First Aid Kit announce live Leonard Cohen tribute album, share version of ‘Suzanne’ | NME

First Aid Kit will release a live Leonard Cohen tribute album, recorded shortly after the singer-songwriter’s passing.

‘Who By Fire’ – named for Cohen’s 1974 song – will hit shelves and streaming services on March 26. The album was recorded over two nights in March 2017, when the Swedish duo performed a pair of tribute concerts to Cohen at Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre.

To celebrate the announcement, First Aid Kit have shared their cover of ‘Suzanne’, which Cohen released as his debut single in 1967.

Listen to their rendition below.

‘Suzanne’ will be joined on the album by 19 other tracks, including covers of ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Bird On The Wire’. Find the complete tracklist below.

First Aid Kit will be joined by a host of their Swedish contemporaries on the record. Among the musicians set to feature are Loney Dear, Jesper Lindell and Maja Francis, as well as actresses Maia Hansson Bergqvist and Nina Zanjani. An eight-piece band and 20-person choir will accompany the artists.

“We recently listened back to this concert and realised that this was something out of the ordinary for us,” First Aid Kit’s Johanna and Klara Söderberg said of their decision to release the record.

“Dwelling deeply into Cohen’s world was a pleasure, he was so prolific as both a poet and a songwriter, and everything he ever put out held a very strong standard. He cared immensely for his work.

“The band, the guest artists, the atmosphere on stage… everyone had a great passion and it felt magical. This is definitely a record that is best enjoyed listening to back-to-back with no interruptions. Allow yourself to just disappear into Cohen’s world for a little while.”

The tracklist for First Aid Kit’s ‘Who By Fire’ is:

1. ‘Tired’
2. ‘Suzanne’
3. ‘Sisters Of Mercy’
4. ‘Who By Fire/As The Mist Leaves No Scar’
5. ‘Twelve O’Clock Chant’
6. ‘Everybody Knows’
7. ‘Avalanche’
8. ‘The Future’
9. ‘Chelsea Hotel No.5’
10. ‘You Want It Darker’
11. ‘If It Be Your Will’
12. ‘The Asthmatic’
13. ‘Famous Blue Raincoat/Anthem’
14. ‘Show Me The Place’
15. ‘Hallelujah’
16. ‘Prayer For Messiah’
17. ‘Bird On The Wire’
18. ‘Who By Fire (Reprise)/Letter To Marianne’
19. ‘So Long Marianne’
20. ‘You’d Sing Too’