In Leonard Cohen Makes it Darker, in the October 17, 2016 edition of The New Yorker, David Remnick provides a succinct history-by-anecdote (3) of the Canadian singer-songwriter´s impending (4) album, You Want It Darker, an intriguing section devoted to Bob Dylan’s take on Cohen (7), and a witty (8) perspective on the old icon.

Remnick suggests that there are deep connections between the two old bards when he quotes Dylan: ―When people talk about Leonard, they fail to mention his melodies, which to me, along with his lyrics, are his greatest genius. [...] Even the counterpoint lines—they give a celestial character and melodic lift to every one of his songs. As far as I know, no one else comes close to this (13) in modern music. [..] His gift or genius is in connection to the music of the spheres. In Sisters of Mercy, for instance, the verses are four elemental lines which (14) change and move at predictable intervals (16) ... but the tune is anything but predictable (1). The song just comes in and states a fact. And after that anything can happen and it does, and Leonard allows it to happen. His tone is far from condescending (9) or mocking. He is a tough-minded lover who doesn’t recognize the brush-off (12). Leonard’s always above it all. Sisters of Mercy is in perfect meter, with no chorus, quivering (5) with drama. This is an example of a deceptively (11) unusual musical theme, with or without lyrics. But it’s so subtle a listener doesn’t realize he’s been taken on a musical journey and dropped off somewhere, with or without lyrics."

And it is Cohen who says that ―Dylan has lines, hundreds of great lines, that have the feel of unhewn (6) stone. But they (15) really fit in there. But they’re not smoothed out (10). They’re inspired but not polished. That is not to say he doesn’t have lyrics of great polish. That kind of genius can manifest all the forms and all the styles.

For some odd reason, Cohen also says: ―I have all my marbles (2), so far. I have many resources, some cultivated on a personal level, but circumstantial, too: my children and grandchildren live nearby. So I am extremely blessed. At a certain point, if you still have your marbles and are not faced with serious financial challenges, you have a chance to put your house in order. It’s a cliché, but it’s underestimated as an analgesic on all levels. Putting your house in order, if you can do it, is one of the most comforting activities and the benefits of it are incalculable.

When asked about the devotional tones of his verses Cohen declares: ―I start with artistic dedication. I know that if the spirit is on you, it will touch on to the other human receptors. But I dare (17) not begin from the other side. It’s like pronouncing the holy name—you don’t do it. But if you are lucky, and you are graced, and the audience is in a particular salutary condition, then these deeper responses will be produced.

(REMNICK, D. Leonard Cohen makes it Darker. Available at: www.TAGARCHIVES: Leonard Cohen – Bob Dylan Interface. Accessed on Nov. 9th, 2016.)

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