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If you’ve been reading the indie music blogs over the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard the super-hype surrounding The Weeknd’s House of Balloons LP. And even though it’s free (download link below), you’re probably wondering if it’s worth your time to download with all the other free stuff floating around out there. The short answer is yes.
The longer answer is, prepare yourself for a fairly subdued, downtempo experience. It’s chill, stoney R+B dressed with a range of shadowy digital textures (think of your favorite male pop singer singing over beats produced by xx, Burial and jj). So if you’re expecting a banger (we were, based on all the hype), you need to adjust your phasers from kill to stun. The album peaks at the pulsing, phase-shifting “House of Balloons – Glass Table Girls”, which will probably go down as one of our favorite songs of the year. It’s killer. Have a listen, download… Download “House of Balloons – Glass Table Girls” [via Pitchfork] After “House of Balloons – Glass Table Girls”, however, things start to get a little repetitive. Seriously, if The Weeknd had stopped at the fourth song, the very awesome “The Morning”, this would have been a super-tight EP. But that’s not to say the second half of House of Balloons is a total throw away. The song “Coming Down”, which sits near the end, is one of the album’s slow-smoldering highlights. And the album’s closer “The Knowing” is pretty dope. Big ups to The Weeknd for drifting out of left field and surprising us all with such a narcotic, sexy debut. |
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The Weeknd – House of Balloons – Album Review
– 03/30/2011Posted in: 4 Stars, Album Reviews, Albums, Downloads, Songs
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