While Neil’s status as the the “Godfather of Grunge” was initially tenuous, it was certainly cemented by Kurt Cobain quoting Neil in his suicide note. Grappling with both with both that legacy and that burden became a central theme of the album Sleeps With Angles, with the title track being explicitly about the Nirvana frontperson’s death. However, the sound itself was not very “grunge”, but rather just typical Neil Young with Crazy Horse.
Neil further devoted himself to the nineties Seattle music scene by having the band Pearl Jam back him for the next record Mirrorball. While the album featured a little more variety than the last one, it certainly wasn’t quite the meeting-of-the-minds one would’ve hoped for. At least, it was not the total misfire that the Lou Reed/Metallica album, Lulu, was. It just didn’t sound like Neil was doing anything different with Pearl Jam there, and it could’ve just been Crazy Horse again.
The next record was far more of a departure. An album of solo instrumentals might have seemed like a bit of a Geffen-style left turn, if it were not merely the soundtrack to the Jim Jarmusch film, Dead Man. As such, it may work effectively within the movie (I haven’t seen it), but it is pretty dull and repetitive as a standalone listen.
From here, Neil did what Neil usually does. First there was a rocking electric album with Crazy Horse. Broken Arrow was named after a Buffalo Springfield song, even though that song doesn’t appear on the album or really seem to inform it at all. Broken Arrow was a jumbles mish-mash of different styles, and this album is one of the more forgettable of Neil’s catalog.
After that, Neil got roped into one more CSN&Y reunion (Looking Forward) before putting out yet another Harvest styled acoustic singer-songwriter album titled Silver & Gold. While the album did marginally better (both critically and commercially), it was no longer the surprise it was back when fans were clamoring for a follow-up to the 1972 hit and Neil was perversely and staunchly denying them. It was Neil’s first album of the 2000s and it seemed like Neil’s more unpredictable and experimental days were behind him as he was getting older.