Listen to "Banjo"

[dreamermusic]

Those lyrics don't do much for me. There's no meat there.

I thought just the same the very firsat time I listened to it. Butafter a while, I realized that the song and the 'broken banjo' is a powerful image and metaphor of the very own Death itself. "Something that Leonard is watching and means a lot to him, something come out of someon'es grave, something that is coming for him wherever he goes, which duty is to harm him."

[alb123]

I like this song, but as far as comparing it, to what I consider Leonard Cohen-quality, again, it doesn't measure up. Yes, we will listen to these tracks over and over, in the beginning, and then we'll go back to listening to Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room, Love & Hate, Recent, etc... Compare the lyrics of all the songs released thus far, with the magnum opus that is The Future. There are lyrics in the album, The Future, that absolutely blow my mind. I can't even understand how a human being could concoct such beauty... Ring the bells that still can ring - forget your perfect offering - there is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in compared to There's something that I'm watching - means a lot to me - It's a broken banjo bobbing on the dark infested sea.

Again, I said this in the thread discussing "Going Home"...this song, "Banjo" seems like someone of Leonard Cohen's caliber could write it in 15 minutes.

Maybe that's the beauty of this CD and I will discover it 2 years from now. I will admit, it took me a couple of years to fully appreciate the album Ten New Songs. For right now, I'm with Jerry. There isn't much meat in the lyrics I've been seeing, except for "Darkness" or "The Darkness", whatever it's actually called... That is an incredible song, in my opinion.

Chris

[Goldin]

Didn't listen to Banjo yet. But the other two new songs - they sound like a confession, not a prophecy (that we're waiting after eight years of relative silence).

Darkness is a great, incredible, rare poem. As a song I still prefer The Darkness (or That Darkness, from The Tour ).

Everything will change, I know. And I want to clarify - for me, it's okay with confession-instead-of-prophecy. But I can understand Chris and Jerry.

[yopietro]

For me, the "banjo" is a powerful metaphor that is making a reappearance in Leonard's work. In Boogie Street, he "tidied up the kitchenette and tuned the old banjo" as the "traffic jam" awaited him. He was back on Boogie Street, back in the commotion of the lights, the dance of men and women, sex, the highs and lows, the excitement of the new experience and the loneliness when Boogie Street yields no fruit. Leonard as the minstrel, and the banjo as his lute. He was back tuning it, his beautiful weapon, to once again ply his trade in the landscape of hunger and romance.

Now, in this new song, the banjo is broken and bobbing on a dark infested sea. Boogie Street no more. The minstrel not in that game anymore. His instrument broken. Perhaps that game of romancing and charming, perhaps an artifact of his past life. The song speaks of time...of decay. And mortality. "It is coming for him darling." Is it decay? Is it death? Is it the inevitable? Either way, the tune as it used to be played is no more. The banjo that served him well on boogie street is busted up. But still in his view as a reminder of what was and what will be.

Just my first take...

[Hartmut]

Ding ding firefighters?

That made my day.

[Winnaar58]

Thanks, can't wait till the end of the week

[John Etherington]

Harmut - I didn't say that...I haven't heard "Banjo", and won't be listening to it until I get the album.

All good things, John E

[Hartmut]

Hi John,

Harmut - I didn't say that...

It's a line from the article you quoted ...

[Winnaar58]

Have been listening quite a lot today. I was lucky enough not to close down the page or refresh it, because now the song has been removed I guess we 'Dutchies' have to wait till friday 27th.

[JudasPriest]

Heard Banjo twice last night and was pleasantly surprised, perhaps because I had adjusted my expectations downwards after reading Jerry's brief comments (who I have largely agreed with to date concerning the other tracks) re the lyrics lacking meat etc. I'd agree that it is hardly profound or an instant classic or anything like that but there is something to it I felt...it has a real charm and a lovely air of mystery. And I like the music on this one. Lovely to hear real instruments without a whiff (subject to correction) of electronic distortion or synthesiser overload. And the balance between lead vocal, instrumentation and backing vocals seemed natural and bang on to me. I look forward to hearing it again. Might have worked as a closer in some respects. In the same way that Buckets of Rain closes out the masterpiece that is Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. A quiet, quirky little number that doesn't outstay its welcome and winds proceedings down gently. These are just surface impressions of course but I look forward to seeing how it endures over time in due course.

[jerry]

Heard Banjo twice last night and was pleasantly surprised, perhaps because I had adjusted my expectations downwards after reading Jerry's brief comments (who I have largely agreed with to date concerning the other tracks) re the lyrics lacking meat etc. I'd agree that it is hardly profound or an instant classic or anything like that but there is something to it I felt...it has a real charm and a lovely air of mystery. And I like the music on this one. Lovely to hear real instruments without a whiff (subject to correction) of electronic distortion or synthesiser overload. And the balance between lead vocal, instrumentation and backing vocals seemed natural and bang on to me. I look forward to hearing it again. Might have worked as a closer in some respects. In the same way that Buckets of Rain closes out the masterpiece that is Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. A quiet, quirky little number that doesn't outstay its welcome and winds proceedings down gently. These are just surface impressions of course but I look forward to seeing how it endures over time in due course.

Whether it's LC or Dylan. etc I'm not crazy about that blues style of song where everything is repeated twice. Dylan has done that quite a bit lately.

[JudasPriest]

He has indeed. He seems to have settled on the old blues man personna ever since Time Out Of Mind came out in 97 and has immersed himself in it on Love & Theft, Modern Times and Together Through Life. It's a style I was uncomfortable with too but got used to it over time. Maybe that's why I was receptive to Banjo on first listen. But I do agree with u in that it can be a limiting style. In fact, if used too often, it invites allegations of laziness and Uncle Bon may be guilty of that charge on occasion of late

[icecreamtruck]

From the interviews I think that this album is small or simple and the next one will be more complex with songs like "The Street" and "Born in Chains"

He also said in 2008 that he had recorded a new album but the new band was so good that he wanted to record it with the band. There is a lot of synth on this record and I would bet the farm that this is THAT album with the addition of Darkness and maybe one or two others. Interesting to note that Darkness (which was written on tour after 2008) is full band. Many of the others are synth with SOME band.

So I think after the NEXT record which will be heralded a "return to form" he will tour...

So 2 records I'll bet.

[thefuturebrother]

exactly the same chord structure an progression in "feels so good", only this one is faster: plays his E chord, slides to his sixth fret, plays a B chord, than to A, and back to E, just like in feels so good (Cohen is probably been playing with the song and changed the words completely), only "feels so good" was better and deserved a place on the album.

[sturgess66]

About "Banjo" - at the Joe's Pub Press conference - Leonard told Rita Houston of NPR -

He's reluctant to say too much about where his inspiration comes from, but reveals that "Banjo" came from Hurricane Katrina. "After Katrina ... I saw that culture dismantled, and I think that the image of a broken banjo floating in the dark came out of that deep discomfort that had been imposed on all our psyches."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2012/ ... n-new-york