'I love to speak with Leonard, He's a sportsman and a shepherd, He's a lazy bastard living in a suit.”

So starts Leonard Cohen's new album, one of the most perfect opening (half) stanzas one can imagine. Now in his mid-70s, Cohen provides a new pencil sketch of himself that manages at the same time to be witty and self-deprecating while showing that rarest of gifts: the way that a poet can seemingly give words greater meaning than they naturally exhibit.

A sportsman? Surely the most unlikely way to describe Leonard Cohen. He's a sportsman the same way that brothels of old used to be ‘sporting houses'. The way gamblers think they're sportsmen because they're part of the game.

And he's a shepherd, drawing his audience like a flock, keeping them safe with his wisdom. Or (on an album called Old Ideas) is he a shepherd guarding the stores of ancient knowledge, the profound meditations that he turns into songs? Of course it wouldn't be a Cohen lyric without the unspoken religious connotation.

And 'he's a lazy bastard living in a suit”. The perfect wry put-down. It seems Cohen has lived his entire life in a suit as his voice slowly descends through the octaves and he grows – by a lucky quirk of fate that seems to equally amuse and confound him – ever more sage and handsome.

I've been listening to Laughing Lenny – in case you couldn't tell – and his latest album is a thing of profound beauty, a rare and transcendent offering. Fans won't need convincing, but will be surprised to learn that two of the three new songs he played in Auckland last year aren't on it. He's obviously not short a tune.

There's actually a lot of new music I've been getting into recently, but the relentlessly busy beginning to the year allows little space to write about it. So I thought I'd grab a little time this week to share some of the sounds that have been wafting out across the croquet lawn here at the Watusi Country Club in harmony with the gentle clinking of cocktail glasses.

A couple of local releases have provided much pleasure, both of them independent and under the radar of charts or radio. Beyondsemble are a quartet out of Auckland who might have a slightly clumsy name, but make music that is anything but. They have been visitors to the Katikati Folk Club and on the New Zealand Live slot of Jim Mora's National Radio show, and play a delightfully skewed melange of folk music and jazz. Leading the charge is the accordion of Craig Denham, a virtuoso keyboard fella who seems to be currently playing with about a dozen different bands.

Jessica Hindin's violin is equally adept. The album is self-titled and mainly instrumental, running from a wild take on ‘My Favourite Things', through gypsy jazz, Parisian café music, beautiful folk song and even a raucous country breakdown. The level of musicianship is exhilarating and it's a very good sounding album. Highly recommended.

Other visitors to Tauranga left a CD, and I'm enjoying theirs equally. The Flaming Mudcats are a hard-driving blues band (also out of Auckland) featuring ex-Darcy Perry Band harmonica player and singer Craig Bracken along with the explosive guitar talents of an old Tauranga hand Doug Bygrave. Doug used to play with Brilleaux's Graham Clark and is still remembered for his uniquely authentic guitar style and impressive red suit.Their debut, Gave You What You Wanted, is a tough exciting blast of electric blues, solid and propulsive, as though the Fabulous Thunderbirds or an equally staunch band had set up in New Zealand.

The songs are original, mostly Craig's, with three from bass player Sean McCarthy, an instrumental of Doug's and an offering from country singer Glen Moffat. Throughout the set Doug's inventive guitar dominates, continually throwing in unexpected and cool touches and sounds. He is the master of the surprise dynamic. Craig's harp playing is stunning too. Long been regarded as one of the country's finest, he goes a long way to proving that here.

Good honest electric blues – fine songs, well played. What's not to like?
BTW, both these Kiwi albums are on Ode Records and should be available from all music shops.