Laibach Gives Dark Twist to Leonard Cohen’s “The Future”

Laibach pay tribute to Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) with a reinterpretation of Cohen’s pre-apocalyptic track, “The Future.” This Laibachian version of the track, originally on Cohen’s 1992 studio album of the same name, makes it abundantly clear that the future Cohen predicted is very much our present.

With this remake, Laibach continue their tribute to great authors such as Dylan (‘Ballad of a Thin Man’), Jagger/Richards (’Sympathy for the Devil’), Lennon/McCartney (‘Let it Be’), and Gainsbourg (‘Love on the Beat’), and at the same time, they commemorate the 6th anniversary of Cohen’s death, joining the musicians who paid tribute to the late giant of musical poetry with their interpretations of Cohen’s compositions.

With this remake, Laibach continue their tribute to great authors such as Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”, Jagger/Richards “Sympathy for the Devil”, Lennon/McCartney “Let it Be”, Gainsbourg “Love on the Beat”and at the same time, they commemorate the 6th anniversary of Cohen’s death, joining the musicians who paid tribute to the late giant of musical poetry with their interpretations of Cohen’s compositions.

Laibach have never hidden the fact that they draw their content and aesthetics exclusively from pop culture and art history. Indeed, they have no interest in originality, saying “There is nothing new except what has been forgotten.” They are, however, interested in interpretation and the context of it, its specific placement in time and space. They are interested in the good old Dadaist combination of a sewing machine and an umbrella on the operating table. The band’s decision to reinterpret “The Future”, has been brewing for several years.

Laibach were looking for something that would, with great weight, describe the current state of the Zeitgeist in which humanity has found itself and Cohen’s composition does exactly that, corresponding fantastically with the contemporary pre-apocalyptic time.

“The Future” is dark and funny. If I’d have nailed that to the church door like Martin Luther it’d be a very sinister document. But it’s married to a hot little dance track so, in a sense, the words melt into the music and the music melts into the words and you’re left with a kind of refreshment, a kind of oxygen.” said Laibach