
He explored dark wave in his debut studio album Kiss Land (2013), which debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. In 2012, he signed with Republic Records and rereleased the mixtapes in the compilation album Trilogy. Two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released the mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which gained recognition for his style of contemporary and alternative R&B and the mystique surrounding his identity. He has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 17 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Latin Grammy Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.īorn and raised in Toronto, Tesfaye began his career in 2009 by anonymously releasing music on YouTube. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and melancholia, and is often inspired by personal experiences. Httpv://Makkonen Tesfaye ( / ɑː b ɛ l t ɛ s f eɪ/ AH-bell-tes- FAY born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. That’s the biggest triumph of all, isn’t it? And considering the fact that it’s being released less than a year after its predecessor, and it’s really good, I’d say Thursday is a more-than-worthy follow-up.Īnd did I mention that a third one is coming out this fall? The Weeknd’s second album is a fully-formed album, thoroughly conceived and well-executed. Thursday is not a cash grab or some collection of b-sides, and it never feels forced. My initial impression of Thursday is that it doesn’t quite best House of Balloons.

Money.” And album closer “Heaven or Las Vegas” is the true stunner here, shuffling along to a new wave groove before hard-edged electric guitar creeps into the mix, nearly swallowing the track whole. 1+ 2” is a sprawling, gorgeous mid-album song suite reminicent of The-Dream’s “Love vs. “Rolling Stone” is probably the riskiest moment here, consisting of no more than lightly-plucked acoustic guitar, nearly inaudible percussive crackling, and one of Tesfaye’s finest vocal performances. Initial highlights include the genuinely hard-rocking “Life Of The Party” and the slow-burning “The Zone,” which features a welcome cameo from friend and mentor Drake. In other words, Thursday can be a difficult listen.

This time around, Tesfaye’s vocals are mixed deeper into the tracks, and feel like an element of a sonic tapestry rather than the obvious focal point of each song.Īlthough one of the standout qualities of House of Balloons was its command of mood, Thursday takes things even further these compositions were clearly constructed in such a way as to place more emphasis on atmosphere than hooks. The musical landscapes are a bit more challenging, drowned in murky, ominous synths, heavily distorted electric guitars and crackling, stuttering percussion.

Thursday doesn’t sound like a House of Balloons retread. Tesfaye now releases his follow-up to an audience hungry for another dose of a dark, haunted and debauched majesty that we now come to expect (i.e. But since then, House of Balloons has been the most positively-reviewed album of the year thus far. For one thing, there was absolutely no pressure. Things have changed drastically for The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) since the release of his first tape House Of Balloons earlier this year.
#The weeknd thursday download free#
You can follow the link below to snag the free download. Last night, Toronto-based R&B mystery man The Weeknd unleashed his brand new mixtape Thursday. Our prayers were answered yesterday, people.
