Leonard Cohen

Latest Articles

By | January 01, 0001

Love's life

Courtney and Hole stake their claim
Three hours late, Courtney Love stormed into the Ames Hotel on Court Street a week ago Wednesday, faced a small group of radio-station contest winners, and explained that her tardiness was the result of a mid-day romp in the sack with an ex-boyfriend who's now a professor at Harvard University.
By MICHAEL MAROTTA | June 30, 2010

Midnight ramblers

Rock legend Peter Wolf serves dinner and verse to the Phoenix ’s poet .
In rock ’n’ roll, it was possible to live in Harvard Square, be a musician — a local musician — and be able to pay your rent and find restaurants where you could eat and buy food and survive, and feel that there was a sense of . . . future, with hope and opportunity.
By LLOYD SCHWARTZ | April 08, 2010

2009: The top 10 in pop music

Music you need to own
Hmm, lots of women, a few old dudes, and some African banjo (not to be confused with Steve Martin's Hollywood banjo).
By JIM MACNIE | December 22, 2009

Fast and loose

Robert Altman's movie life
You're a cocky film-school grad with a drawer full of socko screenplays and Hollywood ambitions. But it's all California dreamin', as you're shivering in New England, cutting public-service announcements and digitizing educational videos, your only brush with the studios those Netflix rentals.
By GERALD PEARY | December 09, 2009

Slow hand

Jeremy Udden’s rocky jazz path
In his Village Voice review of Jeremy Udden’s Plainville (Fresh Sound New Talent), Jim Macnie recalled how a friend of his tried to file it as “jazz for Wilco fans.” As Macnie explained, that’s not the whole story with Udden or Plainville , but it’s not a bad starting point.
By JON GARELICK | October 21, 2009

Slow hand

The Black Heart Procession | Six

Temporary Residence (2009)
Formed in sunny San Diego, the Black Heart Procession write the kind of gloomy, downcast dirges you'd expect from less hospitable climates.
By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY | October 06, 2009

The Big Hurt: Season's bleatings

Plus unholy names and office shredders
One of the great things about being in the music industry is that you get to change your name. So why are we hearing records from a guy named Landon Pigg?
By DAVID THORPE | September 28, 2009

Young folk

Lonesome Vince presents the Grand Ole Hoot
The long-beating heart of Boston's folk scene may be Club Passim — and the Cantab its liver — but its bloodstream runs all through town. I don't know that much about the circulatory system, so we'll nix this metaphor in just a bit, but suffice to say, a vibrant folk scene, whatever form it takes, is a sign of health for one's larger music community.
By MICHAEL BRODEUR | September 04, 2009

Music as memory

Marco Benevento, live at the Museum of Fine Arts, July 1, 2009
When I first saw him perform, at Newport last year, I slammed pianist Marco Benevento for playing "bombastic, leadfoot, pedal-to-the-metal instrumental rock." But that was long ago in another country, and besides, the wench is dead.
By JON GARELICK | July 07, 2009

Music as memory

PJ Harvey wants your fucking ass

PJ Harvey + John Parish | House of Blues, Boston | June 6, 2009
PJ Harvey's two albums with John Parish are not her best work. (Go ahead and argue it, if you like.) The first, Dance Hall At Louse Point , was a surprise departure from her game-changing To Bring You My Love , an album that sold far less than Madonna records but packed as much cultural impact -- back when rock albums and cultural impact were still on speaking terms.
By CARLY CARIOLI | June 08, 2009

Leonard Cohen at the Wang Theatre

No way to say goodbye
Leonard Cohen at the Wang Theatre
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | June 01, 2009

Slideshow: Leonard Cohen at the Wang Theatre

Leonard Cohen live at the Wang Theatre, May 29, 2009
Leonard Cohen stops at the Wang on his World Tour
By ERIC ANTONIOU | June 01, 2009

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band | Outer South

Merge (2009)
"That's the thing about charisma," sings Conor Oberst in a song on his new, non–Bright Eyes release, Outer South. "It makes everyone believe."
By MIKAEL WOOD | May 12, 2009

Westward ho!

The Phoenix survives Coachella
Forgot those rabid right-wingers with their hateful teabags — Coachella had the range, and the machinery for change, and the spiritual thirst. Oh and Leonard Cohen.
By GUSTAVO TURNER | April 29, 2009

By | January 01, 0001

Interview: Zack Snyder of Watchmen

Zack Snyder is a cheerful dude who's mounting one of the most perilous assaults on pop culture.
"Every movie I've made, starting with Dawn of the Dead, has been, like, death threats."
By JAMES PARKER | March 04, 2009

Madeleine Peyroux | Bare Bones

Rounder (2009)
You could say that Peyroux's third album for Rounder in five years is just more of the same.
By JON GARELICK | March 03, 2009

The Big Hurt: Cohen back on stage, Dee back in Heaven, Kelly back on the market

Music news in brief
Rascal Flatts are coming out with a sixth album, and I still haven't caught up with the previous five!
By DAVID THORPE | January 20, 2009

The Big Hurt: The YouTube anime mystery

What the hell is wrong with the Internet? Thorpe utterly fails to investigate . . .
YouTube is now so shockingly complete in its catalogue of illegally uploaded music that it's like a cheap jukebox that plays every song, ever.
By DAVID THORPE | December 02, 2008

Hoot and challah

Silver Jews, Middle East Downstairs, September 5, 2008
Watching Berman on stage, you couldn’t be sure. Is he into it? Does he like this?
By NINA MACLAUGHLIN | September 10, 2008

I think I’m gonna throw down

The Motion Sick make us feel all woozy
Wanna get in on the music-licensing boom? Be smart like the Motion Sick.
By MICHAEL BRODEUR | August 20, 2008

Over and out for Opie

Newsman takes a walk rather than embrace tabloid lexicon
Jim "Opie" Hummel has been among the handful of local wild and crazy reporters who consistently come up with solid, aggressively pursued, and flashy stories.
By PHILIPPE + JORGE | August 06, 2008