Old Ideas

Old Ideas, released in 2012, finds Leonard Cohen in a late-career, reflective mode, folding spare, often stark arrangements around his low, resonant voice. The album blends folk and singer-songwriter traditions with elements of art rock and contemporary folk, using restrained instrumentation, piano and subtle orchestration to foreground lyrics that probe mortality, love, faith and dark humor. Its tone is meditative and intimate, marked by succinct songwriting and a conversational, poetic delivery.