Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker (2016)

you wanted it darker

listened to this for the 1st time this morning -- obviously a heavy listen, but I thought it was great. "seemed the better way" was a standout:

I better hold my tongue
I better take my place
Lift this glass of blood
Try to say the grace

'Steer your way' sounds great too, those strings

Entirely possible that this is my album of the year.

I guess what I'm saying is that this is equal and opposite bookend to Blackstar. Happy 2016

Man this record keeps on giving. The followup Thanks For The Dance was also short but excellent - and seemed to totally fly under the critical radar for it's year? It's basically more of You Want It Darker... same band, same production style.

actually i forgot what a crazy lineup 'Thanks' has... guest spots from Beck, Feist, Lanois, Matt Chamberlain, Damien Rice... but not overbearing or obvious in any way - it's all very sensitive to the material.
plus Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson both back on some songs...

plus guys from The Unicorns and Death Cab? it's such an odd collection of people.

I think I may like Thanks for the Dance even more than You Want it Darker. It's very spare and understated, and some of the lines ("as if there ever was a you") occasionally pop up in my head.