Neil Young has always been a solitary kind of guy, but on his new release, he ditches all other instruments except for his voice and guitar.

Young is often admired for his folk-rock leanings, but “Le Noise” relies heavily on the electric guitar instead. Young is not exactly Jimmy Page with a six-string, but with the help of Canadian producer Daniel Lanois (note pun in the album title), the tone sounds great.

Lanois’ touch helps Young’s guitar echo nicely and makes tracks like “Someone’s Gonna Rescue You” sound spacious. The entire album was recorded in an old Los Angeles mansion to-boot, and the producer makes sure that the listener knows it.

In terms of content, Young opens the album with more uplifting, love-oriented tracks like “Walk with Me” and “Sign of Love.” As the album progresses, Young heads into the familiar ground of social commentary, a development that won’t surprise any longtime listeners.

Tackling one of his favorite topics in “Love and War,” Young laments young men leaving for the latter, and in “Peaceful Valley Boulevard” he narrates from the perspective of a Native American whose lifestyle is mangled by manifest destiny.

The better of Young’s downtrodden tracks are “Angry World” and “Hitchhiker,” however. The former is Young’s outlook on modern society, “Hitchhiker” serves as a biography of sorts, detailing Young’s experiences with drugs. The song is also among the most creative on the album, tying in references to the Aztecs and Incas without taking away from the track’s purpose.

Most admirable about Young’s songwriting is his ability to break away from restricting rhyme schemes without the listener being aware. If examined closely, his lyrics are frequently free of form and yet the flow never ceases. And, at just less than 40 minutes, the album doesn’t tether down the listener either.