Songs From A Room

3rd Leonard Cohen album in 100 albums (I hope his stuff is being frontloaded because I don’t know how many more I can take)

While Leonard Cohen’s lyrical prowess remains unquestionable, Songs from a Room feels like a subdued and repetitive journey through minimalistic folk. The sparse arrangements, dominated by acoustic guitar and understated production, may appeal to purists but can come across as monotonous to others. Cohen’s voice—more spoken than sung—lacks the dynamism needed to lift the album’s emotional weight. Tracks like “Bird on the Wire” showcase his poetic brilliance, but overall, the album struggles to maintain momentum, making it a challenging listen for those seeking variety or vocal richness.

Another album by Leonard Cohen which has great songwriting, poetic lyrics and a melancholic mood but the music itself is too simplistic, the guitar playing week and the singing is just horrendous. He was one of those songwriters whose songs should have been performed by actual musicians who could perform and sing. It's a shame because I couldn't enjoy this album and it was difficult to get though it.

Another Leonard Cohen. I just don’t get the fascination with him.

He's undeniably a good song writer but his music approach and voice kind of bore me.

Gewoon saai en zeikmuziek. Soms denk ik: er is ook wel een reden dat ik deze albums nooit gehoord heb, ik voelde al die tijd gewoon aan dat ik geen hele plaat van bepaalde artiesten hoefde aan te horen. Die stem is echt verschrikkelijk.

Boring

As poetry, I guess this would be OK. As music, not so much. The guy can't sing and the music is about as basic as it gets.

Leonard Cohen paints a picture with his words; a morose picture. But he is not known as a poet; he’s supposedly a famous, talented musician. This is a collection of barely-sung lyrics over simple music. Just like every other Leonard Cohen album. I guess I don’t get it… 2.5⭐️

# 516 : Songs From A Room Zzzzz. BORED. More music to fall asleep by. Don't listen and drive! Hahaha. A two line bio, not much meat and just a sad dude with a guitar. 35 minutes of sadness. I hate this. Best track if I have to pick one: Tonight Will Be Fine Listened: 03/07/2025

how many Leonards is too many Leonards? This many Leonards

i’m sorry. i can’t. don’t hate me.

I didn’t know just how bad his singing was but it’s so bad it brought down the entire album.

Again- not a big leonard cohen fan. This album didnt do it for me.

There were a few actual songs and the rest was mostly a stream of consciousness over vaguely musical sounds

Few redeeming features here. Meaningless songs, uninteresting guitar. Finished the album with a flute FFS.

At first this was a1.5 stars, then one song kinda stuck with me, so I listened again. So maybe a 2. Nice guitar and interesting structure on some songs, but too slow and sad for that many oh so deep and thoughtful lyrics.

Dude is not only Canadian ... but he sings a song in French!

2/5

Beautiful lyrics, as is customary for Leonard Cohen. That being said, it's pretty boring. Would I revisit: no

The recorder finale took him down a star

Very sparse but not necessarily minimalistic. Completely different vocalization than I expected. Good tones throughout just not enough for me. Interesting subtle placement of guitar and organ. It seemed like the same or similar lyrical and vocal patterns throughout which made it a little boring.

2+ Stars (6/15)

"bird on a wire" and "The partisan" are gold. the others songs didn't grow on me ..

HRM. I didn't like this at all. Maybe it's me. I don't get it

This was the fourth album I got by Cohen. And it isn't in any way better than the other ones. I understand that his kind of singing will attract some people, but I am not one of them.

Esoteric jewish folk

had his debut album 3 days ago, same notes: "bro just did spoken word poetry over some guitar" just so bleak

Look, I love a dirge, but this is a buncha dirges. I prefer late Cohen where it sounds like he spent twenty years on a mountain surviving on cigarettes.

aight

It's not terrible, I actually enjoy the melancholy-ness of it. But, unfortunately, it sounds like the real value of this album is in the lyrics and I listen to these while I'm at work and can't fully pay attention to them.

Not quite my tempo😔

I liked his debut album better. This one felt boring. The partisan is pretty good

I was going to give this a 3 but I'm dropping to a 2. It's inoffensive but it's a bit too dull. I listened to two other Leonard Cohen albums on this list. This seems like the worst. The late 80's one I gave a 5 so I no means dislike Leonard, I just prefer his other stuff

I was really looking forward to this album, but something about this one didn't click like Songs From. Some interesting lyrics and songwritting, but overall slow and hard to get into. 3/10

Well. We had one I hated (Songs of Love and Hate), one I actually really liked (You Want it Darker) and now we have one I think is okay. I guess that's something.

4/10…folk / singer-songwriter

wasn’t getting too into it but still enjoyed

Not a fan of Leonard Cohen.

Must have been a really dull room! There’s something about his voice on this record that almost sent me to sleep. A struggle to retain focus and interest in it.

I really struggle with Leonard Cohen. Let’s be honest, his singling voice just isn’t good. The folky guitar had some moments but isn’t all that. And the songwriting struggles to shine through that. This album got sort of better as it went along, and the best one was the one he didn’t write. I won’t be back.

Sort of dreary, though the lyrics are sometimes interesting.

I’m not mad at this music, but it is definitely for certain times/moods.

I don't get it.

It doesn't sound terrible, but musically it is more on a boring, although easy to listen to side. Until I'm gonna pick up on english poems natively, I'm afraid listening to sang poems won't do it for me

No puedo conectar con Cohen, pese a forzarme a encontrarlo, no puedo entenderlo

Maudlin & depressing

Folk

Made no impact on me Rating: 2.0

Songs to make me leave the room

I found this album a bit boring, which was a surprise to me, I was looking forward to it.

Folk in general does nothing for me and this just epitomises the genre.

I'm just decidedly in the camp of people who can't do Leonard Cohen. Shades of Dylan at times, which makes it not entirely awful, but I'm also not the world's biggest Dylan fan, so that's not entirely a compliment.

Hmmmm....is the Leonard Cohen I know? Because this is not for me.

Listen his voice isn't the best, is it? Most songs are too meandery and sleepy for me. Love the key changes in Story of Isaac. Cool dark energy to The Partisan, but the backing singer annoyed me. Love the reverb on Seems So Long Ago, Nancy. I like You Know Who I Am - more great key changes. Tonight Will Be Fine sounds like it's from the Juno soundtrack which is interesting. Lovely end to the album.

Didn't really enjoy that, sorry Leonard.

*yawns in complex lyrics*

21/01/25 I know how iconic Cohen is and how good he is as a singer/songwriter. This was just too slow and boring.

Pra quem quer calmaria, prato cheio. Não é meu caso!

Never really like Leonard Cohen's voice, I know the point isn't his voice, it's his lyrics, but his voice distracts me a bit, sort of like Bob Dylan in that regard. I feel like to truly appreciate these songs I'd have to sit and focus on all of the lyrics. They kinda feel like poems put to music more than feel like great songs. Yeah didn't love this, I respect his lyrics though.

Never heard this before. This list has taught me how much I don't like Leonard Cohen. Before the list I thought, he's that guy that wrote Hallelujah which is a memorable song. Now I have had the chance to hear a bunch of his boring albums.

Aimless and rambling.

Not a fan.

Not for me

I'm trying to decide if Leonard Cohen is the most ridiculous example of an artist with multiple albums (5!!!) that shouldn't have multiple albums in the 1001. If you're David Bowie or the Beatles, both of whom evolve significantly from album to album, you get multiple albums. Pink Floyd deserves multiple albums because they are so varied. Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder get multiple because they have multiple iconic albums. Leonard Cohen is none of the above. Probably one of the biggest mistakes of the book. Anyway, rant over. To review the album - the only other one I've reviewed so far was Songs of Love and Hate, where I definitely felt more hate than love. This album has a fair amount of the same problem - rambling, drawn out songs, with pretentious lyrics. One big difference is that he doesn't have quite the depth and weight to his voice that he had on Songs of Love and Hate only two years later, except for a couple of tracks (e.g., The Partisan, You Know Who I Am). Occasionally he made me think of a less weird sounding Bob Dylan (e.g., The Old Revolution), but Bob's lyrics connect with me more than Leonard's. I gave Songs of Love and Hate a 2...I'd say this one is a 2.5 because it had a little more energy and variety, but I can't bring myself to round up. Songs I liked: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, The Partisan (about the French Resistance during WWII - I particularly liked this track and the French part is very stirring), Seems So Long Ago Nancy (typically long and rambling, but powerful lyrics). Songs where Leonard needs to settle down: You Know Who I Am (although I do like the vibe of this song), Tonight Will be Fine (which would sound better if it was Johnny Cash singing).

man, we've had a couple albums from lenny boy already and they were all SO much better than this one. I dunno if it's his singing style/voice, the fact that every song sounds the same, or the constant goddamn SPROINK SPROINK SPROINK spring sounds from his jaw harp on several tracks turning decent songs into waking nightmares, but this ain't it chief favorites: the partisan

I liked this album less than the last one. Pretty one note and slow. I feel like a zoomer, but it was putting me to sleep

More folk legends for LC. Boring, lame storytelling. Get a real job you fucking bum

Pre-listening thoughts: I’ve always thought of Leonard Cohen as Bob Dylan with more tune. Let’s see how this assumption holds up. Post/during listening thoughts: well, more tune was a generous assumption. It’s like listening to poetry with a tune in the room next door. It’s a little slow for my liking. It's sort of up the Lou Reed alley but a little better. Maybe about equal to Bob Dylan. But for my vocal aligned taste that’s not saying much. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no sorry Fav tracks: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes Least fav tracks: was pretty meh on most of this didn’t like actively hate it but was not loving it

so far I like the opening song and I think his voice is very calming. After finishing the album, I feel like all of the songs were nice background music and were really calming but all had quite a similar vibe that was, frankly, a little boring.

4/10 - It was kind of creepy sounding like Story of Isaac, I know it's about the bible story but it was not fun to listen to. Same thing with Lady Midnight.

Sounds like clove cigarettes and sadness.

Dull, dull, and depressing.

I just got really like Leonard Cohen that much. It all kinda sounds the same. After like three songs, I get bored.

molto noioso, ma molto.

Cohen is much more a poet much less a singer. I think my brain isn’t developed enough to appreciate poetry tbh so a lot went over my head. I do acknowledge that these songs must be intimately beautiful to many out there.

My 3rd Cohen album. I just don’t get it.

it was ok I guess but in every song there was this weird sound at the back of my headphones. it ight be the headphones I was listening on but it was all i could hear and I rlly didn't like it it stressed me out.

Hey, the good Leonard Cohen! This is sad as hell! Fav Track: The Partisan

Dreadful and not for me

This was worse than the other one of his we had. Meh.

One of these days, Cohen’s music will connect with me, but it is not this day.

I don't know... I'm just not feeling this one today. I think I liked it more than other Leonard Cohen albums, but I just wasn't in the mood for another folk singer song writer album. Every song here really does sound the same, and for being 30 minutes this album really does drag on. Maybe I'm just unlucky but this list is starting to feel over represented with folk music. High 2

Lullabies for adults. Such a sleepy depressing album. You're a great song writer Leonard, but boy does your music put me in a bad headspace

This album was a bummer. I like his voice and this album doesn’t contain Hallelujah so that automatically earns it a star

unfortunately i got bored. its giving dad music no favorites sadly

I’ve been bored and I’ve been sad, bit I don’t think I’ve ever been bored and/or sad enough for this.

This is probably sacrilege but I feel like this guy is the ultimate one trick pony, that trick being a deep voice almost spoken singing style that doesn’t always match the tempo of the often identical plinky plonk guitar. If you love that then this guy is for you, if you don’t then it’s not. It’s not for me. On one of them I liked the song Avalanche. On this album twice I’ve thought there was alternate versions of that song only to realise they are different with either exact same guitar or exact same vocal harmony. It must have been weird seeing him play live, cheering for your favourite song only for it to turn out to be another one.

I know it's good but I don't like it, alright?

Bird on the wire

Fine

Wasn't feeling this one

I don’t get it. Was it the same song ten times in a row. Stick to writing poetry not set to lame music.

Leonard Cohen, sparse and cold and distant as ever, a spinner, weaver of couplets, more sparse and unforgiving than any Dylan of this period. You’d better love song if you want to love this. It’s a hard listen because of its emptiness, sonically. The recordings are a bit rough around the edges and monotonous— especially the vocal delivery— even compared to the first Leonard Cohen album. That one really felt like he got ALL his great songs out, in one go. This feels more wandering, more strange, a bit more uncompromising on the poetry. You have to respect the writer, and Leonard Cohen’s writing makes you believe it’s possible you’re missing the point entirely, the joke’s over your head. Still, I can’t help but wonder if some of these poems needed a rewrite, a few more edits, for pacing. As an album, it’s a hard sell. As a collection of poems, songs, it reveals in layers. 2/5

Zzzzzzzz. Not 4 me.

sounded okay but was fairly uninteresting in my opinion

I fell asleep

Good coffee shop background music. That's all.

Worse than his first album, boring and not for me

Correcto

Very folksy, western sounds and themes. The singer-songwriter angle here is definitely not my cup o' tea.

I have always found Leonard Cohen depressing and this album is no exception.

I wasn’t excited to listen to this one at first - I’m not usually into this genre, but I didn’t mind it today. It’s sad at times, but in all, a good listen.

3/10 Уверен что so fucking deep, но пока слушал - чуть не уснул.

This one wasn't for me. Major singer-songwriter vibes, this struck me as poems set to some guitar playing for the most part.

Much better than the other Cohen album that came up previously, still doesn't do it for me

Meh

I like Leonard Cohen's voice but I'm not that much into these songs.

Miserable git

I thought I was a big cohen fan but apparently I’m not, fuck this was boring

Slow record. Much more of a Western vibe than I had expected based on what little of Cohen's work I was previously familiar with. Not much energy, nothing particularly novel or thought provoking. I can't do much more than give it a shrug.

Highlights: The Partisan, Seems So Long Ago Nancy. In a nutshell: jaw harp enters the room... WHY the fuck was the jaw harp* used throughout the entire album? One or two songs, fine. But playing it in the background or mixed out front across both sides was distracting. Hearing a violin and banjo (and what else was it- a keys or an organ?) was a relief. The lyrics are tender and are structurally an improvement from the previous Cohen album in this list (Songs of Leonard Cohen). If it wasn't for the jaw harp, this Songs From A Room would garner a higher score. Am tempted to swap this album with Different Positions, just to spread it out. Overall: 4/10 *Jaw harp aka Jew's harp, juice harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp. It makes a twangy, cartoonish "boing" sound.

It’s a good album for walking outside on a grey and rainy day.

I wanted to like this more than I did. An entire album of just one vocal and one guitar is admirable, but not of the songs really gripped or stayed with me. Cohen is obviously a talented lyricist and has more interesting things to say than many songwriters, but I wonder if I'd like these songs more as interpretations by someone else.

Dude can't sing. He should stick to the mouth harp that is on every. Single. Track. More of a poetry reading than music

Looks like this is my 5th and final Leonard Cohen album of this project. This could well be the last time I listen to a Leonard Cohen album “by choice” ever again. I found this sparse and unengaging. 🥱🥱🫥🫥🫥

An annoyingly a-musical album that relies entirely too much on the lyrics, like most of Leonard Cohen's catalog. The only track I enjoyed was "Tonight Will Be Fine".

Listened Before? N Seems fine. Not really my thing - I've only room for one 60s folk guy in my library and its Dylan. This dude seems okay though. I'll never listen to it again, but it was fine. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Bird on the Wire

Sorry this is one of the Leonard Cohen albums I don’t think needs to be on the list, just a bit dull for me.

I don't have the patience for this music. He should have been a writer instead of a singer. He obviously doesn't enjoy singing. Least hated song: the partisan.

Copy and paste this if I ever have to review another Leonard Cohen album: Lyrics were great though depressing, but overall the songs all sucked.

This dude's voice is on par with that fool from The Flaming Lips. I don't care what he sounds like on other albums or other songs but he sounded bad on this one. The man cannot sing. The entire album is incredibly slow, boring, and tedious. It's just this fool with his acoustic guitar (which he does not play super well, he's about on Elvis' level) and a super simple bass line that even I could play and occasionally a keyboard. Why is this on this list? I know I keep asking that question and it will never be answered but I will ask it again. This album was absolutely not special and I never needed to hear it. It was drudgery.

Cohen is a gifted songwriter but you wouldn't know it from this album. vocals seem very tentative. overall a very boring listen

I don't really like Leonard Cohen's work. Too melancholy, but in a way that I don't really relate to. Just not for me.

Not my sound preference.

not really enjoying it... like for example the 1967 Album... would have never been noticed if it would have been published today

Cohen mi je dosada živa, svaki cover njegovih stvari mi je bio drazi nego njegova izvedba.

pretty boring. the lyrics are good though, just not a lot of variation in sound throughout the songs.

I get the appeal but I find him to be extremely overrated and dull.

Slow, a bit depressing. Voice a bit like Bob Dylan or Willie Nelson.

I enjoyed the stripped down instrumentals. However, the vocals were strained. He just sounded so sad.

Flat, flat, flat.

Boring. Depressing. Uneven vocals. Just not my thing.

Boring

Threadbare as most Cohen LPs are, but this one is much shakier in the vocals than his previous albums I’ve listened to here. The whole album felt a bit rickety in a way, and this vocally-driven, instrumentally sparse kind of music is not my cup of tea to begin with.

I simply believe that folk music isn't for me. I've tried listening to Bob Dylan's classics several times and couldn't get past the second song. I had the same feeling with this album. It's okay, but i just don't get it. Perhaps at some point, I'll change my mind about folk, but until then, I find it boring af.

Knock off beatles

I know he's an important songwriter but much like Dylan, his voice makes it hard for me to enjoy him singing. The instrumentation is also rather unremarkable. Won't be going back to this one. I'm sure there's more of him to come... And Dylan too. Sigh

This is too dreary for me. It does nothing for me. Sounds like it's for sad people. That said it's not unlistenable so not a 1.

Mellow, low key, dreary. Not for those who want to stay in a good mood. Well done though.

Well, chill, nice, easy to reposten if it is in loop, but difficult to recall.

No Likey. Too folksy for me. Honestly was bored most of the way through. Though I do hear a little bit of Lou Reed in his voice which is good.

Great vibe for a tv show. Not for my listening though. I hopped around.

Interesting. I never knew Cohen was a musician. The lyrics were great. The voice not so much.

Have never heard of him before. A quick peek at his Wikipedia shows that he’s massive as a songwriter and author. This album is really melancholic and a tad depressing honestly. I imagine I’ll see more of his albums up soon based on his popularity, but if I’m rating it to how I liked it, I honestly didn’t.

So much background mouth harp.

Could see myself listening to this in the right situation. Overall too much mouth banjo or whatever it is. Some moments on the album really stood out, but overall sounded too similar song to song.

Meh

Too bad his voice and guitar didn't match the quality of his lyrics, wish he had Jeff Buckley or others sing this album.

Tämä on kyllä aika kädenlämpöistä Cohenia. Asenne on kyllä aistittavissa, mutta liian rakkausimelää kyllä tässä mun makuuni. Tokalla kerralla voisi olla kolmostähden arvoinen, jos löytyisi jotain yllättävää

"I found a silver needle, I put it into my arm. It did some good, did some harm." Kiva säe, ja saattaisin joskus kuunnella LP:n uudelleen, sillä luultavasti minulta meni ohi vastaavia.

Sorry, you have to have a good voice and good music to get a good review. Lyrics are great, but this is not a poetry rating. Same for Bob Dylan.

Meh. Would have to be in a pretty downer mood to get into this. Singing is just too lackluster to make up for pretty songwriting. Enjoyed the storytelling in "Story of Isaac". Standout is "The Partisan" with it's French and nice backing vocals.

I don’t want to listen to this type of music everyday. It isn’t bad but it doesn’t give me any desire to dance, sing along, be happy. I have never enjoyed this type of voice either. No doubt the lyrics are interesting.

He's just not Nick Drake :(

I think I get it. It’s fine.

While i dont necessarily think this is a bad album, it's really just not my thing. Maybe a little too melancholic? 2*

Bleh. Very morose and unable to get into this one. Never been a fan of Cohen.

I tried to like this but I just couldn't get it. I'll try again, honest!

I'm not quite sure about this. I admire Cohen as a writer of tales, a commentator on life, but the songs are not enough to draw you in as a musical work and the sound/production is terrible.

cohen halt.. es andere is besser

Nah

Cohen is a great storyteller, but man, it’s miserable even when it’s not meant to be. One or two songs is great, a whole album is hard work.

I could do without the Jaw Harp on EVERY BLOODY SONG. And is that a Swanee Whistle on "Tonight Will Be Fine" ? (If it's not, there's no excuse for how out of tune it is). I also think I prefer gravelly old Leonard Cohen to this younger version. But the songwriting is pretty great (check out kd lang's version of Bird On the Wire).

Not my thing

This is where I draw the line between lyricism and something that actually sounds nice to my ears. Cohen needs a pedal board or something.

Boredomcore

Not bad. Folky and skilled but not my vibe.

Gjentar tradisjonen med å gi terningkast 2 til Leo

One thing that this challenge has taught me is that I don't like this man's voice

Nice easy listening

Too slow

- Boring to listen to but at least it wasn't too long - Lyrics were good, instrumentals were basic

I only know "Hallelujah" by this guy His voice is kind of Dylan-esqe... eh The lyrics are good so I get why he has songwriting accolades... but his voice... can't carry a tune. Skipping through this album.

1) с таким же трудом послушала как и всего остального Коэна, 2) великолепное соло на флейте в финальной песне, не хуже флейтового вступления заставки 20 век фокс

Pfewww

I have to be in a specific mood for Cohen and to be honest, I’d rather just read the lyrics.

He can write songs, but doesn't have the best voice

kind of a boring album but i think it's probably just because i dont have enough emotional depth to care about the topics in the way theyre presented to me. it's weird to hear these kinds of topics sung about in his voice with these instrumentals. i think this guy is the one who sang halleleujah but i can't be sure... 2/5

I am sure there may be some deep meaning in the lyrics. I don’t think I could listen to it more than once or twice.

There were a few songs I enjoyed but overall not that into it.

With respect, this album is a 2, some of the other albums I've rated as 2s could've been 1s. The lyrics are nice enough, and the melodies are sweet enough, but everything sounds very similar. BT - A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes - The Old Revolution

This was fine. Nothing stood out either way for me.

Pas un autre chansonnier dans mes oreilles!

Me ha gustado "The Partisan" pero el resto aunque no sonaba mal no me ha interesado. Supongo que la única forma de disfrutar es con las letras en la mano leyendo las historias.

This list doesn’t need more than one Leonard cohen album, utterly bland

Gjentar tradisjonen med å gi terningkast 2 til Leo

As someone who's never heard a Leonard Cohen song, this is an interesting one. He's obviously a talented lyricist, with some legitimately piercing images. A couple songs achieved a cold atmosphere that really matched the lyrical content. But when I look at the product as a whole, I have to admit that this is pushing pretty far against the barriers of what I consider listenable music. Half or more is a guy mumbling in monotone over a five-second guitar line repeated to death. Fascinating, good as poetry, but not something I liked much as music. Best song: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes

Well this was an odd one. I don’t my head was in the right place for a singer songwriter on Monday morning. I could have done with some proper BANGERS instead. Leonard doesn’t bang very well. I failed to keep up with the ideas and lyrics. I'm sure it has its place and time. But that wasn't Monday morning for me. I also prefer how his voice scaled down in later years. This is a little busy.

This is not as good as the previous Cohen album we had - it's weaker lyrically and musically just as simple and relatively empty. There's not a song there that really captures me, Bird On A Wire is good but nor great and there's nothing else that really comes close. 2/5.

Not interested.

Tylsä

Perus-Cohen

Least favorite of the several Leonard cohen albums we’ve gotten. Not his best sounding vocals pretty boring musically kind of sound like demos to me. Depressing.

Honestly not for me, at least not atm. Was listening at work and probably couldn't appreciate the lyrics enough, and the melancholic folky spoken poetry thing just didn't work for me. Having just listened to an amazing Dylan album earlier in the week it felt like a similar (albeit much sadder) vibe but without any of the energy or spark

An okay album that I feel gets better the more you listen. Cohen doesn’t have the best singing voice but he focuses on the story and lyrics. If not given the right attention his music seems uninspiring and not approachable. Overall it’s not something I would revisit but it seems like you have to, to really enjoy what he was trying to make. 4.4/10

Songs from a room, a small room with a seemingly uninterested man plodding his way through my life wasting my time with beige music. Thank you for showing the lows so I may at a later time experience the highs by contrast. I'm sure someone out there loves this, I'm happy for them but I'm just counting down the time till this is done.

das soldaten thema ist ganz cool, aber im großen und ganzen nicht meins

Shocked that yet another Cohen album was on here, but this was slightly innocuous at 4am.

Enjoyed listening to a younger Cohen, but felt very bland. The guitar work was nice, I enjoyed it on the Partisan, but his voice felt very monotone. Like a duller Bob Dylan. Pretty crazy, too, that this album and the prior one both came out the same year.

This is the second album by Leonard Cohen on this list and coincidentally it is also his second album in discography. After quite exciting "Songs of Leonard Cohen" I am greeted by "Songs From a Room", a weaker and less attractive record, without any outstanding, or even above average songs. Leonard Cohen recorded another ten folk songs, showing off his singing skills, which are surprisingly average or just uninteresting early in his musical career. If you compare those first two albums with his later work, from 80s onward, it's like a completely different person, style and feeling. I have trouble pointing out any song on this record to discuss or give example of his style. Slow, melancholic melody and Leonards voice on top of it. Real disappointment.

Min knippa har alltid saknat nyckeln till Cohen.

Funkar inte att dansa till.

Sleeper 😴😴😴😴

I don't necessarily like musicians just because they are well loved which I know Leonard Cohen is. My belief is that Everybody Knows is his only palatable song in spite of the cheesy keyboard. But we're not here for that. We are starting off with Bird on a Wire..I have to admit I've never heard this version of a song I associate strongly with Johnny Cash. Immediate reaction is that Cohen must've been extraordinarily young on this album as he hasn't attained the deep raspy voice of his later songs. The Story of Isaac.. this old Biblical tale. The story is old and tired and the song isn't much better. That's a hearty 'meh' from me. The Partisan is better, mostly owing to the accompanying French female vocalist. When people who hate Bob Dylan (not me) describe his voice, it reminds me of how I feel about all the vocals on this album which easily overpower the music and don't show much talent. This is maybe worse than that. Depressing. Underwhelming. I could've done without it and I still don't get Leaonard Cohen.

blah, blah, blah, poetry, poetry, poetry... This is just more suck from the voice of LC. Is it true that Leonard Cohen has risen from beyond the grave to create 1001 as a way of promoting ALL of his albums? In other words, 'why do these albums keep showing up?'

This completes my catch-up, out-of-order listen of the first three albums by Leonard Cohen. As it turns out, these folk albums are not as horrible as the other two Cohen albums on the list. They’re still not for me, though. A poor man’s Bob Dylan, and I’m not a Dylan fan. Cohen may very well be a terrific writer of lyrics, but the arrangements are too dull to hold my attention long enough to appreciate his wordplay or storytelling. These three albums all feel very similar, begging the need for all three to be on the list. Then again, they are better than the other two although those are more unique. Further driving the discussion of the contents of the list, which I have found to be one of the more interesting aspects of this grand experiment.

Vond dit echt doodsaai en kreeg vietnamoorlog protestnummer vibe

Poetry that sometimes becomes music.

Niet geluisterd, maar weet nu al dat ik er een hekel aan heb

I was kinda in a rush listening to this album and skipped a couple of the songs but I pretty much got the gist from the first 3 or 4 songs. This isn't nearly as good as his more modern, deep, and haunting stuff. This was just boring folk.

This shit is too sad for me to listen rn

A miserable effort, LH can't sing and the music is boring and dreary

Cheer up Len

Folk rock, not a fan

Seriously why are there so many Leonard Cohen albums on this list? The man cannot sing. Speaking the words in a dramatic fashion or just speaking them is not singing. I get why he does it - he cannot sing. He can write a song just not perform it. I will round up to a 2 but it is a close call.

Simple music and easy to listen to, but I'm not sure he's actually singing though - mostly sounds like he's just talking and perhaps trying to sing. I think the closest he gets to actually singing is in track 5 "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy". I've heard that he does better in some of his later albums - but I'm not going to rush and find out.

Slow singer songwriter, all acoustic guitar, no real accompaniment to speak of. It was ok

Country Bears suicide music.

Like a turd on a wire.

Sorry Leonard I just can't get into it

Enough with the fuckin Cohen already. I get it. He was important. It still doesn’t change the fact that the dude speaks words over music as opposed to singing. Boring and not good.

As boring as I’m your man

Not a fan. I listened to 2 songs.

Meh

Songs from a bedroom more like it. Ik viel gelijk weer in slaap toen ik ernaar luisterde :/

Pretty decent. I thought I wasn’t a Leonard Cohen fan, but this was okay.

A little boring…?

For stille og uspicy til min smag. Unpopular opinion, men for uinspirerende

Folky

not really a fan

I've never understood the allure of Leonard Cohen as a performer, and this album doesn't change that. His songs are good, but best performed by other singers.

Very dry, some good songs but some that sounded forced. Didn't really enjoy overall.

I know that I've listened to Leonard Cohen before, but I did not know this album or any song from it. This was a wholly new experience. While I can appreciate the stylization that he was going for - the monotone storyteller route - being a musical listener vs. a lyrical listener - much of this album was lost on me. The music itself was somewhat expected with nothing particularly standing out to me, which is not the focus of this album. This album fully falls in the category of me being able to recognize why it might be considered great or groundbreaking by others but has little in ways of connection or interest for me.

A little boring and repetitive, but I respect that Leonard Cohen was very formative for many of my favorite artists and can hear echoes of that in his work.

very same-y. campfire album, lots of storytelling. too slow though. i need energy.

I would probably like this album more if I listened to it at the end of the day rather than the beginning. Cohen is one of those artist I want to like but every time I listen to a album it just dosen't grab me.

I like Leonard Cohen, but I like him because of the more sophisticated productions that came later on in his illustrious career. As for the rather minimalist folk music of this particular album, it might have been nice at the time and it might have represented the period it came from well, but it's not my kind of thing. To put it another way, I'm not surprised by the genre's disappearance. P.S. Is it me, or does it sound like Cohen plagiarised his own So Long, Maryanne with A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes? I will note this is the 5th Cohen album served to me by this list. I'll use the opportunity to point out the existence of other artists out there (but I will also point out my favourite Cohen album is missing from this list of 5).

To be fair, he has a cool and chill voice, and the instrumentals are gentle. Together, these elements effectively builds a melancholic or even gloomy atmosphere, something that a lot of people, including me, would find boring in high doses. But I guess that's what it's all about. Poetry being delivered with music in the best possible way. I respect him for that. But this album would only work as a lullaby playlist or a background music for me.

This really doesn't do it for me and I'm surprised this is still such a revered album. Leonard just hasn't got a voice to carry an album with very mediocre songs. And the clever lyrics are rather dull. The Leonard Cohen that actually became a bit darker and clever later in life is much more up my alley.

Its not the way I know Leonard, but his earlier albums sound to me like he has been on the helium. Later albums would get 4 or 5 stars

A few songs in and I wasn't feeling this album. Shame since I've been looking forward to listen to more songs by Leonard Cohen.

I was hungover, couldn't stomach Leonard Cohen that day.

esta culero

My only real experience of Leonard Cohen has been of him being some old boring bastard. Listening to this, from the late 1960s, he sounds like a young boring bastard. It's not even like he can sing - "Seems so long ago, Nancy" has us treated to out-of-tune and cracking voice. Great if you like this sort of thing - but I've no time for it.

Cohen świetnie pisał teksty i muzykę pod nie, kreując w ten sposób muzyczną opowieść. Niestety, moim zdaniem, te opowieści brzmią lepiej w wykonaniu bardziej utalentowanych artystów. Ani wokal, ani gitara nie brzmią specjalnie wyjątkowo, wstawki harmonijki i chórki kobiece niestety nie ratują sytuacji. W "Bird on the Wire" mam wrażenie, że Cohen po prostu fałszuje. Niestety wydaje mi się, że jestem zbyt młody, by docenić ten typ muzyki. Ciężko mi też przyzwyczaić się do melancholijnego, amerykańskiego folku.

Dokładnie to, czego się spodziewałem, w końcu Cohen to Cohen. Tu w swoim młodszym wydaniu, wg mnie bynajmniej nie lepszym. Cohen nie potrafi śpiewać dobrze. Dlatego zapewne jest tak monotonny, żeby nie wychodzić poza wąski zakres, w którym jakoś brzmi. Oczywiście melodie nudne, tekst też nie jest jakoś tak porywający czy ambitny znowu, żeby to rekompensował - lepiej już poezję sobie poczytać. Nie słucha się tego nieprzyjemnie, nigdy nie wrócę. Cohen jest spoko jako element jakiejś dużej składanki, ale jako cały album to nie działa. Zwłaszcza ten album, bo przeczuwam, że będą kolejne (lepsze). Dałbym 1.5, gdybym mógł. Z 1 nie przesadzajmy, jako muzyka w tle to w miarę działa.

I have never heard the spoons played so earnestly. Peak of self indulgent folk. Feels a little misogynistic and self centered, too. Too close to Bob Dylan for comfort, but also close to Velvet Underground, which I enjoy. Altogether a little confusing. Highlight of album "Tonight Will be Fine"

No es mi estilo. Sin pena ni gloria. No hay ningún tema que me haya emocionado

Made me sleepy, also, I thought he could sing more in tune than this.

Leonard Cohen has achieved legendary status. This album is dull.

Zwar hab ich schon mehrere Morddrohungen und "kys"s für diese Meinung bekommen aber ja das Album ist leider öde sorry!! ok ein paar Songs sind schon echt ganz schön und die production ist sehr geil

For whatever reason, I just can't get into it.

Ok if you're into that shit

4/10 Very calm=very boring

Don't listen to this album if you're feeling depressed - it just might push you over the edge! The first track is utterly depressing and makes Cohen's voice sound awful. The second track is about Biblical child sacrifice. Fortunately the album picks up a bit after that.

when my family doesn't listen to me, the running joke - stolen from the young ones - is that i may as well be a leonard cohen album. in fairness to him, i have liked two of his songs: hallelujah, of course, and the future. sadly, for him at least, literally everything else of his that i've encountered to date i have not cared for one bit. this entire album falls into that category: i just don't care about it, and really don't need to hear it again. except...except what was that baseline at the beginning of lady midnight?? hang on, i know that...back up, let's hear that again...ok, got it. now let's go listen to the beginning of the staunton lick by lemon jelly...amazing. so, they didn't actually sample it, or at least, not from this recording...but that is *exactly* the same line, right up until the last couple notes of the phrase. neat! TL;DR: i don't like this one, and also i am a dork.

Okay. Some interesting songs like The Partisan but I found it too stripped back and monotonous. I’m still failing to get Cohen.

I just can't get behind Cohen's music. Though I will admit that this is more enjoyable that some other stuff I have heard. His younger voice is easier to listen to.

Nope. Didn’t like that

Interesting lyrics, love the folk rock style, but my man Leonard Cohen can't sing. And it hurts the album tremendously. When I say "interesting", it doesn't always mean good. I found it tough to get through. Highlight Tracks: 1, 3, 4

Same as the last Cohen album I got.

2/5 - Fell asleep during the listen. Not really for me

Leonard Cohen is apparently a revered singer-songwriter. And this album is one of those... contemporary folk, according to Wikipedia... albums. To be fair, he has a cool and chill voice, and the instrumentals are gentle. Together, these elements effectively builds a melancholic or even gloomy atmosphere, something that a lot of people, including me, would find boring in high doses. But I guess that's what it's all about. Poetry being delivered with music in the best possible way. I respect him for that. But this album would only work as a lullaby playlist or a background music for me. Not a big fan of super moody stuffs.

Cohen can be better.

Had high expectations knowing of Leonard Cohen’s reputation as a songwriting legend, but I’m not quite getting this one. Songs are a little too bare bones for my taste. Doesn’t seem up to the same level other legendary folk artists were on by 1969, like Dylan.

Long, kinda dull

I feel like I'm listening to the same song over and over again. And it's not a good song.

Every song sounds the same

its like singer songwriter music but with weird instruments

I really liked the album he wrote as he was dying a few years back- but wrongly attributed his predicament as his muse for songwriting - seems like that emotion was there even in the 70s. I’m sure it gives orgasms for mono-tone vocal lovers, but didn’t do it for me.

-A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" actually picks up in intensity -idk I really hate singer songwriter because it is so boring

Unbearably glum.

a bunch of lonesome heroes is het eerste nummer dat me wat grijpt

I get why people would like this and I get what he was trying to do, but this style of music isn't for me, also his voice is not to spectacular either, but I get he was just trying to tell a story.

This music is not for me. Didn't finish the album

Sounds folksy and not something I'd usually listen to. It's aged music that is too poetic for today's fast paced cultures. The first song - Bird on the Wire - stands out from the rest.

Lovely lyrics and imagery, but best sung by other artists. Cohen’s writing is amazing.

couldn't really be arsed with this at all. i know people love to bum leonard cohen but on the basis of this album i don't get it. i like the australian noise that was on most of the songs though. twanging away like rolf harris down the primary school.

2/5 Very gloomy and depressive

I just can't get past his voice. The music is well written but his voice bores me. 2*

Bit dull, his voice is too clean here. I like the rasp.

I like LC, but not this album

Sounded like your classic talking music, even had a didgeridoo in a number of the songs. Not a massive fan (not of the didgeridoo, just Leonard Cohen)

Es ist so lang her, dass Hemingway im Spanischen Bürgerkrieg mitgewirkt hat. Eine völlig andere Welt, aus der auch dieses Werk stammt. Bis auf den nostalgischen Zauber vermag es nur „The Partisan“ einen Glanz zu bewahren, der noch bis zu uns hindurch funkelt. Angelaufene 2.0

Good singing voice and some nice ballads

he really loves that mouth harp

Not my thing

Some nice songs, but don't particularly like the instrumentation. And the Jew's harp throughout is an annoying and unnecessary distraction.

was alright

still don't get it. never will.

I just could not connect with this album. I don’t hate Leonard Cohen’s voice but I do find it underwhelming. I just think the appeal of this album is how quaint and serene it is. But it just didn’t click with me, and I didn’t relate or feel any of the lyrics rocking my world so to speak. If you paid me to explain why I didn’t like this and why I did like all 3 nick drake albums, I don’t know what I’d say outside of creative and interesting guitar playing. And maybe that’s the biggest problem for me is the music isn’t trying to outshine Leonard. But I just couldn’t help but find this to be one of the most boring albums I’ve gotten so far.

meh

1/5

Unremarkable... This dreary album has no redeeming qualities.

Not for me.

Fuck sake. ANOTHER fucking Leonard Cohen album and I've still not had all of them. DULL. AS. SHIT!

- This album feels like a giant fever dream that I cant say that im in love with... its just a guy saying sad nostalgic things on a guitar beat. - Maybe if I was on the verge of suicide I would love this album but day to day I'm just not really feeling this one. - It would be better if sean was singing it to me at night before bed lwk. - So found out that he was a French - Canadian musician that lived in Vancouver, and he liked to play chess in the park and stuff with the bums instead of living the life of a star. This is kind of weird but chill, he was a poet as well. - I like this dude but would I ever listen to this album again, prob not it was weird and quiet and all sounded like the same tone. I'm the kind of person that doesn't look too deep into lyrics unless I really love the album, so first you got to catch me with a good sounding song then I will hear you out with the lyrics. Much like Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon. Where every time I listen I hear a lyric and interpret it in a different way. - Basically what I'm saying is that this album is just not interesting enough o get me hooked. I feel that there is something there with the lyrics, however I just don't feel bothered enough to check them. - Therefore this album will be given a 1 star. This is the first 1 star album I have given, just because its not for me. I feel that some people may love this kind of music however for me this is just fricked. If I could it would be a 1.9 stars, closer to a 2 but its definitely not a 2.

Noooo not another mopey cohen album. This one even includes shitty flute playing. I really really don't like his music, and hearing the 20th album of his on this list will not change my opinion. 1*

Sparse folk and singer-songwriter minimalism built from fragile acoustic guitar, understated arrangements, and deeply resonant baritone vocals feels like sitting in an almost empty chapel where every whispered word echoes far longer than expected—quiet, severe, and for some it might feels emotionally inescapable while for me its restraint tips into austerity leaving bored.