You Want It Darker With the release of Leonard’s new album, You Want It Darker, here are all the important details we know about the new album.
	Leonard's New Album You Want It Darker in Stores Now From Leonard Cohen’s Facebook page: “At the age of 82 Leonard Cohen is releasing an album of haunting new songs, which the lucky few who have heard it, deem “a masterpiece” and “classic Cohen”. The album is called YOU WANT IT DARKER and arrives in stores this Fall.” Tracklist for You Want It Darker: 1. “You Want It Darker” 2. “Treaty” 3. “On the Level” 4. “Leaving the Table” 5. “If I Didn’t Have Your Love” 6. “Traveling Light” 7. “It Seemed the Better Way” 8. “Steer Your Way” 9. String Reprise / Treaty Watch New Lyric Video for “You Want It Darker”
You Want It Darker Review Excerpts "ALBUM OF THE MONTH - 9/10... Exquisitely crafted, You Want It Darker follows a snaky line back to Songs of Love And Hate (1971) and New Skin For The Old Ceremony (1974)... What's remarkable about You Want It Darker is how it melds that earlier aesthetic with the time-tempered outlook of the man he is in his ninth decade... It's become a cliche to treat every latter day Cohen album like a potential swansong but it's hard to image a richer, finer or more satisfying finale than this..." Uncut, November 2016. "Eight-two years old and still at the top of his game while mining the depths... 5 stars [out of 5]... Cohen's so good at dark -- black humour; darkness of the soul; the depths he mines the poems he calls songs... This is one of the most intense albums. It feels personal too. His son Adam Cohen is the producer (a fine job)..." MOJO, November 2016 "Deeply ambiguous yet wittily epigrammatic, You Want It Darker, is all one might want from a final testament, short of cosy reassurance. If there are positives to be found, to quote Cohen's fellow poet Philip Larkin, "What will survive of us is love." Love - but never schmaltz. 4 stars [out of 5]" Q, November 2016. "It’s Wonderful... this is not a bleak record... this record, like all his best work, is shot through with wry humor and an abiding sense of compassion. There is beauty in the dying of the light, too, and this album is like the deepest and most gravely beautiful of sunsets... In a year of historical ugliness, it’s a reminder that humans are capable of exhibiting great love and creating great wonder." Flavorwire, October 14, 2016. "5 stars... Cohen's voice remains strong, measured and assured. There is, as ever, flashes of playful humour in his wonderful use of language. The dignified music also reflects his concerns, at times hymnal in intensity, but it would be wrong to think these nine tracks morbid or depressing; Cohen’s humanity shines throughout." Irish Times, October 17, 2016. "4-1/2 stars [out of 5]... You Want It Darker, it is such a pleasure to listen to... this album confirms he has much more to say, much more to share, as a sage who doesn't offer himself as such but rather as a fellow questioner stumbling through. Yes, Leonard, if you're asking, we do want it darker." Sydney Morning Herald, October 17, 2016. "5 stars... what is truly extraordinary about Cohen is not that he is still making albums but that they are as rich, deep and potent as ever. If anything, his ruminations on life gain added poignancy and urgency with passing time... The musical setting, by Cohen’s talented singer-songwriting son Adam, is perfection... this is an album with things to say about modern life as well as death..." Telegraph, October 18, 2016. "The legendary singer's latest prepares us for his departure, but comes nowhere near exhausting his vitality... Cohen faces the inevitable while his hyper-articulate contemporaries flinch... Like most of Cohen’s compositions, the focus of You Want It Darker stays rigidly on the lyrics. Yet, notice if you don’t find yourself humming a tune a few hours removed from listening. The stealth orchestrations come courtesy of Madonna’s close collaborator Patrick Leonard, and Cohen’s son Adam runs a tight ship as producer... If You Want It Darker ends up as Cohen’s last musical will and testament, no distant relative goes without a hefty inheritance..." Consequence of Sound, October 19, 2016. "5 of 5 stars... “You Want It Darker”, one of his unquestioned masterpieces, a title-song as rich in soulful images as anything he has ever written... This is an album that resonates with presence: there is no romance and illusion, only acceptance of the vagaries of love, the pain of loss and the reality of grief...Leonard Cohen continues his extraordinary trajectory as poet, priest and entertainer. There is a depth here that eludes the Nobel Prize winner – for all his genius. Cohen courts what is most uncomfortable in the human condition and transforms that terrifying unease into something of great beauty – and in the process, some comfort too." The Arts Desk, October 18, 2016. "5 stars... beautiful album, intense, poignant... an album of rare beauty in which the music, at once rich and humble, really are at the service of voice like no other as Leonard Cohen who has never seemed so close... challenge them not to shed a tear listening to the recovery of a Treaty string quartet, a vintage Cohen of all time. That's a major record we will never tire of listening." La Presse, October 19, 2016. "A-...On his 14th studio album, the songwriting maestro—still vital at 82—is a lion in winter, his lyrics heavy with God and sex and death and his legendary voice scraped down to a subterranean rumble. Nearly every one of the nine songs here catalogs some kind of loss... The production, by his son Adam, is lush but lean..." Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 2016. "You Want It Darker gravely and beautifully accepts God and mortality... a riveting experience... You Want It Darker is all carefully unfolding, impeccably produced... For “Treaty,” whose melodic peaks and valleys are so poignant that the album’s final song is a string reprise of them, Cohen makes an apology of devastating frankness to a lost lover. The song is also an example of his gift for surprise; because his phrasings have you hanging on every word, he’s able to induce mood swings in the space of a verse..." The Atlantic, October 19, 2016. "'You Want It Darker,' is a taut display of his dry wit and ability to wring beauty out of even the most harrowing human ideals... Cohen has been honing his vision of the relationship between the beautiful and the damned for decades, and 'You Want It Darker' is another stunning examination of what, exactly, leads to the cracks that eventually allow light to shine through." The Boston Globe, October 20, 2016. "9/10 rating." Spiegel, October 18, 2016. "Rating 9/10... "You want it darker" is sublime in every moment... it is a weighty album..." Platten Tests, October 20, 2016. "5 stars out of 5... reflective farewells are very much his stock in trade, and you would be hard pushed to find another songwriter whose work displays such “an awareness of the imminent defeat”... You Want It Darker frequently frames his songs in orchestral arrangements of varying degrees of sumptuousness... the lyrics are as fascinating and conflicted as ever. The title track flips from anger to resigned acceptance and back again, its fluctuations decorated with beautiful lines... Throughout, he sounds wise and honest, and – despite the occasional lyrical protestations of weariness – full of life... the man behind You Want It Darker does not seem like someone running short on inspiration..." The Guardian, October 20, 2016. "5 of 5 stars... one of his finest... Leonard himself enchants and flirt in almost every sense..." de Volkskrant, October 20, 2016. "5 out of 5 stars... profound ruminations on mortality... Leonard Cohen could order a breakfast burrito and his particular choice of words would impart more truth and profundity than most songwriters manage in their entire careers... If I Didn’t Have Your Love will become a lovers’ standard..." The Evening Standard, October 21, 2016. "4 out of 5 stars... This is Cohen's gift to music lovers: a realistically grim, spiritually radiant and deeply poetic worldview, generally spiked with a romantic thrum and an existential wink. Following a string of records that have each felt like a swan song, You Want It Darker may be Cohen's most haunting LP... You Want It Darker is the sound of a master soundtracking his exit, with advice for those left behind..." Rolling Stone, October 21, 2016. "farewell masterpiece...powerful and real... the new Cohen record is dark, quiet and utterly beautiful. Its mournfulness is cut with a celebration of the complexity of human life... another album with great lyrics... his lyrics are among the few that can stand up on the page... the music is as good as any Cohen record from the last 30 years. His gift for melody...is just about unsurpassed... “You Want it Darker” is full of sweet touches... Let’s hope that this isn’t Cohen’s last album...but it very well could be. If it is, it stands as a perfect farewell, a consummate example of “late style,” one of the rock genre’s greatest-ever meditations on love and loss, and a reminded of how much eloquent, heartbreaking work he’s given us." Salon, October 21, 2016. "4-1/2 out of 5 stars... In declaring himself a dusty relic on a last march toward eternity, Cohen sardonically sounds more alive than he has in years...You Want It Darker doesn’t just boast a broad sonic palette, but the return of a broad-minded pop sensibility to his work after a sustained period of asceticism... Cohen recently responded to concerns about his health with an assurance that fans shouldn’t worry, as he’s planning to live forever. You Want It Darker bears out this claim, as it’s a clear-eyed consideration of finitude that feels considerably less dark than much of Cohen’s previous material, and which never broaches the possibility of giving up or giving in." Slant, October 21, 2016. "5 of 5 stars... its graceful blend of soul, doo-wop and European folk traditions resists defeat, as does a deep lyrical preoccupation with the theme of love..." The Financial Times, October 21, 2016. "what an extraordinary album, You Want It Darker, is. One of 2016's most indispensable... Produced by his son, Adam, it's shot through with humour and pathos and insight. It surprises and delights and makes you sad..." Belfast Telegraph, October 22, 2016. "5 out of 5 stars... These eight and a half songs (the ninth is a reprise...are most often simply structured and direct. Once Cohen Jr and returning collaborator Pat Leonard (1980s Madonna) had buffed them up, they remain sparsely arranged, and are all the more powerful for it... This is an album of killer couplets, even the bleakest delivered with a half-smile... We did want it darker, it’s true, and Cohen has obliged..." The Observer, October 23, 2016. "9/10... Leonard Cohen gives us a darkness that is't just pure sad or heavy, but reflective and gentle. This isn't just a work of art from a single period of time, but from a whole lifetime of living... Cohen has proven over this immense career that he can always find just the right music to convey the story that he’s telling. In You Want It Darker, there is a darker, more somber reflection taking place than in previous work. This is portrayed not only through a combination of excellent usage in different sounds, but also with superb lyricism... Cohen’s storytelling is at some of his best with this record, and his lyricism is at once playful, poetic, sorrowful, and alive... While the music itself is very beautiful, its main role is in enhancing the story... In You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen presents a body of work that feels whole and complete with its large moments and small steps of reflection, loss, and discovery. Cohen’s work throughout the years has captured reflection in an attempt to understand what is going on with the world at the time. What You Want It Darker accomplishes isn’t just powerful instrumentation in minimalism, or strong poeticism, but that of an artist baring their soul, and the sharing of sincere truth." PopMatters, October 24, 2016. "Rating: 9.5... these new lyrics are pared down and polished, shaved and selected for their truth as much as their beauty. The songwriting is masterful, with some new compositions like “It’s Better That Way” in every way equal to the best work he has ever recorded... The phrasing is precise and blunt... the listener can feel a crackling in the air between notes and phrases... Adam Cohen obviously thought a lot about how to capture his father’s lyrics in song, and has produced the warmest sounding music that Leonard Cohen has offered since Recent Songs came out in 1979. The natural acoustic sounds that grace the songs offer the perfect counterpoint to Cohen senior’s bare lyrics and intonation... You Want It Darker...may contain the best music he has created since Various Positions came out in 1984." Paste, October 24, 2016. "Rating 10... The return of Leonard Cohen with You Want It Darker...is an absolute triumph. At 82 the Canadian poet gives us one of his best records ever..." TomTomRock, October 24, 2016. "5 out of 5 stars... Musically, he teamed up with his son Adam Cohen as producer, and they have been together a strong and dense album... It is the strong texts which are in the center of You Want It Darker, and they are supported by a sublime melodic undercurrent of recognizable Cohen compositions..." Gaffa, October 23, 2016. "5 stars out of 5... Leonard Cohen, presents...the incredible dynamic and cosmic energy level, the explosive material... Nine songs with unlimited power... Dark, unbearable, dominant, beautiful..." Toperiodiko, October 24, 2016. "3.5 stars out of 4... It instead presents an artist still near the height of his considerable powers... Though the singer can sound ominous, there's still a twinkle in his eye, and a feistiness that flashes into fierceness when he addresses what troubles him and, by extension, the world... he finds redemption in the humor, the sly phrasing, the acute wordplay he brings to these songs, and empathy in the subtle weave of keyboards and strings..." Chicago Tribune, October 28, 2016. "Rating: A... Like a particular vintage of wine, Cohen limits his style and expression to a few spare elements... this album is a testament to his skill and artistry, and well worth a listen." University of California San Diego Guardian, October 27, 2016. "Rating: 9... No matter how dire the headlines have gotten as of late, Leonard Cohen is here to remind us that things can all get worse. We could be living in a world without Leonard Cohen... that unwavering connection between Cohen and his dedicated fans and family (son Adam Cohen was at his side handling the album’s spare, refined production) is ultimately the solitary thing that can drive away the darkness and keep the creativity flickering within his venerable heart... Leonard Cohen has spent his entire career illustrating both the fiery and fatal sides of love through his words and his music, and anyone who has listened to his songs has learned something true about themselves in the process. Cohen has remained a beacon of inspirational light in a world gradually consumed by vile intolerance and abhorrent characters, but through his music we can all join him in keeping the darkness at bay for as long as we possibly can." The Line of Best Fit, November 4, 2016. "5 stars... an elegant thesis with deep-felt layers of wisdom and a sense of finality. Produced mostly by son Adam, Cohen’s third studio album in five years puts his diverse musical forms through a filter of temperance... Cohen has aged like wine, and his voice still carries an energising richness." The Tribune (India), November 5, 2016. "4-1/2 out of 5 stars... You Want It Darker seems to engage directly in a dialogue with the audience... There are the slow, stoical tempos,...the sparse and melancholy arrangements and that very distinctive approach to melody and harmony, informed by gospel and the blues but achieving a sense of meditativeness and spirituality very much its own... Cohen’s sly and mischievous humour keeps shining through those cracks where the light gets in... Cohen also has that uncanny ability to inhabit the mood and feeling of a melody even when merely outlining its shape. This is a masterful skill, one that helps explain why many of these songs feel so overwhelming. They confront the inevitable end that informs our deepest fears, yet they also very much serve as a healing balm." musicOMH, November 10, 2016. "5 out of 5 stars... This album, musically, feels like a return to Cohen’s work in the 1960’s and 1970’s... This is a return to the stripped down sounds of his early work... Ever since Cohen re-entered the musical fold with a series of tours brought on out of financial necessity in 2008, his material has been as vital as ever. Starting with Old Ideas in 2012 Cohen would begin a trilogy of releases that were indispensable to fans of music about isolation, the bleakness of the world and loss all filtered through his dark sense of humor. What would have been a capstone on that trilogy also became an artistic capstone as well..." Punk News, November 15, 2016. "Rating: 5/5 stars... Leonard left us with another highlight of his much vaunted career... These are songs and sounds on a par with Sisters of Mercy, So Long Marianne, even dare I say it, Hallelujah... The title and opening track lets us know from the get-go that Leonard Cohen was at the top of his game musically. And so it goes, with every track a highlight... Thank you Mr L Cohen, not just for this fitting finale to your recording career, but for a catalogue of unique and unparalleled music." The Aucklander, November 21, 2016. "9/10... Despite its brevity, this album still manages to be an intense experience... Cohen has produced yet another album of beautiful lyrics about faith, love and loss. They stand up to deep analysis, yet can also be enjoyed on a first listen; the beautiful couplets he rattles, as ever, simply draw you in... The production of Patrick Leonard and Cohen’s son Adam is simple yet stellar... This may not be the best album of 2016, or even of Cohen’s career, but it’s certainly up there. Even so, it does not need to be. It acts as an epilogue — a perfect bookend to an exceptional body of work." Mancunion (Manchester, UK), November 22, 2016.
You Want It Darker is produced by Leonard’s son Adam Cohen. Check out these great profiles and interviews: "Leonard Cohen’s third act" by Brian D. Johnson, Maclean's, September 21, 2016. Photos of the Leonard, Adam Cohen, Suzanne Elrod and Lorca Cohen. Interview with Leonard and Cantor Zelermyer, Patrick Leonard and Adam Cohen who contributed to You Want It Darker. "Leonard Cohen makes it darker" by David Remnick, The New Yorker, October 17, 2016. Photos by Graeme Mitchell. Interview and profile of Leonard. "Cohen & The Cantor" by Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette, September 21, 2016. Cohen Artwork. Photos of the Cantor. Interview with Cantor Zelermyer who contributed to You Want It Darker.
"You Want It Darker"
Lyrics for the title song “You Want It Darker”: If you are the dealer I’m out of the game If you are the healer I’m broken and lame If thine is the glory Then mine must be the shame You want it darker We kill the flame Magnified and sanctified Be Thy Holy Name Vilified and crucified In the human frame A million candles burning For the help that never came You want it darker We kill the flame Hineni Hineni I’m ready, my Lord There’s a lover in the story But the story is still the same There’s a lullaby for suffering And a paradox to blame But it’s written in the scriptures And it’s not some idle claim You want it darker We kill the flame They’re lining up the prisoners The guards are taking aim I struggled with some demons They were middle-class and tame Didn’t know I had permission To murder and to maim You want it darker Hineni Hineni I’m ready, my Lord Magnified and sanctified Be Thy Holy Name Vilified and crucified In the human frame A million candles burning For the love that never came You want it darker We kill the flame If you are the dealer I’m out of the game If you are the healer I’m broken and lame If thine is the glory Then mine must be the shame You want it darker We kill the flame Hineni Hineni I’m ready, my Lord
Adam also took the cover photo for the new album. Here’s the story behind the photo from Leonard’s Facebook page: "The photo was taken on a break while working on the album directly outside his front door on the balcony-landing. At that point I was taking habitual smoke breaks every 15 minutes, and on this occasion my father followed me out to join me. "It's the privilege of having turned 80 and keeping his promise to recommence smoking whenever he feels the impulse.Truth is he smokes very little, but it hits the spot sometimes. I took one single photo as he smoked with me that late afternoon on my way to doing what I really wanted during that particular break, which was to take some video. I found him particularly dapper, energetic and seemingly unaware of the camera. I have a great little piece of video from the moment. I shared the photo with him the next day and knew it'd be one of the few he'd like, even somewhat suspecting he would immediately put the photo into contention for the album cover. And he did. He never even considered another photo in its place. There's no question my father identified that energy and attitude in the photo comes from his holding a lit cigarette. He was not merely responding to its aesthetics or representation of himself; he likes the edge, the boldness, the subtle antagonism of the act, and of course the humour." Special details about You Want It Darker: Gideon Zelermyer shared on Facebook that he was feeling proud at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim because their choir had contributed on two of the songs for You Want It Darker: "...Leonard reached out to me in late November seeking the sound of the cantor and synagogue choir of his youth for his new album. My response: "Hallelujah!" and "I'm Your Man!" The results of his amazing invitation and our collaboration have finally become a reality! "You Want it Darker" is the title track of Leonard Cohen's new album, lovingly and skillfully produced by his son, Adam Cohen, and scheduled for release next month by Sony Music Entertainment. Two of the tracks feature a collaboration between the favourite son of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, its Cantor, and the Shaar Synagogue Choir conducted by Roï Azoulay. "More information to follow soon about this extremely meaningful and unforgettable experience!”