Passing Through

Happy Len's last will and testament, tastefully curated by his son Adam. And a fine farewell it is, too, with Catalan guitar maestro Javier Mas stealing the show on all things with strings. Lilies from the dead indeed.

Leonard Cohen - The Night Of Santiago

Tower Of Song

The golden sings of 2016? Look no further, my amigos da musica. You want it darker? Shine on.

1. Heron Oblivion - Heron Oblivion
Heron Oblivion - The Desert
2. David Bowie - Blackstar
3. Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like A Levee/Vestapol
4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
5. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker
6. Brent Cobb - Shine On Rainy Day
Brent Cobb - Black Crow
7. Cian Nugent - Night Fiction
8. William Tyler - Modern Country
9. Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
10. Kikagaku Moyo - House In The Tall Grass
Kikagaku Moyo - Trad

So Long, Ladies' Man

Just got the sad news that Leonard Cohen has passed away at 82. The Canadian singer/songwriter and poet was one of the true greats. I still remember the wonderful night I saw him perform here in Barcelona back in 2009 as if it were yesterday. Sweet as apples dipped in honey. Miss him.

Leonard Cohen - Memories

Out Of The Game

Greetings from sunny Barcelona, and thanks a mil for all your kind wishes, friends. Settling in nicely here, but as our internet connection is still sketchy at best it'll be a while before normal business will be resumed. Please bear with me. In the meantime, here's a fine fine dirge from the new record by happy Len.

Leonard Cohen - Leaving The Table

Roots Radical

Without a doubt, Enrique Morente's Omega ('96) is the most notorious flamenco fusion album since Camarón's famous La Leyenda Del Tiempo, and a lot more radical to boot. It features menacing metal guitars courtesy of Granada band Lagartija Nick, and traditional flamenco picking by greats like Vicente Amigo and Tomatito. As for the lyrics, Morente mostly mined the works of Federico García Lorca and Leonard Cohen. The latter is said to have sent him two dozen roses in gratitude. In all honesty, I still don't know what to make of it all really, which just might be a good thing. Check it out why don't you.

Enrique Morente -Vuelta De Paseo
Enrique Morente - Pequeño Vals Vienes (Take This Waltz)

Signs Were Sent

"That's how the light gets in..." A gem from the bootleg vaults, recorded in Zurich, Switzerland, back in '93. Keep smiling, folks.

Leonard Cohen - Anthem (live Zurich '93)

Heard Voices

Happy Len surprisingly goes all honky tonk on us, tackling country legend George Jones on his classy tour souvenir Can't Forget. Cool choice, maestro.

Leonard Cohen - Choices

Another Time, Another Place

This just in from the news desk: Leonard Cohen's new album, amusingly titled Old Ideas, is scheduled for a late January release. It's the Canadian veteran's first studio effort in eight long years. And here's a promising, solemn taster. "Show me the place for my head is bent and low, show me the place where you want your slave to go..."

Leonard Cohen - Show Me The Place

Wild Weekend Vol. 42

It´s just another Wild Weekend as we jazz it up revolutionary style with mr. Shepp, take L Dopa with mr. Albini and preview El Classico with mr. Smith. Plus we´ve got a Cohen protégé, an sixties acid folkie and a new bluesy talent to watch. Enjoy and please do have a wild one.

And we´re off in jazz mode with Archie Shepp and a soulful monster from his ´72 masterpiece Attica Blues. Grooves like hell, lamenting in the meantime the miserable fate of activist George Jackson, the famous Black Panther and Soledad Brother who was shot by guards at Saint Quentin prison in an alleged escape attempt. Shepp had his doubts about this, and probably with good reason. Next up: renowned producer Steve Albini´s both revolutionary and uncompromising eighties power trio Big Black. Short but sweet sample track L Dopa hails from a certain razor sharp album with a sleeve and a title to die for. Alright?

Archie Shepp - Blues For Brother George Jackson MP3

Big Black - L Dopa MP3

El Classico will be played in Barcelona this Monday, which is an incredibly big thing in Spain, and especially in my dearest Catalunya. Barça vs. Real Madrid is a game drenched in history, which guarantees an electrical atmosphere in the Camp Nou. Better believe me, as I witnessed a couple of amazing encounters between the blaugrana and the blancos there myself. Forza Barça! Find Mark E. Smith´s ode to the match of matches on what´s possibly the Fall´s finest: Hex Enduction Hour. For something completely different, we turn to Charlie Parr. I read an enthusiastic piece about his last album in my newspaper of all places, checked out one of his bluesy Americana songs on the Hype Machine and immediately ordered When The Devil Goes Blind straight from the lion´s mouth. Yes, he´s that good.

The Fall - The Classical MP3

Charlie Parr - I Dreamed I Saw Jesse James Last Night MP3

A while back, reader Holly alerted me in a comment to an interesting album on the legendary underground label ESP by some weirdo who called himself MIJ. And indeed, Yodeling Astrologer (from ´69) does sound quite unique, as the acid drenched Grok (Martian Love Call) illustrates. Freakfolk avant la lettre. And we´ve come to the end of another Wild Weekend with a sunny sounding popsong by Neema, a Canadian singer from Egyptian and Lebanese descent who lives quite close to Leonard Cohen. "It´s a foggy night in the streets of Montreal..." The ageing master must have been rather smitten by his near-neighbour, as he co-produced her album Watching You Think, and drew its cover too. Quite a recommendation methinks.

MIJ - Grok (Martian Love Call) MP3

Neema - Escape MP3

Sure Does

"Feels so good just to wake up in the morning by myself,

Cup of coffee in the kitchen, fire up a little danger to my health,

They say that love is all you need, but freedom´s something else..."

There´s a new Leonard Cohen album in the pipeline, and the 76-year-old legend from Montreal is slowly fitting some virgin songs into his current stage show. You can sample a trio below, including a majestic ode to loneliness called Feels So Good, in truly exceptional sound quality. A heartfelt thanks goes out to the taper who recorded these songs at the famous open air opera stage of Römersteinbruch in Austria last September.

Leonard Cohen - Feels So Good (live) MP3

Leonard Cohen - The Darkness (live) MP3

Leonard Cohen - Born In Chains (live) MP3

Faits Divers

No that´s not a new supergroup, it´s just French for odds and ends. Would make a good band name though... but anyway. Here´s a collection of assorted sounds that kept me busy over the last few weeks. Featuring amongst others the return of a former Joy Division and New Order stalwart, the post Pop Group postpunk-funk of Rip Rig & Panic, and some more happy Len.

First up is Bernard Sumner´s new band, named after a pretty good movie starring Harvel Keitel. Got this one in the mail and didn´t expect a lot of it to be honest, but Sink Or Swim proved to be a pleasant surprise. Hit!

Bad Lieutenant - Sink Or Swim MP3

Rip Rig & Panic rose from the ashes of The Pop Group, and featured wonderwoman Neneh Cherry on vocals. An impressive avant-garde funk ensemble, they had a way with wonderful song titles, and are now sadly forgotten. Their highly original ´81 debut God didn´t even get a cd release yet. And that´s just plain ridiculous.

Rip Rig & Panic - Those Eskimo Women Speak Frankly MP3

Rip Rig & Panic - Constant Drudgery Is Harmful To Soul, Spirit & Health MP3

Another postpunk gem I just can´t stop playing is I, Bloodbrother Be (£4,000 Love Letter) by the Shockheaded Peters. A dark and jazzy gay anthem that even caused a bit of a scandal back in the early eighties, my sweeties...

Shockheaded Peters - I, Bloodbrother Be (£4,000 Love Letter) MP3

Some dear friends of mine surprised me with a cd called La Cantina by Mexican/American singer Lila Downs recently, and I quite like her postmodern take on traditional Mexican fare. And hey, is that the mighty Flaco Jimenez on accordeon here? Yup. What´s more, he even wrote the song.

Lila Downs - Tu Recuerdo Y Yo MP3

Have also been on a total Bowie trip over the last few months. Used to be a huge fan, but can´t say I´ve given the Thin White Duke much thought over the last couple of decennia, probably because he never released an even half-decent album since Scary Monsters came out in ´80. His classic stuff still stands though, as I was glad to find out. Here he covers Jaques Brel. And he does that very well.

David Bowie - My Death MP3

As a Mountain Goats fan from stage one, I usually prefer their early lofi stuff to the more polished recent output. But the newly released The Life Of The World To Come has me converted. I repent, Mr. Darnielle, I repent. A masterpiece.

Mountain Goats - Matthew 25:21 MP3

Let´s end this mixed bag with the song I liked most from Leonard Cohen´s recent Barcelona concert. "I said to Hank Williams: how lonely does it get? Hank Williams hasn´t answered yet... But I hear him coughing all night long, a hundred floors above me in the tower of song..."

Leonard Cohen - Tower Of Song MP3

Lenny Tonight

Going to see a true legend in concert tonight. Leonard Cohen´s in town and we´ve got tickets, 12th row centre stage no less. Added bonus: it´s happy Len´s 75th birthday. Got quite a scare this weekend when it was reported that Cohen had fainted because of food poisoning during last Friday´s Valencia gig, but apparently all is right again. Just a bad prawn or mussel in his paella... Guess it´s going to be an intense evening. Groomed my goatee already... now where´s that black turtleneck sweater?

To celebrate all this, here´s some wonderful live Lenny from back in the days. Chelsea Hotel #2 and Story Of Isaak were recorded at the famous Olympia Theatre in Paris in 1976. Avalanche and Joan Of Arc (a fine duet with Julie Christensen) stem from a show at the Congresshalle in Zurich in 1993. "I don't mean to suggest that I loved you the best, I can't keep track of each fallen robin..."

Leonard Cohen - Chelsea Hotel #2 (live Paris ´76) MP3

Leonard Cohen - Story Of Isaak (live Paris ´76) MP3

Leonard Cohen - Avalanche (live Zurich ´93) MP3

Leonard Cohen - Joan Of Arc (live Zurich ´93) MP3