The Weeknd Mixtape Review

0 Monday May 30 2011 Written by Sandra
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The Weeknd’s “House of Balloons” mixtape (first in the “The Balloon Trilogy”) is a combination of chilled electronic beats and R&B smooth grooves the hipsters and cool kids can love. With a sound similar to The XX, he/she/they are a bit of an enigma. Not much is known about the Canadian based group other than the fact they have strong links to singer songwriter Abel Tesfaye and Canadian producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo.

I was sceptical about “House of balloons” which has a lot of hype surrounding it particularly after Drake’s endorsement http://octobersveryown.blogspot.com/2011/03/weeknd.html and reviews by Pitchfork as well as Village Voice http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2011/03/the_weeknd_frank_ocean.php. The weak arse vocals (please excuse my French) struck me first but as it progressed I began to love the new take on a much loved late nineties sound defined by Missy Elliot, Timbaland and Aaliyah. “Rock the boat” is even briefly sampled on track 2 “What you need”.

Like Frank Ocean’s Ultra/Nostalgia, the mixtape is full of pop rock references from the duo Beach House on “Loft Music” and “The Party and the after party” as well as Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees on “House of Balloons” which merges with the more hip hop influenced “Glass Table girls”.

Women and drugs are the hot topic of conversation on the mixtape and when it’s not reduced to moaning, whining and then begging for some loving off a lady friend (“Wicked Games”) its booty calling others like on the catchy “Coming down”.

Although “Wicked Games” isn’t my favourite track it did provide the laughs with the following lyric “I’m on that shit that you can’t smell baby so put down your perfume”

House of Balloons is a contemporary mixtape which will be loved by fans of the genre as well as those who just aren’t that into it. The Weeknd are offering something different to the commercial R&B/Dance which is stomping all over the charts at the moment. I’m interested to see what they’ll come up with next.

[CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE WEEKND]

To Download “The Weeknd mixtape” visit here: http://the-weeknd.com/