You remember that feeling? The one Abel Tesfaye gave you when you first heard The Weeknd‘s House Of Balloons? Well let me introduce you to Christian Berishaj. In January he released his debut album titled †Priscilla†, and now he’s producing interesting, disturbing videos such as this one. Continue Reading →
After coming on to the scene with a BANG, The Weeknd has recently dropped his first official music video for his track “The Knowing”
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My good friend Eric Abello hit me up in a text that read “One Room I Want You”, so i immediately searched for it not know what to expect and I came across this video. One Room is a side project of the group The Knocks, which includes New York City residents Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James”Jpatt” Patterson.
The Weeknd. No, I didn’t spell it wrong, and i’m not talking about the two days of the week everyone seems to relish oh so much. I’m talking about the R&B singer straight out of Toronto, Abel Tesfaye. Back in 2008 he was part of a group called Noise responsible for making beats and songs for Drake to use. Essentially, they would make bangers and Drake would gobble them up or fuck them up. 5 months ago the world heard The Weeknd’s first mixtape House of Balloons after Drake posted it on his blog: OVO (October’s Very Own). Now Abel, Drake, and their respective crews go by OVOXO, and can be seen on Twitter speaking on drugs, the new releases, and all the hype they seem to be receiving. Rolling Stone gave it 4 stars out of 5 which should tell you something. The first mixtape was full of sex, drugs, and beats that made your face go numb.
This newest mixtape, titled Thursday is a bit more complicated and I find myself liking it just as much, but for different reasons. The first song Lonely Star is an instant hit with a complicated beat that changes tempo and drops at just the right times. It is also accompanied by a simple, yet extremely catchy, lyrics belted out at just the right tones by Tesfaye. However, this isn’t the only song that caught my attention. The two part song: The Birds Part One and The Birds Part Two show you two drastically different songs that are connected when listened to in succession. Part One features a fast tempo with scattered drums and a fearsome guitar in the background, while Part Two takes you into a trance with a slow beat and mesmerizing vocals. An interesting observation about The Weeknd is that all his work seems to be planned out, for instance he released the names of all his mixtapes in advance. House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. The songs on his respective mixtapes transition more smoothly than any other CD i’ve ever listened to. Abel’s beats are always full of background sound, reeling you in and keeping you focused enhancing the song and allowing for a more interesting and complete sound. I’d recommend checking out both House of Balloons and Thursday both available for free on the official website the-weeknd.com.
“The 20-year-old singer-songwriter (real name: Abel Tesfaye) from Toronto is on the forefront of an idiosyncratic new cut of R&B. “Thanks in part to support from fellow Toronto native Drake, he’s been in heavy rotation since the March 21st release of his mixtape debut House of Balloons” – Rolling Stone. I’m excited to hear from The Weeknd on future tracks. It’s clear he put some time and effort into his collection, with a few lyrical references to Drake and Aaliyah throughout. It’s nice to see some one put out a real mixtape not slammed with DJ call-outs and sirens. It’s been awhile. Self promoted, self made + sick cover! Download the entire mixtape here. Is it the best mixtape of 2011?
The Weeknd – Loft Music
The Weeknd – Coming Down
The Weeknd – The Party & The After Party
The Weeknd – Wicked Games
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