The Weeknd: Thursday

The Weeknd
Thursday
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

The Internet has been both a blessing and a curse with regards to music. The blessing is that it is now almost too easy to find, listen, download, and purchase music that once would have called for diligent searches in dozens of places. The curse is that because it is so easy to find music that artists almost have to constantly come out with new material so they are not forgotten by fans moving on to the next big thing. Canadian R&B experimentalists The Weeknd have definitely utilized the Internet to their advantage, initially creating mystery around who the band or person is/was, releasing a few singles to great acclaim, then dropping a free mixtape called House of Balloons that was filled with amazing takes on R&B cloaked in an air of debauchery and excess. House of Balloons was such a singular achievement, a vision tightly executed and realized, that I could only wonder what they would do next. The Weeknd barely gave us time to digest and appreciate House of Balloons before dropping the follow up mixtape Thursday, which can be downloaded for free here. And apparently a third installment, Echoes of Silence, is due before the end of the year. I loved House of Balloons, giving it almost a masterpiece rating, and have been eagerly anticipating more material from The Weeknd since, of course I have also been dreading it because I didn't want it to sully my thoughts on the first release. Thursday, while not nearly as brilliant as House of Balloons, is an intriguing record. On paper, it really should be a home run as all the elements that made House of Balloons a classic are there, but perhaps it is because the shock of the new has now sunk in, and Thursday just doesn't capture that moment in time as clearly. I will say that Thursday is far more consistent in sound and mood across the board, but there are none of the amazing standout highs that were on the first release. Without a "High For This," "House of Balloons/Glass Table," or "The Knowing," to give those incredibly jolts, Thursday cruises along, well, on cruise control. Perhaps in view of the planned triptych of albums, Thursday's place will come into better view, however, as it stands, it is merely a good record that pales a little bit in comparison with its sibling.

Thursday starts off strong with the excellent first single "Lonely Star" with its buzzy synths, clattering drum programming, and a typically impassioned vocal from vocalist Abel Tesfaye, showing some cracks in the armor of his cold personality, practically begging his conquest to come to bed with him, no longer the strong alpha male.



"Life of the Party" is solidly in the mold of songs from House of Balloons, with sleazy lyrics and delivery that flow through the dirty guitars.



Aside from these two tracks and the final track, Thursday doesn't seem to move out of its midtempo haze of foggy keyboards and druggy vocals. The songs individually are good, but over the span of the record, then tend to bleed into one another, lacking the melodic intricacies of House of Balloons. There are some beautifully produced songs, however, that keep this record at least interesting. "Gone" moves from a dub heavy bassline into a coda of blissed out R&B.



"Rolling Stone" finds Tesfaye's voice in strong form, his delivery getting more and more frantic as the song progresses, in complete contrast to the lovely acoustic backing.



But too often, the songs get lost in the druggy vibe and pass by unnoticed. Both "Thursday" and "The Zone," which are paired together, just meander in a haze, and not even a guest vocal turn from Drake on the latter can make it more memorable.



And the middle pairing of "The Birds Pt. 1" and "The Birds Pt. 2," meant to be a centerpiece to the album, sort of create a speedbump effect, slowing things down instead of creating forward momentum:





Perhaps I just expected too much from this album, and the fact it has been released so close to the release of House of Balloons has given it the unenviable position of being in a pretty large shadow. Taken out of the context of House of Balloons doesn't necessarily solve the problem, as Thursday is just not as strong. There are some good songs, but the lack of much needed variety makes the middle section of the record a slog. Based on the announced release of a third component this year, I think Thursday's ultimate position in The Weeknd's canon is undecided. Now I have to eagerly await the third release to see if my opinion changes.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.