That’s right folks, do not adjust your monitors. R&B Friday is actually available on a Friday. As a result, it does mean the material isn’t particularly plentiful this week, but it doesn’t mean the quality isn’t there. In fact, I suspect many R&B Fridays fans will rather enjoy this episode, with 2 Frank Ocean-related tracks and a remix of one of The Weeknd’s best tracks featured.
We’ve seen many weekly series come and go here at OTU, but it’s been a while since we’ve launched a new one, which frankly isn’t in keeping with our ‘we do things differently’ mantra.
That would be the marketing spin on this. The truth is, the thought occurred to me that as modern-day music listeners, we consume so much music on a daily and weekly basis that there have become two clear pools of choice when picking something to listen to: either a classic, old-school track or something relatively new. “What’s wrong with that?”, I hear you cry. “The vast middle in between those two”, I reply.
There are countless songs that lie in that grey area of being a little old, but nowhere near aged enough to be considered ‘classic’, and often they get overlooked. Several tracks may have been ‘ahead of their time’, and you’ll find them an almost brand new listen in today’s climate, or it may simply be revisiting an excellent track to recrete that ‘first time’ feel once again. Welcome to your friendly reminder of tracks we may have once loved (or even completely ignored), and enjoy the fresh yet familiar feeling that accompanies each one.
There’s a considerable chunk of buzz around this remix, as The Weeknd apparently personally asked for this remix after seeing a video of it being performed, and he made a good move as I much prefer this to the ricketty, loose original which had little replayability for me. The dark, ominous nature that the slowed-down remix creates adds a depth and intrigue that was wholly missing from the original, and one that works with The Weeknd’s vocals much more fluently. The sharp, irritating percussion is dulled somewhat here which is another excellent stroke, and props go to Shlomo for making this track infinitely more listenable. Click below to stream the track, or here to download it.
Welcome to our end of year special, and once again we’ve changed the format (here for 2010,and here, here, here and here for 2009). Whilst we enjoyed last year’s Top MC’s round-up, the reasons for change were two-fold: firstly, the sheer dearth of ‘top MC’s’ this year, and secondly the need to incorporate the many other genres that we’re fans of.
To satisfy that requirement, Indi and myself have compiled 5 moments (we use that term loosely, as many/most of them aren’t exact moments) that we feel accurately represent and summarise 2011 from our collective perspective. As expected, we’ve cheated in places by grouping certain things together, but I’m sure you’ll all see its for the greater good. Or, alternatively, you’ll understand that we do it because we feel like it.
As per every year, many of you will agree, many will disagree but frankly we’re glad you have an opinion and would love to hear it. Without further ado, click on to see the moment(s) that kick off our top 5 countdown.
Much like its predecessors, the final part of The Weeknd’s trilogy arrives completely unexpectedly to close off what’s been a huge year for the singer.
I was a little disappointed with Thursday, and whilst there were a couple of excellent tracks, it lacked the cohesiveness that made House of Balloons such a great listen. Early signs suggest Echoes is an improvement in that sense, and hopefully his recent exposure to pastures new by featuring on one of the year’s best selling albums will see further evolution stylistically. With the trilogy now closed off, it’s fair to assume he’ll now be focusing on his official debut album, with which I’m sure he’ll experience much success in 2012. For now, grab Echoes of Silence below.
Many people’s favourite track from Take Care (I like the production but I’m less keen on the vocal and lyrical work, like much of the album), and it’s taken for a spin around the electro block with this thumping remix.
Dominating synths, sharp electronic samples and a booming percussion combine themselves for an enjoyable dance track, and really there’s only a light sprinkling of Drake/The Weeknd’s vocal, with relatively muted samples that add a subtle touch of R&B to the lively, positive production. Oddly for a remix, it bears no resemblance to the original but is a strong enough piece of original production to warrant a listen.
Nothing to really recap on in the world of R&B this past week, it’s been a rather slow one.
Wait, what? Why is Indi in charge of this week’s R&B Friday and where the hell is Ajay? Well folks, he went overboard on his pump level this weekend and he’s been locked up for everyone’s safety (don’t worry though, with his legally entitled one phone call, he hand-picked this week’s tracks for me to review anyway).
Click on below to get hold of this week’s holy trinity of R&B goodness.
Difficult to believe considering his popularity, but these are the first official visuals from The Weeknd, aptly set to the opening track on his first mixtape. He’s opted to debut in style with a mini-movie, and though this may be unpopular with his new mainstream fans, I suspect the earlier followers (who I’m assuming to be a little more artsy) may enjoy it.
The video is undoubtedly a little bizarre, but patience and focused viewing reveals it to be a good visualisation of the dark, ethereal nature of the audio. The video centres around the The Weeknd and a female who once shared a ‘world’, with the subsequent seperation causing The Weeknd’s world to to crumble. The female then steals his heart and unsuccessfully attempts to crush it, ending with her world then beginning to crumble, and a satisfying bit of closure as he finally ‘lets go’.
The visual effects used throughout are excellent, with the 2D ‘Jankyvision’ creating a mixture of realism and animation that adds surrealness to the apocalyptic scenes, whilst the space setting adds a real sense of importance and atmosphere, and the dark colour palette enhances the unsettling vibe around certain scenes. The often-subtle pointers toward the lyrics of the song are a nice touch, infusing a touch of regularity to counter-balance the unusual goings on throughout. One that needs to be viewed properly for full effect, and an enjoyable watch once you’ve done so. Grab this track on his House of Balloons mixtape here.
Some brand new material from The Weeknd, released in typically unexpected, sudden circumstances just under an hour ago.
A very dark effort, the most notable feature is the heavy pitch distortion on his voice throughout the track, altering his voice from a deep, demented style to a lighter, more harmonic style, with flashes of his own unfiltered vocals also creeping through intermittently. It’s a little disorienting on first listen, but a few listens unveils the effect’s intention to create a jagged, perpetually moving style, one that blends with the crashing percussion and light vocal samples to decent effect.
It also works to increase listener engagement in the lyricism, as the distortions require a close, focused listen to really catch everything on offer, with the lyrics displaying a marked improvement on some of his earlier efforts. Certainly one of his more alternative, experimental efforts, and one that may not resonate with his entire fanbase, but could certainly see new fans getting on board. No (approved) download link just yet, but there’s enough free material available with the Thursday and House of Balloons albums.
A collaboration that will set faux-hipster eyes alight. The promising radio rip originally surfaced last week after Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 premiere, and the track officially made its way to iTunes last night.
The Weeknd adds his trademark dark, ambient spin onto the powerful, emotive vocals of Florence with a series of experimental samples, attention-grabbing percussion hits, and a soft key melody floating in the background. The hook adds a little more verve and energy, with a driving synth and vocal distortions that add a somehwat paradoxical chaotic melancholy, and whilst The Weeknd doesn’t seem to actually contribute vocally, his distinctive sound is all over this one. Very good remix that effortlessly floats across alternative and pop. Grab it on iTunes below.
Undoubtedly, the hype surrounding The Weeknd is at a peak right now, and he rides the crest of the wave with the highly-anticipated release of his sophomore project, Thursday. The ambient House of Balloons was a resounding success for the talented vocalist, and I’ve got little doubt that quality will continue here, with what is expected to be a different, more uptempo offering; two recent tracks we have heard from The Weeknd attest to that, with Rolling Stone and The Birds part 1 making the cut.
A few cryptic tweets from The Weeknd and Drake suggested the release was coming, and those rumblings proved to be true in the late hours of last night/this morning. Even at that early hour, I’m informed the release managed to crash both The Weeknd and Drake’s websites! Naturally, we’ve procured ourselves a copy, and you can click below to grab yours, with a backup link also available.
The Weeknd-Thursday (backup link here)
Pretty much a two-artist episode this week, with 50% of the episode made up of new Chris Brown material, and the other half being remixes of/involving The Weeknd. Two different ends of the R&B spectrum for sure, and hopefully that should keep you all rather satisfied.
Some really interesting remixes this week, with the works of R&B poster boys Drake and Frank Ocean undergoing treatment from their peers. Of course, there’s a sprinkling of original material too with a range of styles represented.
Brand new material from the very talented The Weeknd, with a track believed to be from his upcoming Thursday project. Undoubtedly, the buzz is really gathering steam for this newcomer, and it’s nice to see him come through with more good material here.
Considerably more uptempo and busy than his work on House of Balloons, the production boasts a marching band-style percussion that brings a great deal of energy and drive to the track, potentially an indicator that his next body of work will be a departure from the ambient stylings of his first. The vocals are very enjoyable once again, with his distinctive and engaging voice etching itself on your music memory with each line, particularly his hook line of ‘don’t make me make you fall in love’, which will ring around your head for days. Hugely enjoyable material, and good to see he can take to a different style with the same skill and quality he did with his atmospheric, wintery work on House of Balloons.
On we roll with the institution of institutions, and it’s probably fair to say that the highlight of this week’s R&B has already been posted: having finally got around to listening to The Weeknd’s debut project I was incredibly impressed by it, and would wholeheartedly recommend you R&B Friday fans checked it out.
I rarely hand in my late pass, but I have to here as this album is frightening. The Weeknd is a somewhat mysterious singer out of Toronto that appears to have something incredibly special about him, a view that has been co-signed by his fellow Toronto native Drake amongst others.
This debut project from back in March combines the key atmospheric, ‘night pop’ quality of projects such as Drake’s So Far Gone and The xx’s album with an unmistakeably individual artistic flair, offering a consistently engaging listen that you’ll replay again and again. With captivating and versatile vocal skills alongside a rich diversity in production choices, the 9-track brings together a range of influences to successfuly blend R&B, alternative and soul to offer a crossover appeal that will be impossible to dislike. Miss this, and you’re seriously doing yourself an injustice: alongside Frank Ocean, this is someone to be very excited about.
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