With so many songs about so many different failed relationships and numerous bad break ups, someone really ought to ask if Taylor Swift has ever thought it might be her that was the problem after all. Seriously, if that girl wasn’t such a train wreck she’d have no career at all. It’s one thing having a few sad songs, but making a legacy out of it is just excessive. That said, the full gamut of negative emotions have indeed created some of a most profound art the world has ever seen, but Shakespeare had Comedies as well as Tragedies. Abel Tesfaye, the main man behind The Weeknd, can probably be levelled with such a charge of single-mindedness too. His career, although proving illustrious at the moment, is hinged on a debauched cocktail of inebriation, promiscuity and guilt. He sings about drugs, and women, and all of that r’n’b jazz with an inherent passion, but also a fair dash of melancholy. And yet the money that funds the booze/drugs/sex parties that seem to be commonplace in Abel’s world can only be facilitated by the success of his music, which both glamorises and critiques that lifestyle.
Most recent release ‘Enemy’ is the standard XO fare; it’s carnally slick, so well executed, and just a tad misogynistic – perfect if you like that sort of thing. But there’s always that feeling that it’s got an expiration date. If you go back and listen to R Kelly now, as much of a tune that ‘Ignition’ is, there’s no stopping that little smirk at the outdated clothes, beats and feelings. It’s not that ‘Enemy’ is a bad track, not at all; it’s just that The Weeknd’s first mixtape House Of Balloons felt so seminal that it’s a shame Abel seems to be stuck in a certain groove. If he channels his inner MJ, and broadens his horizons a little, he could really become something, but on the evidence of this track, it’s not going to be long until slowed down Smiths samples, hazy beats and soulful delivery becomes a bit old hat.
Discover The Weeknd: Official // Facebook // Twitter
By Alex Throssell
Dance Yrself Clean
