise. Like Funeral Dress, it contained at least two or three masterpieces, but here they stand apart from the noise.
This time, the tone is hushed, in keeping with the sudden death of guitar player John Ernhart in 2020. Atmospheric and reverential, with vocals that no longer snarl, it captures the loss of a comrade in all its shock and confusion, and unlike certain other people they don't use it as an excuse to drown themselves in drugs and alcohol doing it, even if a better album came out of it.
Wussy now appears to have chosen a different path and is, thus,, less likely to be compared to Neil Young. And that's okay. Ultimately, it's about quality, and Wussy provides that in spades.
A-
Waxahatchee: Tiger's Blood (2024)
Meanwhile, this "band" (really just Kate Crutchfield and whoever she's playing with at the moment) doesn't have such aspirations or obvious similarities to Young. However, where she matches him most closely is her knack for tunes. I held off a while on getting this one, thinking, because I'd already loved Out in the Storm and liked the later St. Cloud, her songwriting might not keep up the pace she set for herself, especially since she's also done other records in addition to her solo stuff.
But that's not the case at all. I was pleasantly surprised that this one is a melodic rebound from St Cloud. The vocals are stronger, too, as is the production.
She did rock n' roll proud on Out in The Storm, and did the same for folk/country on St. Cloud. Now, with Tiger's Blood, which occupies a middle ground between those two records, she may have outdone herself. God only knows what I've missed on her other albums.
In songwriting, hooks, singing, simplicity, and most of all, consistency, she comes closest to Neil Young in spirit if not actual sound.
And that's good enough for me.
A