Albums to watch

The Monsanto Years

Neil Young

The Monsanto Years

The 36th studio album from the folk rock legend backed by the LA Band featuring Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah

ADM rating[?]

5.9

Label
Reprise
UK Release date
29/06/2015
US Release date
29/06/2015
  1. 10.0 |   The Guardian

    Young is still a force to be reckoned with
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  2. 9.2 |   Paste Magazine

    Young’s urgency is infused with youthful intensity
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  3. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Occasionally rambling, frequently sentimental and sometimes moving. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    It recalls Bruce Springsteen’s underrated Wrecking Ball: the work of a veteran who has had enough and has hit on a way in which to package his frustration in a way that is tuneful, accessible and timely
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  5. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    While there are guitar solos aplenty, the long Horsey jams are largely forsworn; musically, its closest soundalike is probably American Stars 'n Bars
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  6. 7.0 |   All Music

    Young is blessed with a younger, wilier version of his old compadres and that suits his tunes, which feel comfortable yet have a bite
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  7. 7.0 |   The Music

    A strong but not essential addition to Young’s expansive catalogue
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  8. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    It's another album of Neil being Neil, and that's a good thing
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  9. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    Young hits the equilibrium between songwriting and performance best when he brings his heart to the table through rebellion
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  10. 6.0 |   Rolling Stone

    It's the warts-and-all passion that inspires us to hang with Young down any road he wanders
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  11. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    There are times when the integrity of his interests don’t always match the quality of the music
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  12. 6.0 |   The Independent

    His single-issue tendencies can grow wearisome after a few songs
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  13. 6.0 |   Mojo

    Not much subtlety... but righteous passion overrides it to carry the day. Print edition only

  14. 6.0 |   The Observer

    This is Young in quasi-punk mode, curt of chord, brief of noodle, filled with purpose, marshalling tunes – and whistling, and harmonicas – in the service of the singer’s public service
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  15. 6.0 |   NOW

    Young has dispensed with artful mystery and just sings the things he means as directly as possible
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  16. 5.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Behind the sloppy presentation and self-sabotaging refusal to edit or entertain second thoughts lurk genuinely important points about excessive corporate greed and its impact on consumer choice and human rights
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  17. 5.2 |   Pitchfork

    The Monsanto Years is ultimately less a call to topple an evil empire than an expression of helplessness in trying to fight it
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  18. 5.0 |   Spin

    The man can only talk so long about farmers, or about chemical giants arm-in-arm with fascist politicians, before it begins to feel like a parody of a Neil Young record
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  19. 5.0 |   A.V. Club

    A collection of songs that winds up sounding like it could have been a series of blog posts or even tweets
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  20. 5.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Young long ago figured out how to write rants that engage. The Monsanto Years, listenable but dusty, is no different
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  21. 4.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    This album is no more than a curiosity in two histories: Young’s career and that of 21st-century protest music
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  22. 4.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Young has gone preachy to the extreme, creating music that's morally precise, but sloppy in every other regard
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  23. 4.0 |   Q

    Worthy, but hard work. Print edition only

  24. 4.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    There’s no excusing The Monsanto Years, a 50-minute anti-Big Agra screed so tactless and grating it makes Toby Keith subtle by comparison
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  25. 4.0 |   The FT

    Sluggishly grumbling rock music neuters the polemic as the singer chides us for ignoring issues
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  26. 2.0 |   The Quietus

    See review
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