It doesnt get darker than this. Though Leonard Cohen had already established himself as the doyen of doom with his first two albums, his third, Songs of Love and Hate, finds him kicking off the 1970s with the sharpest repudiation of the 60s peace-and-love / flower-power ethic the world had yet seen from the sensitive troubadour corner of the music map. Though its not really a concept album, it does feel like a guided tour through one mans battle-scarred love life. The utter emotional degradation of avalanche, the suicidal frenzy of dress rehearsal rag, and the bitter regret of last years man all sound like stops on the same ill-fated journey. the arrangements are wisely based around cohens world-weary voice and hypnotic acoustic-guitar patterns, with occasional orchestrations rising like dark clouds in the background. possibly cohens finest album, love and hate would stand as a monument to explorers of the musical dark side for decades to come – such as nick cave, who memorably covered avalanche – and to anyone nursing a bitter, broken heart.
