Music Milestones, 1985: The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy

Brothers Jim and William Reid struck gold when they formed the Jesus and Mary Chain. Combining the irreverent attitude of the Velvet Underground with the pop sensibility of the Beach Boys, and wrapping up their songs in a thick wall of sound akin to Phil Spector’s approach, the Jesus and Mary Chain brought the guitar back to the forefront of alternative music in the 1980s and helped to set the scene for the rise of noise rock and shoegaze. Followers such as Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine profited greatly from the Jesus and Mary Chain’s foray into noise-drenched music, and I doubt that these bands would sound the same without the release of Psychocandy. Indeed, Psychocandy shows the Jesus and Mary Chain at their noisiest, and follow-ups to this debut would see the band toning down their distortion pedals and venturing into more acoustic settings. The record opens with “Just Like Honey”, where the familiar drum line of the Ronettes’ hit single “Be My Baby” bolsters the melancholy guitars of brothers Reid marching through a great love song. Distortion is turned to ten in “The Living End”, a relentless tune that conjures up images of a motorbike rider dangerously speeding on the fast lane toward his fateful end. Despite the considerable amount of feedback in “Cut Dead”, this is perhaps the cleanest song in the record, while “Never Understand” is probably the messiest and bears resemblance to the music of the Ramones. “Just Like Honey” features prominently in the ending scene of Sofia Coppola’s movie Lost in Translation, enjoy:

Music Milestones, 1984: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – From Her to Eternity

Following the demise of the Birthday Party in 1983, former members Nick Cave and Mick Harvey teamed up with Blixa Bargeld, Barry Adamson and Jim Thirlwell to form the Bad Seeds. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds adopted the post-punk aesthetic of the Birthday Party, and further played with elements of blues, garage rock and industrial music throughout their career. The Bad Seeds hinge upon Nick Cave’s theatrical singing and literate lyrics, which are front and center in their approach to music. The debut record From Her to Eternity already showcases a dark and melancholy sound that the Bad Seeds would thereafter develop and refine. The record contains two excellent covers: the opener “Avalanche” features Cave singing Leonard Cohen’s classic in a monstrously subdued manner, and “In the Ghetto” is a somber reproduction of Elvis Presley’s original that calls Scott Walker to mind. Moreover, “From Her to Eternity” is a grim love song infused with a considerable amount of noise and distortion, while Cave’s visceral vocals and twisted lyrics in “Cabin Fever!” render this song a sort of deranged sea shanty. “Saint Huck” departs from the tale of Huckleberry Finn to yield a decadent story accompanied by galloping guitars. I leave you with a live performance of “From Her to Eternity” filmed by Wim Wenders for his movie Wings of Desire:

Music Milestones, 1983: R.E.M. – Murmur

Combining elements of folk rock reminiscent of The Byrds with a post-punk aesthetic that calls to mind bands such as Gang of Four, R.E.M. played a crucial role in laying down the foundations of alternative rock in the 1980s and became a huge influence on popular music throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Indeed, Peter Buck’s chiming guitars, Michael Stipe’s cryptic lyrics and the use of hauntingly beautiful backing vocals proved to be key ingredients that rendered the unlikely merger of folk rock and post-punk seamless and alluring. Following the releases of the single “Radio Free Europe” and the Chronic Town EP to wide critical acclaim, R.E.M. definitely hit their stride with the debut LP Murmur. “Radio Free Europe” sets the stage for the general atmosphere of the record, and constitutes an adept power-pop song with a fine accompaniment of jangling guitar. In “Pilgrimage”, the angular guitar in the verse and intricate backing vocals in the chorus emphasize the contrast between music styles within a single song. “Laughing” is perhaps the most straightforward folk rock song in the record and arguably refers to the mythological figure Lacoön, while “Talk About the Passion” deals with poverty and misery in a very biblical sense. Watch the videoclip of “Radio Free Europe” for a taste of Murmur:

Music Milestones, 1982: The dB’s – Repercussion

Hailing from North Carolina and based in New York City, the dB’s are a great pop band that unfortunately never broke through to the mainstream. The dB’s drew inspiration from prime power-pop acts of the 1970s such as Big Star and the Flamin’ Groovies, and released two landmark records in the early 1980s that paved the way to the rise of jangle pop, a musical style later popularized by R.E.M. While the debut record Stands for Decibels already hints at the dB’s’ knack for playing catchy tunes, their sophomore effort Repercussion constitutes a true treasure trove containing several pop gems. The record kicks off with “Happenstance”, a song that addresses the troubles of emancipation in the face of the possibility of a love affair. ‘’Living a Lie” deals with the dissatisfaction one experiences when building on an illusion, and displays a very suitable brass section and backing vocals that work like a charm. “Ask for Jill” tells a tale about the pains of a quest for said Jill, while “Neverland” includes a very addictive guitar riff that provides the song with a distinctive signature. In “Amplifier”, the story of a suicide is told in a most entertaining manner, where a bluesy piano line concludes the song in high spirits. Have a look at the videoclip for “Amplifier”, which was regretfully turned down by MTV and may have hindered the dB’s from reaching a wider audience:

  

Music Milestones, 1981: Glenn Gould – Goldberg Variations

A virtuoso pianist with eccentric personality, Glenn Gould was one of the great performers of classical music of the 20th century and also a noteworthy contributor to the scholarly debate on music theory and philosophy. Gould garnered international acclaim in 1955 with his seminal recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a piece that he would curiously revisit in 1981 shortly before his death. The story goes that Bach’s Goldberg Variations were composed in the 1740s to be performed by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, arguably at the behest of the sleepless Count Kaiserling who longed for music to soothe him during his long nights. Bach decided to compose 30 variations on an aria in a ternary pattern, where every third variation of the aria is called a canon, followed by a genre piece and an arabesque. The result is outstanding and Gould’s performances of 1955 and 1981, while both brilliant in their own right, are rather different in nature. The 1981 version of Goldberg Variations somewhat lacks the vivacity of its 1955 counterpart, and displays a more toned down and pondered interpretation of Bach’s masterpiece. Have a listen to a segment of Goldberg Variations, which includes my favorite variation 14 and should constitute a fine introduction to Gould’s virtuosity:

Music Milestones, 1980: The Durutti Column – The Return of the Durutti Column

Misnamed after Buenaventura Durruti’s anarchist group that fought in the Spanish civil war, the Durutti Column is a music project devised by Factory founder Tony Wilson and revolving around guitar prodigy Vini Reilly. Although Reilly started playing music on the piano at an early age, he soon became interested in the harmonic possibilities of electric guitar. Reilly therefore made use of his solid background in classical music to produce atmospheric soundscapes, which were based on unconventional melodies novel to popular music. The Return of the Durutti Column was Reilly’s first effort, where Martin Hannett’s sparse production rendered the record instrumentals hazy and ethereal. “Sketch for Summer” starts off with the sound of chirping birds reminiscent of a warm summer afternoon, while Reilly’s guitar adds to the joyous feel of the piece. “Katherine” is the longest track in the record and contains a fine blues segment, whereas “Conduct” evolves from a calm and peaceful start toward a more turbulent ending. “Jazz” is self-explanatory, embracing elements of jazz music and preceding by a decade the emergence of post-rock. “Sketch for Winter” is somewhat darker than its summer counterpart, and boasts Reilly’s guitar mournfully proceeding unaccompanied. I leave you with “Collette”, one of my favorites from The Return of the Durutti Column:

Music Milestones, 1979: The Clash – London Calling

Famously dubbed as “the only band that matters” by Columbia Records, the Clash were arguably the most accomplished group rising from the British punk rock movement of the late 1970s. While the music in their first two records, The Clash and Give ‘Em Enough Rope, was fierce, loud and straightforward, it already hinted at an eclecticism that would bloom in their third effort, London Calling. Despite being a sprawling double album and a true melting pot of musical styles, London Calling is remarkably cohesive and focused. It is therefore quite a task to highlight only a few songs from this record, given the superlative quality of the material at hand. The record begins with the anthem “London Calling”, where the apocalyptic lyrics of a devastated London are well accompanied by a rhythm section reminiscent of reggae and a guitar line owing to punk aesthetics. In “Spanish Bombs” and “The Right Profile”, the band pays tribute to poets who fought in the Spanish civil war and to ill-fated actor Montgomery Clift, respectively. “Clampdown” constitutes a merciless critique of young idealists who end up “working for the clampdown”, while “The Guns of Brixton” is an autobiographical song by bassist Paul Simonon about his troubled home district in London. Moreover, “Death or Glory” embodies another rant against the establishment, and “I’m Not Down” deals with persistence in the face of adversity. For your listening pleasure, here is the closer “Train in Vain”, a fine and only love song in London Calling:

Music Milestones, 1978: Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine

Kraftwerk were probably the most popular band to emerge from the German krautrock scene of the 1970s, which spawned other great acts including Can, Neu! and Faust. Kraftwerk’s sound was somewhat more plastic than that of its peers, due to the heavy use of synthesizers, vocoders and computer-speech software. They were therefore pivotal in laying the foundations of electronic music, and played an important role in the development of other music genres ranging from new wave to hip-hop. The Man-Machine is my favorite Kraftwerk record, and it neatly encapsulates their mechanistic approach to music. “The Robots” opens the proceedings with a praise to the machines, where the lyrics “Я твой слуга / Я твой работник” (“I’m your servant / I’m your worker”) help to give a Soviet tinge to the song. “Spacelab” and “Metropolis” are mostly instrumental tracks, where the song titles are repeated in what amounts to a haunting mantra. In “The Model” and “Neon Lights”, Ralf Hütter briefly abandons his vocoder and thereby renders the songs more human and appealing. “The Man-Machine” concludes the record as it started, that is, with a laudatory stance for all things mechanic. Have a listen to “The Model”, perhaps the closest that Kraftwerk ever got to playing a conventional pop tune:

Music Milestones, 1977: Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77

One of the many successful acts born of the burgeoning mid-1970s punk scene from New York City, the Talking Heads adopted a literate yet funky approach to their music that heralded the birth of new wave. Although the lyrics of songs by the Talking Heads are generally sophisticated, they broach rather prosaic topics revolving around various aspects of life routine and human relationships. Thus, the mundane subjects of songs by the Talking Heads are effectively elevated to an extraordinary level by their worldly take on music. While the sophomore record of the Talking Heads was aptly titled More Songs About Buildings and Food, such simple topics were originally addressed in their first record Talking Heads: 77, which I chose to review here. “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” opens the record with a catchy tune, where the band resorts to the use of steel drums to accentuate the tropical feel of the song. Exotic sounds are also present in “Tentative Decisions”, which deals with boys and girls concerned with decisiveness. In “Don’t Worry About the Government”, David Byrne personifies the U.S. government and pays tribute to its civil servants, while “Pulled Up” reminds us that the road to success in life is built with the help of our loved ones. Here’s a stripped-down version of “Psycho Killer”, filmed by Jonathan Demme and included in the highly recommended documentary “Stop Making Sense”:

Music Milestones, 1976: Ramones – Ramones

While earlier bands such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls may have laid the foundations of punk, the Ramones were arguably the first punk band in the strict, three-chord sense of the term. Their musical formula was simple and straightforward, and consisted of playing crude songs about lowbrow topics that were powerfully performed at fast pace and in minimal fashion. Unsophisticated as this recipe may seem, it not only lent itself to easy listening, but also provided a lasting staple to rock and roll during 20 years since its inception. The Ramones steadfastly adhered to this musical formula throughout their career, so I think that their eponymous first record is the most relevant and appropriate for review. “Blitzkrieg Bop” opens the hostilities with an indelible call to arms interspersed with lyrics “about kids going to a show and having a good time”, as Tommy Ramone once put it. ”Beat on the Brat” constitutes a brutal critique of the spoiled New York City upper class that Joey Ramone witnessed during his youth, while “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” is the softest and mellowest tune in the record. Toward the end of the record, two songs stand out: “53rd and 3rd” tells the probably autobiographical story of Dee Dee Ramone “turning tricks” in Midtown Manhattan, and “Let’s Dance” is a faithful yet accelerated cover of Chris Montez’s composition. For a condensed sample of Ramones, listen to “Judy Is a Punk”, which is the shortest song in the record lasting a mere minute and a half:

And for a didactic rendition of “Judy Is a Punk”, check out this video:

Music Milestones, 1975: Patti Smith – Horses

Alongside with other acts such as the New York Dolls, the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads and Blondie, Patti Smith was part of the thriving musical scene of New York City in the 1970s that led to the emergence of punk rock in the United States. Although Smith is widely regarded as the godmother of punk rock, her music embraced elements of poetry and improvisation that were foreign to the basic aesthetics of punk. Despite the sophistication of Smith’s approach to music, her songs are delivered with seemingly primitive energy in Horses. In the opening track of the record, Smith recreates Van Morrison’s standard “Gloria” to yield something altogether new and greater than the original. The record contains two lengthy improvisational jams, namely “Birdland” and “Land”, where Smith gives free rein to her surreal stream-of-consciousness storytelling. “Redondo Beach” is a story of female homosexuality and death told at rocksteady pace, while “Break It Up”, co-written by Smith and Tom Verlaine, is a more conventional tune where Smith’s passionate vocals struggle with dueling guitars. I leave you with “Gloria”, which is my favorite Horses song:

Music Milestones, 1974: Tom Jobim & Elis Regina – Elis & Tom

Tom Jobim and Elis Regina were two towering figures of Brazilian popular music that crucially helped to advance and disseminate this musical genre. While Jobim played a pivotal role in the birth of bossa nova together with Vinícius de Moraes and João Gilberto, Regina was a performer whose excellent voice and emotional commitment to music rendered one of the most talented and cherished singers in Brazil. Elis & Tom fulfilled Regina’s old wish of recording some of Jobim’s most relevant songs with the composer, and the result is stunning. The record begins with perhaps the best rendition of “Águas de Março”, where Regina and Jobim engage in a playful and very entertaining call and response. In “Triste”, Regina sings about solitude and disillusion against a melancholy backdrop of piano, flutes and electric guitar. “Soneto da Separação” is a beautiful parting song where Jobim and Regina illustrate the separation between loved ones with witty metaphors. “Inútil Paisagem” concludes the record in low spirits and addresses the pain of loneliness, namely how it renders beauty useless. For a glimpse of Elis & Tom, I share “Chovendo na Roseira”, a hopeful tune that deals with life and renewal:

Music Milestones, 1973: João Gilberto – João Gilberto (Águas de Março)

Together with Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, João Gilberto played a prominent role in the advancement and outreach of Brazilian popular music (MPB) from the 1950s onward. After careful study of the roots of Brazilian music and the songbooks of great jazz composers such as Duke Ellington, Gilberto devised a new style of singing and guitar playing that marked the birth of bossa nova. Although most of the relevant bossa nova songs were recorded in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, here I review a particularly meaningful record produced after the bossa nova craze. João Gilberto (Águas de Março) contains two original Gilberto compositions and eight interpretations of MPB classics, which were recorded in minimal fashion with Gilberto’s subdued voice and gentle guitar accompanied by Sonny Carr’s frugal percussion. All songs are delivered at a slow pace and display a repetitiveness that renders them somewhat hypnotic, yet not monotonous. Jobim’s “Águas de Março” opens the record with a relentless collage of apparently disconnected lyrics, which arguably recalls Rio de Janeiro’s heavy rains of March. The record includes three atmospheric instrumentals, namely the eerie “Undiú”; the relaxed “Na Baixa do Sapateiro”; and the nostalgic "Valsa (Como São Lindos os Youguis)". Geraldo Pereira’s “Falsa Baiana” lays out the proper rules to dance Bahian samba, while Roberto Roberti and Herivelto Martins’ closer “Izaura” addresses the conflicting coexistence of carefree love and work duty. For a sample of João Gilberto (Águas de Março), listen to Janet de Almeida and Haroldo Barbosa’s “Eu Quero um Samba”:

Music Milestones, 1972: David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Often disdainfully regarded as a sort of rock chameleon for delving into a wide range of music genres throughout his career, David Bowie has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to new circumstances that required thorough musical innovation. Starting as a folk singer in the mid 1960s, Bowie repeatedly changed his approach to music and his discography is as varied as to include adept takes on glam rock, soul, electronica, jungle and industrial music, to name a few distinct styles. My favorite period of Bowie’s discography is definitely the 1970s, from Hunky Dory to his Berlin trilogy with Brian Eno. Although Hunky Dory already features a signature of glam rock, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is the culmination of that kind of sound and shoulders with the best releases from glam acts such as T. Rex, Roxy Music and the New York Dolls. “Five Years” sets the stage and tells an apocalyptic tale of Earth five years before its destruction. “Moonage Daydream” is a key song in this conceptual record, where the hero Ziggy Stardust is born to save Earth from doom. The record finishes in style with three excellent tracks: “Ziggy Stardust” pays tribute to the hero and his guitar; “Suffragette City” is the most straightforward song in the record, with a piano line reminiscent of Little Richard’s compositions; and the closer “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” depicts the decay and collapse of Ziggy Stardust. For more insight into The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, listen to “Suffragette City”:

Music Milestones, 1971: Chico Buarque – Construção

A close follower of the bossa nova movement and dedicated apprentice of earlier composers such as Tom Jobim and João Gilberto, Chico Buarque had a flying start in his musical career with the release of four stellar eponymous records in the late 1960s. These records blended bossa nova and samba to great effect, and cemented Buarque’s position among the MPB giants. However, the best of Buarque was yet to come. Construção, released upon Buarque’s return to Brazil after exile, is arguably his most accomplished effort to date and undoubtedly one of the best records of Brazilian music. Here, Buarque broaches darker topics than those in his previous discography, while his lyrics are more politically engaged. “Deus lhe Pague” constitutes the most biting political comment in the record, where Buarque openly criticizes the Brazilian dictatorial regime and its social aftermath. “Cotidiano” and “Construção” are also socially concerned, and address the boredom of daily routine and the debasement of the workingman, respectively. “Valsinha” is a sad love song about a couple that experiences a brief moment of joy after a long period of dullness. “Minha História” imaginatively retells the story of Jesus Christ as the son of a sailor and a prostitute. My favorite song in Construção is “Samba de Orly”, a tribute to the exiles during the military dictatorship that was composed by Buarque, Toquinho and Vinícius de Moraes:

Zap the World, Episode 1: 2012 Music in Review

Below you can find the first episode of my podcast Zap the World! In this first episode, I play some of the tunes that caught my attention in 2012. The playlist for the first episode of Zap the World is the following:

Spiritualized - "Hey Jane" (from Sweet Heart Sweet Light, out on Double Six Records)

Neneh Cherry & The Thing - "Dream Baby Dream" (from The Cherry Thing, out on Smalltown Supersound)

Six Organs of Admittance - "Close to the Sky" (from Ascent, out on Drag City)

Tame Impala - "Mind Mischief" (from Lonerism, out on Modular Recordings)

Cat Power - "Ruin" (from Sun, out on Matador)

Lee Ranaldo - "Angles" (from Between the Times and Tides, out on Matador)

Redd Kross - "Stay Away From Downtown" (from Researching the Blues, out on Merge Records)

Sic Alps - "Glyphs" (from Sic Alps, out on Drag City)

Ty Segall - "Thank God for Sinners" (from Twins, out on Drag City)

Thee Oh Sees - "Lupine Dominus" (from Putrifiers II, out on In the Red Records)

While I intend to post new episodes of Zap the World as regularly as possible, they will come out less frequently than the posts of my retrospective Music Milestones. So, please bear with my slow pace and enjoy the music!

(To download this episode, right-click here and choose to save link.)

Music Milestones, 1970: José Afonso – Traz Outro Amigo Também

Heavily influenced by his tenure at the University of Coimbra, José Afonso began his musical career playing fado typical of that Portuguese city. The fado from Coimbra informed Afonso’s early guitar playing and singing style, as well as some of the topics that he addressed in his songs. However, Afonso eventually emancipated from the rather strict conventions of the fado from Coimbra, and developed into a folk singer in his own right that would become one of the most vehement voices against the Portuguese dictatorial regime. Afonso has a vast body of work and my favorite period of his discography ranges from 1970 to 1974, starting with Traz Outro Amigo Também. While this record still displays many characteristics of the fado from Coimbra, there are already hints of a break from that music genre. The record starts with “Traz Outro Amigo Também” and “Maria Faia”, both fine examples of the fado from Coimbra. “Canto Moço” appears to be a call to arms mobilizing youth against the regime. Afonso’s lyrics are most caustic in “Os Eunucos (No Reino da Etiópia)”, a harsh denouncement of those who betray freedom and other fundamental values. “Carta a Miguel Djeje” is a tribute to a former servant of Afonso’s during his stay in Africa, and constitutes the most accentuated departure from traditional fado in the record. “Epígrafe para a Arte de Furtar”, a harrowing piece about humanity and identity based on a poem by the oft-neglected Portuguese writer Jorge de Sena, is for me the best track in Traz Outro Amigo Também:

Music Milestones, 1969: Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left

A singer/songwriter prodigy from the British folk scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nick Drake failed to find a significant audience such as that of his peers Sandy Denny and Bert Jansch. Drake’s reclusive persona and his aversion to the stage certainly contributed to his commercial failure, which in turn drove him through a downward spiral that may have been the cause of his untimely death. Although Drake’s musical career was short and unsuccessful, he managed to release three landmark records that aged remarkably well and influenced many artists after his demise. Five Leaves Left is the first record released by Drake, and sets the stage for the dramatic and melancholy sound present throughout his scant discography. “Way to Blue” is a song that deals with uncertainty and hope, where Robert Kirby’s string arrangement renders Drake’s voice all the more poignant. In “’Cello Song”, Claire Lowther’s cello and Rocki Dzidzornu’s congas provide a laudatory atmosphere to Drake’s eulogy for a girl. “Fruit Tree” addresses the elusive nature of fame, a subject that would ironically concern Drake’s own path until the end of his short career. “Man in a Shed” is perhaps my favorite track in Five Leaves Left, a bittersweet love song with fine piano and bass accompaniment:

Music Milestones, 1968: The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat

The Velvet Underground were way ahead of the curve in the late 1960s, which helps explain the modest commercial success during their lifetime. However, the Velvets’ following grew over time and they were hugely influential after their demise, becoming a central reference for all the bands that emerged during the punk and post-punk eras. As Brian Eno famously said, their debut record The Velvet Underground and Nico may have only sold 30,000 copies in its early years, but "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band". Indeed, their approach to music, which consisted of adding avant-garde elements to abrasive rock and roll songs, while an oddity in their time, proved truly groundbreaking. Although my favorite record by the Velvets is their debut, I choose White Light/White Heat to review because here they take the experimentation displayed in their first record to new heights. “White Light/White Heat” starts off the record at fervent pace, with a piano line reminiscent of the earlier “I’m Waiting for the Man”. “The Gift” combines Lou Reed’s spoken word piece told in a blank voice by John Cale on the left speaker, with an entertaining instrumental on the right speaker. In “Lady Godiva’s Operation”, the British myth is perverted by a tale of a botched surgery of said legend, accompanied by a very hummable guitar tune. “I Heard Her Call My Name” heralds the arrival of punk and heavy metal music, where Reed’s rabid singing is surrounded by a copious amount of distortion. The record closes with “Sister Ray”, a one-take full-on jam named after Ray Davies of the Kinks. “Here She Comes Now” stands quietly amidst the frenzy in White Light/White Heat:

Music Milestones, 1967: Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen

In my view, Leonard Cohen is first and foremost an accomplished poet and novelist. Indeed, Cohen garnered critical acclaim for his literary work well before delving into music, and was a late bloomer in the 1960’s folk scene. Cohen’s musical path is therefore quite distinct from other singers/songwriters such as Bob Dylan or Simon & Garfunkel, who quickly rose to pop stardom early in their lives. Despite his late musical debut, I think that Cohen made good use of his experience to write songs with greater depth and lyrical quality than those by his peers. Songs of Leonard Cohen is my favorite Cohen record. Here, Cohen’s singing and guitar playing are harmoniously complemented by a string section and backing vocals, which help create a musical environment that perfectly accommodates his masterful lyrics. “Suzanne”, an awe-inspiring song filled with symbolism, opens the record with a mystical tale about an acquaintance of Cohen. “Sisters of Mercy” tells about the so named muses and the wonders that they work upon their subjects. “So Long, Marianne” is perhaps the most upbeat song in the record, albeit in a bittersweet way. In “Teachers”, Cohen seeks teachers of the heart, who turn out to teach love in somewhat cruel ways. “Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye”, a beautiful parting song, should be a fine introduction to Songs of Leonard Cohen: