Comment of the Moment: "Milky Way" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

COLORADO by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Release Date: October 25, 2019 - Pre-order now
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Last week, Neil Young & Crazy Horse previewed the track "Milky Way" on NYA from their upcoming album COLORADO.

Quite a bit of reaction to the new song and lyrics. The Comment of the Moment is from "Milky Way" on COLORADO, New Album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse by Ian; The Metamorphic Rocker:

At 8/30/2019 11:14:00 AM, Blogger (D.) Ian Kertis; The Metamorphic Rocker said...

In short, I hear many of the echoes or referents that others are picking out. A listener could, if they were so inclined, "read" or analyze the track as a musical pastiche of sorts to previous NY & CH songs and sounds. I think that would be a little unfair, painting with a broad brush so to speak. However, an interesting angle nonetheless.

What others term "the spook", or journey, I think I'll be so bold as to specify as tension. The title songs of "On the Beach" and "Are you Passionate?" deliver this with gusto, and this new "Milky Way" is approaching the same territory. The gradual but persistent rhythm in tandem with Neil's vocals, which I think have grown more edgy as he now must stretch farther for the upper register, reflect perhaps an emotional push-and-pull in both the author and the listener, a mixture of apprehension and giddy anticipation as to where it all will go.

In fact, that's the question I found myself when the vocal started: where is this leading, structurally--the melody and the lyric? NY's lyrics are certainly a grade more prosaic in the past (if I said that he occasionally gets slightly wordy, I'd sure be one to talk!), and one curious facet is to see how the music keeps pace with this challenging departure from a tighter poetic approach grounded in meter and verse.

Since I'm not and rarely have been a student of music theory, my impressions are... well... impressionistic. But then, if NY&CH have any music theory themselves, I'm fairly certain it's of an unorthodox flavor. The music and words drift and even wander a bit, before tautening and leaving this listener's initial questions only partly answered. Which, to be fair, is about the most one can expect from any piece of music, particularly on first encounter.

Above all, I suppose I'm curious to see and hear how "Milky Way" plays into the greater fabric of "Colorado". Am I the only one to notice the word "color" embedded in the name "Colorado"? (Apologies to readers in non-US English-speaking regions; unfortunately, the connection doesn't work perfectly outside of American English.) I'm sure not, but the fascinating counterpoint is that the Youtube video shows what appears to be the album cover, with images presented only in B&W. We know NY is to some extent colorblind, something I in fact didn't learn for some time. Again, not certain of where these connections are taking me, but something is afoot.

Although Oct. 25 is not showing up significantly on the lunar calendar, there will be a new moon due on Oct. 27th. The full moon, one may note, appears on the morning of Nov. 12th.

I did mention that Neil's lyrics have been growing more prosaic. However, I find the message(s) and vibe almost startlingly clear and to-the-point. In that sense, meandering wouldn't apply. Just gave another listen and, for me at least, structure and arc increasingly apparent. Shakey's voice is a bit shakier these days, but the guitars (both Neil and Nils) are in fine form.

At first glance, perhaps not equal to the strongest moments of "The Visitor"--but I found that one, at its best, to be stratospheric. Patience will reveal where "Colorado" rests in the Neil library.

The "Cowgirl" motifs are definitely present, as Richie mentions. However, the overall flavor of the song is different and, for me, that absorbs the passing resemblance. I wouldn't describe the song to a casual or middling fan as being "like Cowgirl", because I think it would set up the wrong expectation.

I do also hear the echoes of AYP?(another song built on tension), but for me that's not an inherent "fail". AYP? the album has its issues--I think I've expounded enough on that in the past, the whole saga from Toast on down. AYP? the song, however, was one of the album's more successful moments and, imho, is quite unfairly overlooked and discarded. It may be one of the neglected gems of NY's latter day catalogue. So, yeah, I don't mind feeling that slow burn again.

Another progenitor, I'd suggest, is "Trans Am" from SWA for its tempo and mood. Which in turn owes something to the winding, lumbering grind of "Danger Bird". None of these touchstones are direct paralleled by "Milky Way". They are more like scattered associations, flashes of the familiar. The kid got his nose from this grandfather, hair like that cousin, etc. Talk of family resemblance shouldn't be taken too literally or precisely.

Maybe we benefit from the occasional cynicism of an Andy or a Robi, balancing out the open-ended appreciations and musings to which some of us are apt. Certainly, it's not infrequently eye-opening to take in everyone's widely variant responses to the same input.

There's a major distinction between prosaic (as I said) and lazy. In this case, the latter is considerably wide of the mark. It seems like the discussion might take a more productive turn if Andy W. could bring some specificity into his reactions/objections, rather than dealing in broad generalities. "Lazy", "sloppy", or "meandering" don't mean that much if unqualified or not supported with details.

I know we're all speaking here about ephemera and subjective impressions, as that's the nature of appreciating and/or interpreting art.

Moreover, comparing every new thing that comes along to the halcyon days, although understandable, will result in a grading curve--and not necessarily a favorable one. At some point, one has to take in what is, rather than what was or may have been--the goal, imho, is to be neither blinded by nostalgia or clouded with disenchantment, which may just be different faces of the same coin after all.

"Watch where you're going, not where you've been" is the version I heard growing up. Nowadays, it seems relevant in more ways than one.

Thanks so much Ian; The Metamorphic Rocker for the well composed thoughts as always! We truly appreciate your thoughts and opinions -- as well as everyone else who thoughtfully participated in respectful discussion.

More on "Milky Way" on COLORADO, New Album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Also, see complete track list for COLORADO.

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