ALBUM REVIEW: Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate

     How does one even approach an album like Songs of Love and Hate? Going back to look at Cohen's previous albums, the often gentle Songs of Leonard Cohen and the equally sublime story-telling of the following Songs From a Room, Cohen already established himself as a wordsmith that can cut deep - his rich lyricism and writing can often be hard to confront, especially when the task comes to reviewing one of his works. In particular, Cohen has always had a special way of penning human emotion, especially that of love - he's proven himself more than talented in that department with "Suzanne" alone. With all that being said, however, Songs of Love and Hate is far more emotionally intense and passionate than any of his previous works have ever been. I'm convinced of this being his best work, a testament to his meticulous craft and powerful ability to express the human character in ways that I could only hope to describe as effectively; painted in shades of grey and playing like a lonesome walk down an empty city street. Get yourself a drink and settle in, because with this album you're gonna need it.

    With this album and Cohen, the line between "songs of love" and "songs of hate" is continuously blurred throughout the album's 44-minute runtime - they intermingle and fraternize with each other freely, regularly contrasting with each other like the nastiest case of emotional whiplash in any album. The album's ability to recycle sounds and melodies to create contrasting feelings is equally powerful, with the side openers each utilizing a similar style of finger-picking, evocative of flamenco style playing. Of these songs, the soothing and possibly transcendent lyricism of "Love Calls You By Your Name" is contrasted by the foreboding and melancholic intensity of the opener that is "Avalanche," a song that's up there as one of Cohen's finest moments ever recorded; playing like a dark reflection on depression, as the aforementioned avalanche "covered up his soul." It doesn't play like a song of hate, more so a song of shame. Proponents that the album's B-Side is the "love" side need only listen to the live cut "Sing Another Song, Boys" to hear Cohen singing of a man jaded from love - grown old and bitter, indeed.

    Perhaps the defining moment of both album's themes is the easy standout track of "Famous Blue Raincoat." Written in the form of a letter to an unnamed man, it's the story of a love triangle between Cohen, the letter's recipient, and a woman named Jane. It's longing, regretful, and angry all at once - Cohen calls the recipient a "thin gypsy thief" and compares him to Cain in the lyrics. Even still, it's a powerful moment that's easily up there as a touchstone of his musical catalog. Equally as powerful is the closing track "Joan of Arc," which turns the death of Joan of Arc into a dialogue between her and the fires that would consume her - it comes across as a love song with how it's written, certainly peculiar but one of the most emotional and robust moments on the entire album. The album certainly has some peculiar moments, including the singular "Diamonds in the Mine," a song that is completely unlike anything I've heard from the rest of Cohen's catalog - it's spiteful and almost sarcastic in his graveled, unhinged delivery. "Dress Rehearsal Rag" is similarly bitter sounding, and Cohen's forceful voice feels very fragile here; just as powerful as the rest of the album.

    Writing about this album has proven to be one of my most daunting tasks ever - to me, it's so emotionally to the bone and intense that trying to express how I felt about it felt like an impossible task. No album has made me feel the way that Songs of Love and Hate did; it's so singular out of every album that I've heard, and that alone is one of the single greatest compliments that I feel I can give it. Cohen's lyricism cuts deep, and moments like "Dress Rehearsal Rag" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" make sure that you're bleeding. Every moment and song feels like an emotional assault, and it easily stands above his other two works as his most powerful, distinctive, creative, and human album he's ever made. Simply put, I have no words. 

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Songs of Love and Hate.

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