Neil Young never disappoints. When he fails, he does so in such a spectacular fashion that it’s entertaining at least. Witness “Trans.” A futuristic concept album in which Neil sang through a vocoder a la Kraftwerk and traded the harmonica for synthesizer and casio beats. Yes, such a thing exists. Like Bob Dylan, he’s knocked down by embarrassment and then returns. Defenders call them uncompromising artists. Survivors. We just make fun of them.

 

His latest, "Fork In The Road," an album about the autombile, is an ode to his '59 Lincoln that was converted to a hybrid, and could be filed under the “Trans” bin as a curious rest-stop on Young’s hippie highway. Set against throwaway, thrashy riffs, and blunt, call-to-arms lyrics, any good environmental intentions are erased by forehead-slapping lyrical hilarity. “The awesome power of electricity / Stored for you in a giant battery!” he yells in “Fuel Line.” Pure poetry. Similar to the squawky instrumentation, the entire album feels tossed off, filled with ideas in search of actual songs. (Every accompanying music video looks like it was shot with a cell phone. Cute.) His eco-heart is in the right place but the sloppiness is overwhelming, and when Young sings “cough up the bucks” as an ironic comment on American consumer culture you would be wise to save on this one unless you need a quick laugh...which may or may not last as long as it took him to record the album.

 

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