Something For The Weeknd.
Cinemas closed. Concerts cancelled. Time called on sporting events. Self isolating and stockpiling of toilet rolls and hand sanitizer. 2020. Stranger things have happened, but this 'Contagion' feels like the apocalypse of 'World War Z' in this real world survival guide right now. But after the horrors of corona the hours are here now. Studio music to Spotify feels and streams like it's going to be the only escapism entertainment that survives right about now. And how about this dark neon design of bright lights to zone out to as the big city one's from our window wink and then go out like human nature? The weekend is here and so is the new 'After Hours' album from The Weeknd that is going to take your quarantine clubbing to your headphones like a silent disco. Old television set, bifocal frames. A red suit straight out of the vice city stories of Miami. Afro blown out looking like the neo soul of fellow R&B king Maxwell for your tape deck shuffle. Nelly band-aid on the bridge of this verse and hook man's nose. Blood all in his mouth like 'Vampires' in this night of the living dead. Album artwork thriller to the fourth wall scary eyes looking like something out of a John Carpenter movie as he escapes from L.A. like the Snake of Kurt Russell. Inspired by the fear and loathing of 'Casino', 'The Joker' and the jewels run of 'Uncut Gems' (a movie this man cameoed in as himself...no not me, The Weeknd) and its vivid like visual. The 'Blinding Lights' of a sonic scoring, cinematic sound and Vegas video, shining light. Like the 24 carat magic of a Bruno Mars or Ma$e dollar bill y'all on the strip of the city of sin that's "cold and lonely". Sounding like something out the 80's homage of a haunting 'Stranger Things' theme. This feels so good even if you can't feel your face. This game like Atari 'Blade Runner 2049' neon plays like the perfect futuristic/throwback hybrid. Almost a half decade back, no one haunts like the 'Starboy' things of The Weeknd.
Motherf###### following the Daft Punk 'Tron' light stream dance party of his last classic, The Weeknd drops yet another, well worth the wait like Saturday and Sunday. The 6 of Toronto, Canada's very own like the October of discoverer Drake, The Weeknd has been doing it for longer than a couple of days now. Following his anonymous YouTube uploads the big-three, 'House Of Balloons', 'Thursday' and 'Echoes Of Silence' 2011 mixtapes were a marvel like Captain Canada. And just look at him carrying the shield almost a decade later into a new one which should have been the new Gatsby roaring 20's, back again like Fitzgerald. But F. Scott what the f### happened? Its only March and we've already lost Kobe and got Corona. This feels like the 2016 theat knocked us out as we lost Ali, Prince and Bowie amongst others. And gained nothing but the brutal Brexit and terrible Trump. Coincidentally the last time The Weeknd dropped an album on Friday. Well at least the 'Legend Of The Fall' Like Brad Pitt is starting the year off right like that 'Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood' Academy Award winning actor did with that Oscar last Summer and the space odyssey of 'Ad Astra'. Saving us with music when we really need some inspiration for this isolation right about now and not the ignorant, self congratulatory possession rich celebrity cover of a Lennon classic for likes on Twitter. Imagine. I'm sorry Gal Gadot. You're still a hero. But I wonder, what was this woman thinking? Hitting 30 like his 'Trilogy' and the bigger three studio albums, The Weeknd drops his deepest and darkest, best ever yet from his back pocket. Like the 'Lust For Life' in his Lana Del Rey duets atop the Hollywood sign. Following the 'Kiss Land' opening mouth music, to the dark 'Beauty Behind The Madness' commercial, Grammy crowning breakthrough in your grill with 'Can't Feel My Face' and the 'Fifty Shades' of 'Earned It' between the grey areas. All before the sonic 'Starboy' and the supernova, self-titled single of four years back with the 'My Dear Melancholy' EP in between to tide us over like someone to hold in the middle of the night. On the beat bass bumping intro 'Alone Again', the Hollywood 'Hills' of the man who used to only call you "when it's half past five" has the same eyes singing, "Call me up and I'll send for you/Take me down to your altitude/I don't know if I can be alone again/I don't know if I can sleep alone again", again.
Electric eclectic like the pulse of Jay Electronica's new 'Written Testimony', saving hip-hop with Jay-Z just a week ago. What a time for urban music to be alive with Gambino about to get Childish again this weekend with the re-release of last week's surprise and then quarantined 'Donald Glover Presents' album stream. 'Heartless' is as hallowed as the 'Jesus Is King', Kanye West 808 Sunday service of the same name. Whilst 'Blinding Light' may just be the most illuminating hit of this Mercedes man's 'Drive' nightcall, commercial career. And the classic 'Can't Feel My Face' and Punk punctuated 'Starboy' are more than bangers too. Whose letting off all these fireworks? Add this one to the big-three like LeBron James and paying Dwyane Wade. Just like the third single, 'In Your Eyes' to be released as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye devotes on his most personal project yet, "I tried to find love/In someone else too many times/But I hope you know I mean it (Mean it)/When I tell you you're the one that was on my mind, oh." 'Too Late' is already too much on repeat your new, "if you like it then you should have put a ring on it" classic breakup jam too. All for the man who on Colbert late night drew rave Prince and Michael Jackson live reviews is a star of our generations time boy. The album title track, produced by Bad Boys, 'Don't Wanna Know' legend Mario Winans who sampled the strings of Madonna's 'Papa Don't Preach' for his other classic 'Never Really Was' is just as good as the last albums title track as the beat goes on like never better before. This album (which others haven't sounded as fresh as since Timbaland and Ginuwine's middle of the night atmospheric, R&B gem of a classic 'The Bachelor' of almost a quarter of a century (WHAT!?) ago) is all in, all the way in until the 'Repeat After Me (Interlude)'...("as this album is all the way in un...") and 'Until I Bleed Out' through the veins and capillaries of this X and O. The whole soundtrack sound like it was 'Stranger' scored all the way to Eleven by The Duffer Brothers. From the future single worthy 'Hardest To Love', to the frighteningly euphoric and atmospheric, 'Scared To Live', as The Weeknd sings, "you always miss the chance to fall for someone else/'Cause your heart only knows me". On something lyrically and lavishly like another surefire single on that, "I'm not the same man I used to be" love comeback classic stuff. On the piano keys snuff of 'Snowchild' the 'Marvin's Room' scene stealer going dizzy like Gillespie as he vows to make his "wrists bleed" of he doesn't "make it by 16". "Futuristic spaceships" sound effects space invade the dreams of a kid who wanted to be in the "Tribeca like Jay-Z", who now has the the type of Mercedes-Benz Janis Joplin dreamt and sang about with "diamonds dancing like Swayze" or Drake and Future. It's crazy. The big, beautiful beats keep the 'Faith' on that and 'Save Your Tears' with its maybe "I saw you dancing", 'Crowded Room' Selena Gomez Easter Egg for something that with those movie moments really is cinematic. We only have to hear his trademark 'Melancholy' like an extended play to see tears were spared at his exes expense, but that's his business. Not ours. We just know that this Weeknd warrior lives to fight another day with something we've been waiting more than all week for. But as long as those last seven days have seemed in quarantine. Still after all that in the middle of a nuanced neon night of nocturnal loneliness, these 'Hours' belong to us. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Alone Again', 'Escape From LA', 'Blinding Lights'.
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