The birds (Part 1) - The Weeknd (Thursday, 2011)

By the year end, it won’t be Watch the Throne that’s going to define this year’s music in the blogosphere. The honour will go to The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), Drake’s buddy cum R&B’s newest boy-wonder, if the third of his gorgeous trilogy mixtapes lives up to its two predecessors. Thursday is a drugged-out interlude, wherein seduction in-spite-of engulfs everything in a broken-hearted haze before the cycle of self-torture begins anew. To listen to Thursday, you’d think someone really broke Abel. He’s fallen and he’s pounding his way further into hell rather than getting up. “I’m in a life without a home,” he cries on Rolling Stone. But his flow kills, so he’ll keep hurting ‘til it’s all numb (or at least until a proper album is released). Abel is also in the zone, but I’m guessing it’s more of a disaster zone than the killer zone Ye & Jayz go on about.

The party and the after party - The Weeknd (House of Balloons, 2011)

Free & sexy (!) mixtape to salivate over. The Weeknd is Abel Tesfaye, an R&B artist from Toronto (represents!). But at first brush, you might mistake him for The-Dream. I did, but that could be because I believe there’s me and there’s the rest of you.

(Song link via The Stark Online)

Track List:

1. Bulletproof (Nacey Remix ft. Matt Hemerlein)
2. Colourless Artibella
3. I’m Not Your Lemonade + Heroes ‘N‘ Villains Remix ft. Gucci Mane
4. Independent Kill ft. Candi Redd
5. Keep It Fascinating
6. Magic (Falling Soldiers Dub)
7. In 4 The Kill Pon De Skream
8. Houstatlantavegas Pains ft Drake
9. Tigerlily (DYWHAP Blend) ft. Rusko
10. Can’t Stop Now (Armor Love Remix)
11. Quicksand (Mad Decent 2010 Rerub) ft. Amanda Blank
12. Cover My Eyes (Costra Nostra Edit)
13. I Said It (Major Lazer Dubplate) ft. Opal
14. Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate) ft. Gyptian