2012 may bring the apocalypse, but if it’s also the year when we’ll get the first new Leonard Cohen album in eight years, all the pain and suffering and even that pesky “ceasing to exist” bit may well be worth it. (No? Too much?) Reuters reports that the 77-year-old writer and musician has already recorded ten songs for a record he’s calling Old Ideas. Cohen told an audience in Spain, where he appeared to accept a literary award, “I’ve played it for a few people, and they seem to like it” and said that he didn’t know yet whether he would tour with the album. [via ArtsBeat]