I've yet to move past the insanely catchy single, "House Of Ballons/Glass Table Girls" from The Weekend's self-released (and free) mixtape, House of Balloons. Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto-based R&B singer who is the brainchild of The Weekend, had the genius idea of sampling Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single from Kaleidoscope, "Happy House," for his title track, and the result is an incredibly addictive fusion of dance and R&B. The Weekend's recent surge in popularity stemmed originally from three songs that were uploaded to YouTube sometime in late 2010. After gaining some popularity, Tesfaye eventually released a free mixtape in March of this year, and critics have been drooling over the album ever since. I have to say that at times I find the fusion of House, R&B, and light rap to be a bit clunky, but when it works (such as on the title track, below) it really works. Give this song a listen and see what you think. You can download the mixtape for free from The Weekend's official website, but it's so backed up with traffic at the moment, you may have to wait a while to get through. Especially on the weekend.
The Weeknd - House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls by snipelondon
Apocalypse
[Drag City; 2011]
GENRE: Americana, folk-rock, stupid-awesome paradox of a smooth-gravely voiced genius.
Upon listening to Bill Callahan's 2009 album, Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle, I was very happy to unearth my own ignorance with regard to the artist's past. He had been making records under the Smog moniker since the early 90s, so I had a whole trove of treasures just waiting to be unearthed and enjoyed. There is something unrelentingly lush and simultaneously sparse about Callahan's music and vocal combination that renders his music relaxing and unhurried. When his records come on there is suddenly all the time in the world and, on rare occasions, Callahan uses his baratone, nearly speaking vocal style to lull you into his world just in time to remind you that he is very much alive and rockin'. Listen to the track "America!" embedded below. Enjoy
Bill Callahan - America! by FBi Radio
No comments:
Post a Comment