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Showing posts with label The Weeknd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Weeknd. Show all posts

The Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd is a singer from Toronto Canada who you couldn't miss if you tried. He's more popular than most pop stars which is even more impressive when you consider how experimental his presentation is. Hurry Up Tomorrow is the halfway point between his last pop releases and his former style. He has diluted his eclectic melody writing to better assimilate with his ethnically singular connections and fan base. As a result, the songs are good, but not great. The features of Playboi Carti and Travis Scott are the high-points of the album, but it's not because they are more talented but because they keep The Weeknd in a better mentality. The Weeknd sounds a little sad, which isn't new, but his albums post-fame have been a little happier. For some reason sadness at the top is more alarming because there isn't the hope of escape using success. Abel needs to take a break and find himself before making more songs about pain.

The Weeknd is back with a new album called Dawn FM. He has always been incredibly talented, but his mainstream music has been more formulaic than artistic. The cultish messages that simulate a radio station are hauntingly infectious. This album was designed solely for the radio, but there are really good radio songs that would outshine this music. That's saying something because The Weeknd is an incredibly strong vocalist and a melodic genius. This music is decent, but like the album cover; maybe avoiding jealousy is the subliminal strategy.
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Overview
The Weeknd is a singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. He started with a very hipster centric persona which is the undertone of the title, "Starboy". He had some of the most masculine/misogynistic themed messages but every song was sung softly and approach-ably. In this album's presentation he is trying to fight his common reception and reform his image due to the current cultural obsession and disdain for promiscuity. The new haircut and the upbeat vibe of the singles is a nice change of pace, but it seems like an effort that was abandoned half-way through. In the video for the first single, he kills his old self. Shortly after, he releases a song about waking up to a girl he doesn't recognize. What is the difference between the old Weeknd and the new Weeknd? A new haircut, less drugs, more money, and a bit more positive? The biggest image concern was the treatment of women. However, about the music specifically; his former albums were too heavy to replay casually. He's pushing his voice less, the melodies aren't as strong as some of his other songs, but it's understandable because he's now using dance and club beats.
Defining Track
Starboy is a collab with Daft Punk. It's very catchy and is a lot lighter than his usual style. The vocals are solid as always, and it's refreshing to hear him bragging thankfully for his money and musical success rather than his dark life. He talks about girls getting loose but it's mild and he needed to remain consistent to some extent to segway successfully.
Final Thoughts
This album has some nice moments. Starboy is much better than Kiss-Land. He's very talented vocally and as a writer which is why this album feels like it could have been great but was a little too awkward to really make it there.

Rap Independent
The Weeknd - Starboy
8/10
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