Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems (2014)

http://www.spin.com/articles/leonard-cohen-80th-birthday-new-album-popular-problems/

According to the webmaster of Leonard Cohen's website, the Canadian singer plans to release a new album next month in celebration of his 80th birthday.

Titled Popular Problems, the upcoming LP was announced this past weekend at a Leonard Cohen fan community gathering in Dublin. The news came from Jarkko Arjatsalo, a Finnish man who runs Cohen's official website for the singer. "He asked me to let you know that Popular Problems will be out at the end of September, shortly after his 80th birthday [September 21]," Arjatsalo wrote in a pamphlet handed out at the event according to a Rolling Stone report.

Arjatsalo later confirmed the news on Cohen's fan forum website, and added that the singer had no plans to tour in support of the album. Cohen's team has yet to confirm any album details.

Cohen's most recent album, Old Ideas, was released in 2012. According to a listing on Amazon France, Popular Problems is set to be released on September 22. The track list has not yet been confirmed, but hopefully it'll include Cohen's "I've Got A Little Secret," a song he's played in his recent live sets.

http://1b9m613yi0qa0r935crzosac.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/lc-moves.gif

My sister in law and her Aussie husband went to see LC a while back in I assume Sydney. On the way there, they met up with his (my brother in law's) crazy hippie aunt, who gave them a psychedelic cookie. "Only eat half," she said. So they split the cookie and sat down to watch LC. Very soon into the set, my SiL was struck with panic, realizing that she was utterly, completely unable to move, and my BiL was nearly paralyzed with nausea. It was all they could do to shuffle out of there early to these empty waiting buses outside, where they sat, in total distress and confusion, until the 3 hour show let out and the buses filled with happy old people making their way home. Which did not make the experience any better. They learned their lesson, but I don't think they can ever hear LC again.

Great news! (The album, not the psychedelic cookie.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VYXECtjOos

Cover:

http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/popularproblems.jpg

what the dog nuts

LEONARD COHEN RELEASES ‘POPULAR PROBLEMS’ ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2014,
A DYNAMIC STUDIO ALBUM OF NEW SONGS

(Toronto, ON - August 19, 2014) In Popular Problems, his thrilling new studio album, Leonard Cohen gets down into the avenues of our dreams and sets a new tone and speed of hope and despair, grief and joy. Cohen here is an astonished lover rocking to the human condition as "the soul unfolds in the chambers of its longing." His legendary basso resonates as never before with a presence and urgency that arises from the very depths of the heart. The clarity and strength of these nine hypnotic songs will have us singing them over and over.

In collaboration with co-writer Patrick Leonard, Popular Problems is a masterpiece from the ever-fresh imagination of a musical legend whose songs continue to captivate new listeners and devoted fans.

“Yet again, Leonard Cohen has broken musical boundaries with new creative inspiration,” says Rob Stringer, Chairman/CEO of Columbia Records, “These nine new songs are simply sublime and innovative with a unique spirit. We're absolutely thrilled and honored to celebrate this milestone with him.”

Popular Problems is Cohen's 13th studio album, and will be released on September 23rd, two days after his 80th birthday. Popular Problems is available for pre-order everywhere today. Those who pre-order Popular Problems digitally (http://smarturl.it/PopularProblems) will receive an instant download of his new song, “Almost Like The Blues.”

To celebrate his milestone 80th birthday (September 21), Cohen’s endless poetic energy and legacy can be revisited with a new artist page on iTunes (http://www.itunes.com/leonardcohen), which features Popular Problems and includes all 12 prior studio albums Mastered For iTunes.

Popular Problems was produced by Patrick Leonard, mastered at Marcussen Mastering and was recorded and mixed by Jesse E. String with additional mixing by Bill Bottrell.

Popular Problems Tracklisting:

1. Slow
2. Almost Like The Blues
3. Samson In New Orleans
4. A Street
5. Did I Ever Love You
6. My Oh My
7. Nevermind
8. Born In Chains
9. You Got Me Singing

This is great news. "Almost Like The Blues" doesn't do much for me, but I bet it'll sound better in the context of the album.

Also, I share that press release's enthusiasm, but that first paragraph, yikes

Leonard Partridge more like re. Paragraph

this song is v good i think

Loved 'Old Ideas' so I'm pretty stoked for this.

this has leaked. On 1st listen I'm not that crazy about the songs on the whole esp compared with old ideas, but I like the overall sound & it's good to hear his voice. He genuinely sounds like tom waits in a couple of places, which has never really been true before even though it's a thing that's been said

"Almost Like the Blues" is in constant rotation chez Soto.

so this is maybe a shade less wonderful than Old Ideas.

he is also going to resume smoking.

that's a HUGE relief

This sounds great to me on first listen. Doesn't have the wow factor of Old Ideas, but his prose is on point and the lean arrangements flatter his voice

Yeah I basically love this now lol

Old Ideas is so fucking good. Who, in history, has maintained such a relevance into her/his 70s??

relevant to what

your mom

Poets have, so he's joining their ranks.

you know her too well

xp

admitted lol

Poets have, so he's joining their ranks.

Like who? He's 80 now. Sincere question: which poets have done it at his age? Or even lived so long?

Really loving Popular Problems. It doesn't reach the heights of Old Ideas, but had a few boring moments where this has none. In any case, it's amazing to have these two records. Ten New Songs and Dear Heather sounded like the kind of stuff you would expect a man in his position to make, interesting but slight. Where has this come from? Suddenly he's out-producing Bob Dylan, and it's tight.

the tour

I think 10ns is brilliant tho

Who, in history, has maintained such a relevance into her/his 70s??

serious answers:
RL Burnside
Sun Ra
Bob Dylan

I will regret forever that his tour took place in the last stages of the poor part of my life. Rip-off prices, impossible for me then, that I wouldn't think twice about paying now.

seriously 10 new songs is up there with his best.

i think it is his best

Poets have, so he's joining their ranks.

Like who? He's 80 now. Sincere question: which poets have done it at his age? Or even lived so long?

John Ashbery (b. 1927)
W.S. Merwin (b. 1927)
Mark Strand (b. 1934 - happy 80th!)

But I'm with you on being amazed at Cohen. And "Going Home" is as good as any of his songs.

I'm not as enamoured with this one as Old Ideas, but that's cemented its position as one of my favourites of his and one of my favourites of the last full years full stop.

Still, A Street and Nevermind are both astonishing, and I like the occasional moments when it suddenly turns into Fleetwood Mac.

I like the occasional moments when it suddenly turns into Fleetwood Mac.

That's better than when it turns into Tom Waits

great album

The sweet indifference some call love
The high indifference some call fate
But we had names morrrrrrre intimate

lolllll

inti-MATE

heh just twigged the joke of "you got me singing the hallelujah song"