Back in March of this year, a mysterious singer/group called The Weeknd (yes, no "e") released the buzzed-about mixtape House of Balloons. Aside from the music's obvious strength, the release gained even more attention because, well, it was shrouded in a good bit of mystery. Not much was known about the project, which only intensified the seductive, atmospheric R&B that was contained on therein. The sound was dark, euphoric, amorous, and, needless to say, slick.
It was eventually revealed that The Weeknd is Toronto-based singer Abel Tesfaye supported by the production skills of Canadian producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo. If you've glanced around the site, you may have seen the "Favorites" page. House of Balloons, after one or two listens, was added to that list rather emphatically (the list compiles MM's favorite releases of the year as the year progresses). I've been meaning to review the mixtape or write some type of feature on it for some time now, but just haven't found enough adequate time -- nor adequate words -- to really do it justice. Hopefully, I'll have something for you next week. Until then, you can download House of Balloons for free right here (if you need convincing, you can listen to the whole thing below).
Last month, The Weeknd shared news that they'll be releasing two more mixtapes this year: Thursdays later this summer and Echoes of Silence in the fall. They recently posted two new songs, though they have yet to state whether or not the tracks will be included on either of the forthcoming releases or are just B-sides. Below, you can check out the acoustic-based, bare-bones "Rolling Stone" (released a few weeks ago) and the determined, drum-heavy "The Birds (Part 1)" (released just yesterday).
The Weeknd - "Rolling Stone"
The Weeknd - "The Birds (Part 1)"
MM Favorite: House of Balloons
The Weeknd
Official Site
SoundCloud
No comments:
Post a Comment