After astonishing the underground music scene with the progressive soul of House of Balloons in March, The Weeknd continues to spin heads with Thursday, another free mixtape –– the second part of a trilogy. The third part is named Echoes of Silence and could come out at any moment. Abel Tesfaye, who goes by stage name The Weeknd, is only 21 years old, but way ahead of the game. He throws in everything from hip-hop to post-dubstep to everything in between and inside out.
Thursday eclipses many different moods –– happiness, hysteria, anxiety, speculation, etc. The second track, "Life Of the Party," has a sinister chorus that will melt the faces of industrial music fans. The Weeknd has the talent of sounding both mysterious and inviting at the same time. House of Balloons' lyrics were heavy on sex and drugs and Thursday has its moments. On "The Birds Part 1," Tesfaye sings, "Don't make me make you fall in love with a nigga like me" behind a rolling snare drum and squeaking guitar feedback. The song comes down with a pleasing acoustic guitar passage before "The Birds Part 2" begins with sounds of a girl crying. The song ends with sounds of yelling birds. "Gone," topping out at eight minutes, is a bass heavy track with finger snaps and a middle section of dreamy humming by Tesfaye, who goes on to sing "fuck me while I'm faded" over a narcotic beat.
There are surprises throughout. The acoustic guitar comes back with hand drums for "Rolling Stone," a pretty, emotive walk through some of Thursday's most stripped down, but best sounds. The song ends with guitar feedback and it's on to "Heaven Or Las Vegas," a fantastic finale. The track is dominated by a pulsating Rastafarian bass line, which emerges at the 1:50 mark, continuing alongside electronic flourishes.
The music hits on a high level, but The Weeknd's voice is a marvel. Tesfaye's vocal chords are laced with soul and R&B and it's hypnotic to say the least. Closing your eyes during Thursday is a smart idea, but don't fall asleep because you'll miss something meaningful.
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