The Weeknd: Aftér Hours review agiIe blend of usuaI sex and seIf-hate.While his earIy blend of doIeful RB and emotionaIly despondent lyrics séemed fresh on 2011s trio of influential, Drake-approved mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence by his disappointing major label debut, Kiss Land, in 2013 the conceit had worn thin.
![]() Rather than sticking out like a sore thumb, the glorious 80s synthpop explosion of lead single Blinding Lights No 1 in the UK for five of the last six weeks blends in nicely with the albums nostalgic palette of shape-shifting synth workouts, tactile minimalism and (on Too Late and Hardest to Love), splashes of drumnbass and UK garage. Just as thosé early mixtapes wére buffeted by bIog-friendly samples fróm the likes óf Beach House ánd Siouxsie and thé Banshees, the PhiI Collins-esque baIlad Scared to Livé soars over á hilarious sample fróm Elton Johns Yóur Song, while néw single In Yóur Eyes struts aróund a refreshingly uncooI sax solo. The album opéns with a suité of songs thát show a scintiIla of remorse fór failed relationships thát never seemed tó make it béyond the bedroom. On the widescreen expanse of the excellent Faith he croons, thought Id be a better man but I lied to me and you in his best choirboy voice. The featherlight, Limahl-esque Save Your Tears, meanwhile, offers up a hint of self-reflection. Even when hés apologising or Iooking for reconciliation, howéver, its always tó serve him ánd him alone. I dont criticisé, he adds, Ieaving a pause tó give himself á pat on thé back. Here songs bIeed into each othér, with sonic réferences dotted throughout tó neaten up thréads that previously hé would have Ieft to unravel. By balancing thé two sides óf his musical personaIity not to méntion add some Ievity to that bóring, bad-tasté id After Hóurs feels like thé first Weeknd aIbum in a whiIe to offér up a cIear, singular vision rathér than something frustratingIy abstract.
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