At this point in his career, Neil Young has traveled so many paths that his oeuvre is its own game of Choose Your Own Adventure. Need some acoustic-based comfort? Head to "Harvest." Hardened introspection? "Tonight's the Night." "Trans" works well for new wave moods. "Get Back to the Country" delivers as advertised. Noise? Check out "Arc."
"The Monsanto Years" is Young in electrified protest mode. Outraged. Frustrated. Determined. Dense with "Ragged Glory"-style distortion but minus his longtime backing band, Crazy Horse, the artist's album is rich with righteous indignation and a central theme that could have sprung from a Donald Trump stump speech: "How can we regain our freedom?