But we have the music.

Leonard Cohen, who died yesterday, lived a full life — several full lives — before he passed, and was still in command up to the end. He just released his best album in fifteen years. He spent his final decade basking in an adulation that was no doubt sweeter for being so long in the making, and no more satisfying than was deserved. He was ready to go and he knew what was coming.

When a man dies in his ninth decade it isn’t a tragedy, sad though we may be that we’ve heard the last of him. Instead of mourning his death we should rejoice in his time here, and his body of work, some of which will last longer than the lives of anyone reading this now. He was the poet of yearning — for love, for justice, for connections both carnal and spiritual — and so long as those things continue to confuse and delight and depress us we will always have his verses to comfort us when we need consolation and accompany us when we crave celebration.

There are so many places to go right now to hear his songs that I won’t weigh you down with a list of all my favorites, because we would be here forever and they change so frequently that I would come back in a week and say, “Wait, I should have included ‘Tower of Song,’” or “How could I have not picked ‘Land of Plenty,’ particularly this week?” Even right now as I’m listing the songs I wouldn’t be able to fit into my imaginary list of favorites I am still balancing whether or not I should add “Closing Time” or “Dance Me To The End Of Love” or “Everybody Knows” or “Sisters of Mercy” or “A Singer Must Die” or “Anthem.” How could I not include “Anthem”? You can see how this could go on forever. So instead let me leave you with three unusual items from his catalogue, in which his voice is only the presiding spirit. Its absence only shows his depth.

Here is Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs with my favorite interpretation of “Paper Thin Hotel.”

Here is Jennifer Warnes performing “Song of Bernadette,” which she co-wrote with Cohen.

And here is “Tacoma Trailer,” the instrumental that closed out Cohen’s greatest album. For someone best known for his lyrics it is amazing how well this conveys so many of the emotions we find in so many of his songs.

Leonard Cohen was 82.

In two easy steps.

Delete Facebook and Twitter.

★ No sun came up. At some point, the light that had been coming through the blinds all night for open eyes to see got brighter, and there were little footsteps, and the new day could not be said to have not arrived. Isolated drops of rain fell on the walk to and from the schoolyard. The rain gathered into a shower in the middle of the day, leaving pickup time dark and wet after it passed. Gloom pressed over the mouth of the subway steps and the wind had found new drizzle to push down Seventh Avenue. By night the drizzle had risen to a pattering rain. A car seeking marginal advantage in heavy traffic swung into the curb lane, flinging dirty water onto the sidewalk.

For a long time, I thought Paul Hindemith was an American with a German name (like yours truly), but I was wrong. He’s just a German composer who occasionally composed in an American style in America, especially in his symphony, Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. In case you’re coming to this late and you’re like, “What the heck is an American style of symphony?” allow me to point you back to our sweet friend Antonín Dvořák, who invented the American symphony some fifty years prior. Why was Hindemith writing an American symphony (sort of) in America when he was German? Easy: Nazis.

Before writing this, I was so completely and utterly not concerned with Hindemith’s personal life or even the history behind Symphonic Metamorphosis because the piece stands so fully on its own. But a bit of cursory research reveals it is wild! At least in an old-timey sense of wild.

Hindemith was friends at the time with a very prominent Russian choreographer and ballet dancer named Léonide Massine. Massine had suggested to Hindemith that he adapt some of the works of Carl Maria von Weber — a prominent Romantic German composer from the previous generation — into a ballet that Massine would choreograph. Great, cool, perfect: a project for friends.

Hindemith went and adapted what would be the first and third movements of Symphonic Metamorphosis and showed them to Massine, who said, “this is too personal and I hate it.” What does “too personal” mean in this case? Um, I have no idea? This is the quote on record; my best guess is that it mostly means Hindemith strayed too much from the original von Weber pieces. At the same time, Massine had told Hindemith he was going to be using backdrops and costumes by Salvador Dalí, and Hindemith said, “I actually hate Dalí and think he’s so weird.” Which: sure, fine. I don’t think this piece is as weird as Dalí-influenced costumes and set design would have suggested. The two had a falling out over these artistic differences and went their separate ways! RIP A LEGENDARY COLLAB.

What we’re left with is Hindemith’s “too personal” version of Symphonic Metamorphosis which is just an astounding piece of music. It sounds distinctly American and, you know, fanfare-y, without that patriotic Sousa tone to it.

The first movement, the Allegro, is almost a little too German-sounding (upbeat, militaristic, less floral and more utilitarian) for my tastes. Right off the bat, I almost want to switch to something else, but I promise if you power through the first ninety-something seconds, it sort of chills out. A cool thing about Symphonic Metamorphosis is that it uses approximately thirty different kinds of percussion (okay, fourteen — but still! Still!). If you’re stressed out listening to the Allegro, just think about what a nice opportunity this is for concert percussionists who so often have to just sit and wait while a timpanist does everything.

It’s the Scherzo, the second movement, where I honestly just lose my mind every damn time I hear it. It’s one of my favorite movements of any symphony of all time. If symphonies at their purest about the exploration of a musical theme, the Scherzo is one of the best and more colorful examples. Nearly every single instrument gets a chance to explore the main melody at play here, starting with piccolo and moving into the other woodwinds into the violins and so on. There’s a moment at approximately the 4:17 mark that starts a brass round, if you will, of the melody. And I know what you’re thinking. I know you’re like, “Rounds are… very lame. I am an adult.” I know, but this brass round just is very cool. It kicks off the start of the eventual climax of the piece (7:20 mark) which is just cool. It sounds incredible. It’s fun. It’s jaunty. It is, dare I say, lit.

The third movement, the Andantino (meaning “slightly faster than an Andente” which translates to a “walking pace,” so this is basically power walking) features an extended flute solo. It’s a meditative movement without being boring. It almost feels as scenic as some of the Debussy from last week.

And the final movement? The finale? The Marsch, if you will, or “march,” is great. It kicks in with a brass fanfare and just goes from there. It trucks along, with each section of instruments playing their version of the melody. My personal favorite starts right at the 1:39 mark with a nice blend of the brass and the woodwinds. The timpani in the background is just *chef’s kiss*. By the time it winds down, you’re so familiar with the main melody — really, all of these movements, are just rehashing the same themes over and over again, making it an incredibly memorable symphony. You know the climax before it happens, and you’re like, “wow, Léonide Massine was an idiot, and this piece rules.” (Ed note: 4:20)

Fran Hoepfner is a writer who used to be a musician, but not in an acoustic guitar sense, more in the the movie Whiplash sense. As kids her age discovered the popular music of the early ’00s , Fran spent 10–15 hours a week in private lessons for piano or playing timpani in several Chicagoland youth symphonies. Because of that, she didn’t discover pop music until 2008, and now her music library is almost exclusively classical. You should listen to more classical music, not for any self-important reason, but just because it’s more accessible than you think it is. Also it’s very good.

It’s okay to still be in shock.

At some point this weekend you will be able to consider the fact that nearly half the voters in the United States of America chose Donald Trump to be their president with some degree of acceptance on your part. I am not saying you’ll be happy about it, and I’m not saying you’ll be able to understand or forgive. What I’m saying is that come this weekend the fact that Donald Trump is your next president is something you’ll be able to acknowledge without debilitating disbelief or outright denial. Probably later in the day on Saturday, around sunset. If you are still stunned and afflicted with nausea and finding it impossible to confront the inarguable truth of the matter right now, that is fine. Normal, even. You’re not alone. It’s going to take a little more time, and it should. Give it a couple of days. In the meantime, here’s some new music from The xx, whose new album will come out in January, just in time for the inauguration of Donald John Trump as president of the United States of America. You know, like Lincoln or Roosevelt. Oh my God how the fuck did this happen? I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE IT. Anyway, enjoy.

★★★★ Wisps of cirrus fanned out on the sky above the line for the polling place. The line was in the shade outside the high school but the chill could do no harm; the five-year-old had gotten away with wearing shorts and an unzipped hoodie. Across the street, the line waiting to vote at the neighboring high school bent around the plaza and touched the sunlight. Where the sun could reach, the day was warm. Pedestrians passed through the brightness with their hair crowned in glory. The evening came fast and not soon enough. There was time to go out and buy a calendar for the next year, and some socks in anticipation of the cold. A few pale streaks of light still stood in the sky but it was otherwise full night, though warmth held on the air.

You can be a helper, too

There’s a quote from Mr. Rogers that gets passed around after national tragedies occur. It’s the one about something his mother said to him when he was little. Here it is in case you haven’t seen it:

It’s a uniformly uplifting and helpful attitude. “Look for the helpers.” Focus on progress. But the work doesn’t end when you get that rush of comfort from seeing someone else do something decent—or at least it shouldn’t. Because the work isn’t just to feel relief in a time of crisis, it’s to be the help that someone else may need, too.

This election has been extremely polarizing. It’s dredged up a lot of divisive and buzzy talking points that have pitted a lot of Americans against each other, but I’d love to invite you to just… not today. Or this week. Or this month. This blows—across the board, whether everyone realizes it or not—and now more than ever we’re faced with the responsibility to show up for one another in ways that are actually, gravely meaningful. Will our social programs be in-tact in the coming years? Our education system? Healthcare? One way to counteract that worry, even if the government seems terrifying right now, is to serve your community at an individual level.

Specifically, I’m talking about volunteering. Low-level, consistent involvement and contribution might not feel like a ton in the face of actual racism, misogyny and hate rhetoric, but it’s the level of work where things actually get done on a day to day basis, and it’s also a way to serve the groups left most vulnerable by our current political situation. It’s also a way to fight how knotted up your stomach might feel right now if you’re anything like me.

This is by no means a definitive list, but here are the names of some places to get your brain going. First, some nationwide options. People always have their critiques of big organizations like this, but even if you do some researching and decide the brand name I’m suggesting isn’t the one for you, in a lot of cases there will be smaller local organizations with these same causes at heart. Pick one of those you like better instead:

• The Human Rights Campaign’s volunteer-led events and activities are focused on “engaging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies, educating the public and raising funds necessary to support the important work of HRC locally and nationally.”
• Planned Parenthood is probably going to have a wild couple years ahead of them!
• The Red Cross addresses all kind of emergency community needs. “Whether it’s aiding one family displaced by a fire, assisting thousands affected by a hurricane or other natural disaster, or providing support to military members and their families, our vital work is made possible by our volunteers.”
• Islamic Relief USA focuses on offering “relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of gender, race, or religion,” and works to “empower individuals in their communities and give them a voice in the world.”
• YMCA/YWCA: volunteers at the more than 10,000 locations nationwide coach sports teams, mentor, and raise the funds that ultimately meet community needs like childcare and children’s programming.
• Best Buddies is a nonprofit “dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
• Your local: library, hospital, youth center, homeless shelter, women’s shelter, animal shelter, lgbtq center, food pantry, community garden, arts center, church, assisted living community.

Now, some local options in New York City:

• The Anti-Violence Project “empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence” and focuses on “organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.”
• The Lower Eastside Girls Club aims to “break the cycle of local poverty by training the next generation of ethical, entrepreneurial and environmental leaders” with “mentoring, wellness, arts, academic support and career training” programming, all of which is free to the kids and their families.
• Art Start offers programming to kids who are living in “city shelters, on the streets, are involved in court cases, or surviving with parents in crisis.” They offer daily creative arts workshops with local teaching artists and educators who donate their time.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are services like VolunteerMatch out there to help you find opportunities based on your zipcode, plus whatever community outreach your employer or school is up to. Or in the event that volunteering seems too intense right now, you also have the option of donating to someplace like the ACLU or Immigration Equality.

This blows. It’s bad. A lot of our communities are feeling strained and scared after today, and rightfully so. But the one thing you’re still in control of is whether or not you’re the helper someone else is trying to spot. You can still show up, if you want.

Soundscan Surprises, Week Ending 11/3

Back-catalog sales numbers of note from Nielsen SoundScan.

The definition of “back catalog” is: “at least 18 months old, have fallen below №100 on the Billboard 200 and do not have an active single on our radio.”

Good morning, America. These are your top ten back catalog record sales from last week. Adele is tied with Kidz Bop for number eight, and Donald Trump is the President-Elect of the United States of America. That’s all.

1. BROOKS*GARTH ULTIMATE HITS 6,272 copies

2. JACKSON*ALAN PRECIOUS MEMORIES 5,750 copies

3. PENTATONIX THAT’S CHRISTMAS TO ME 5,494 copies

4. GABRIEL*JUAN MIS NUMERO 1… 40 ANIVERSARIO 4,573 copies

5. METALLICA METALLICA 4,483 copies

6. TWENTY ONE PILOTS VESSEL 3,467 copies

7. BUBLE*MICHAEL CHRISTMAS 3,464 copies

8. KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP HALLOWEEN HITS 3,062 copies

8. ADELE 21 3,062 copies

10. CASH*JOHNNY LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH 2,906 copies

(Previously.)

The Adventures of Liana Finck

Liana Finck’s work appears regularly in The New Yorker. Her graphic novel is called A Bintel Brief. She is on Instagram at @lianafinck.

You look to a distant future if you want to. I’m gonna cycle through Kübler-Ross until I throw up. Again.

And now, a hymn.