Some might describe Leonard Cohen’s tone on Popular Problems as grim but determined in the face of aging, mortality and a world turned inside out. Few contemporary writers (and none in popular music) are doing it as well and with such poetic force. Sing-speaking in a gravelly whisper, Cohen is still a seeker for ecstasy in body and spirit; he casts a wary eye on global catastrophes with guilty sympathy and trenchant observations. “Almost Like the Blues” articulates the mood. It could have served as the album’s title.
Musically, Cohen collaborated with Patrick Leonard, who provides the lyrics with melodies that often sound like skeletal R&B or sketches for gospel and country. Many numbers are decorated with one of Cohen’s favorite devices, female backup singers intoning like an angelic midnight choir. Wisdom and sadness fill the moments as they pass by. Telling lyric: “I see the ghost of culture with numbers on his wrist.”
