Albums of the Decade - 21. The National - Trouble Will Find Me (2013)

 21. THE NATIONAL TROUBLE WILL FIND ME (2013) 

When I was studying to be a teacher in Budapest, the prequel to this album -  High Violet  - came out and I was mesmerised; at 26 years old I felt the songs directly mirrored my ascent into my prime.

When Trouble Will Find Me came out at 29 I felt I was continuing my ascent, but maybe was on the cusp of falling apart, living in Taiwan, before my new ascent a bit later; like the title of the album confirms - this band kind of bookmark my time alert -  and there's nothing more to say,

There are so many fucking avenues to go down with this chestnut. You can roast them - one avenue. You can reverse-griddle them; another. You can put on your combat boots and fry me a night out - one option. Or act all circumspect and leave me stranded in the hypermarket, holding my boxes alone - another.

Albums of the Decade - 46. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker (2016)

46. LEONARD COHEN - YOU WANT IT DARKER (2016)

It's advent, one of my favourite times of year,  and this Leonard Cohen farewell album typifies that cold night by the fire aesthetic.

The build up to Christmas often gets lauded as a commercial fuck-around, but I had three cheeseburgers last Sunday and just avoided it.

I think I walked around 15 kilometers in the sun, it started snowing at some point too - I don't deliberately try and be off-kilter to not wear a christmas jumper or bake gingerbread, but I'd eat Goose if served some.

The deep baritone is not even croaky at this ripe old age; it was carved before he caved in. There's a voice welded like deep cut steel, trenched, mined, experienced. "You want it darker?" he asks the listener. Yes we do, no ice.