Neighborly Deeds: Neil Young – Living With War

He can’t massage the phrase “mission accomplished” to scan properly and “Let’s Impeach the President” doesn’t have the sustaining nuance of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” but as a musician who once named an album Re-ac-tor and has commented on everything from the Kent State shootings (“Ohio”) to drug overdoses (Tonight’s the Night) to a disgraced president (“Campaigner”) to punk rock (“My My, Hey Hey [Out of the Blue]”) to Kurt Cobain’s suicide (Sleeps With Angels), Neil Young was bound to say something about recent world events—and you knew it wouldn’t be pretty. Living With War was recorded and released quickly before self-conscious second-guessing could become an issue. As a result, the album has the instantaneous feel of a blog, a quickly jotted, rough-hewn piece of work where lyrics care less for meter than meaning, melodies are peculiarly familiar and the playing is mostly gut-level power chords.

While Young names names (“Lookin’ For A Leader” calls out to Barack Obama and Colin Powell) and targets the head-scratching hypocrisies of politics, his most powerful gift remains his ability to keep a human face on tragedy. “The Restless Consumer” and “Impeach” have their pointed social commentary, but “Families” and “Roger and Out” convey the full-on sadness of the situation. Here, Young sits back and reminisces about better days. “Two Camaros racing down the road / Feels just like yesterday,” he sings with the lump still in his throat. His anger and impatience may fuel his immediacy, but it’s his heart and empathy that enable him to survive.