This is a one listen and review type of review of the Weeknd’s latest mixtape Echoes of Silence. I basically downloaded the album as soon as it was available, gave it one listen and wrote down initial thoughts and hit the submit button. You can download the mixtape on his website.
The Weeknd caused a great deal of buzz on the internet again, dropping his latest mixtape Echoes of Silence. Earlier this fall when he released Thursday, his site crashed and downloads were slow. He seemed a little more prepared for the bombardment this time around.
In a bold move, he opens the album with a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana”. The original’s song title was almost instantaneously trending on twitter. A combination of people thinking the cover butchers the original, the cover is better than the original and then MJ fans who probably think the Weeknd is just the name of some dumb punk who can’t spell.
The album has a little more aggressive sounding than the previous two mix tapes. The drum samples a little tighter and the vocals sounding more tense.
The Weeknd continue the trend of messing with sonic landscapes, throwing sounds from the right side to left side speakers, creating swirling confusion. A song like “XO/The Host” almost makes you want to look over both shoulders to makes sure nothing is coming as stressful guitars drop while Abel Tesfaye delivers some passion filled vocals.
One of the highlights of the albums comes on the Clams Casino produced track “The Fall” with what sounds like 20 000 people clapping their hands in sync in the background.
The last two tracks “Next” and “Echoes of Silence” rely on piano and vocals turning the occasion into a more somber and personal affair. Asking “baby will you end the night with me”as the feelings of artificial securities from a drug filled night start to fade away and fears of loneliness creeping in.
From a guy who was a complete unknown at the beginning of the year, by mixtape no. 3 he no longer is covered in mystery. Instead he is showing he knows who he is and where he stands, knowing every move he makes will blow up on the blogosphere. Heres to seeing what he does in 2012.
