House of Balloons

by The Weeknd

Overview

Taken as mood music designed for toxic and illicit late-night situations, House of Balloons -- the debut from Toronto vocalist Abel Tesfaye, released as a free download on his Tumblr blog -- can make for absorptive listening. Joined by producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo, Zodiac, and Rainer, Tesfaye -- to lift a phrase from David Toop -- exemplifies the combination of "sugar and poison" that has powered R&B throughout its evolution. Tesfaye's voice is a gentle, bruised, and occasionally gorgeous-sounding instrument that, through sound and words, mixes based belligerence with palpable inner turmoil. "Let me see that ass, look at all this cash" and "I got my heart right here, I got my scars right here," both from "Wicked Games," sum up the angle. The unrelenting stream of dramatically delivered lyrics about getting high and laid can be draining. If Tesfaye didn't punctuate so many thoughts with "fuck" and "motherfuckin'," or struggle with completing couplets -- as he does most glaringly with "I'm on that shit you can't smell, baby/So put down your perfume" -- it wouldn't be a problem. Also, there are instances where it seems likely that Tesfaye does not have Urban Dictionary bookmarked, like when he says he'll "knock your boots off" (an apparent mix of knocking boots and knock your socks off) and brags that he's "always on that okey-dokey" (unless he's proud of being a gullible doormat). Still, Tesfaye and his producers are often ideal foils for one another. The numb, dragged-out melodies and ice-cold drums in "High for This," and the swaggering hook over a chiming lullaby backing in "The Party and the After Party" (one of few instances where Tesfaye views a female as more than a mere conquest) are two of several highlights. House of Balloons is no turning point in a field populated by dozens of elder space cadets and mood architects, from Massive Attack to Spacek to Sa-Ra. As a flawed first step from a young newcomer, however, it's impressive. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2015
Label:	Republic
UPC:	0602547481917

Tracks

1. High for This
2. What You Need
3. House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls
4. The Morning
5. Wicked Games
6. The Party & The After-Party
7. Coming Down
8. Loft Music
9. Knowing
10. Twenty Eight

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Weeknd   Primary Artist,Vocals
Henry Walter   Multi Instruments
Adrien Gough   Multi Instruments
Adrian Eccleston   Guitar
Don McKinney   Multi Instruments
Abel Tesfaye   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Jeremy Rose   Multi Instruments
Rainer Millar Blanchaer   Multi Instruments
William Brock   Guitar,Lead Guitar
Illangelo   Multi Instruments

Technical Credits

Henry Walter   Recording,Instrumentation,Composer,Engineer
Simon Raymonde   Composer
Elizabeth Fraser   Composer
Robin Guthrie   Composer
Jeremy Rose   Engineer,Producer,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
Moon Martin   Composer
Steven Severin   Composer
Victoria Legrand   Composer
Adrien Gough   Composer,Instrumentation
Peter Clarke   Composer,Composer
Dream Machine   Producer
Don McKinney   Engineer,Producer
Martin "Doc" McKinney   Producer,Recording
Alex Scally   Composer
Susan Janet Ballion   Composer
The Weeknd   Producer
John Martin   Composer
Rainer   Producer
Zodiac   Producer,Recording
Carlo "Illangelo" Montagnese   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Recording
Abel Tesfaye   Composer,Instrumentation
Doc McKinney   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
Rainer Millar Blanchaer   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Matthew Acton   Assistant Engineer
Shin Kamiyama   Assistant Engineer
Doc   Producer
R. Millar Blancheur   Composer
Illangelo   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
Dom McKinney   Composer