Guest Blogger: Jillian M1

Throughout the album House of Balloons, The Weekend, using his silky smooth R&B voice blew artist, Frank Ocean, out of the water. "You don't know what's in store, but you know what you're here for." Immediately, the stage was set for a sultry slow jam album, and with slow distorted beats, it makes for a hypnotic and intoxicating effect. The Weekend’s vocals, intermixed with heartache, tragedy and relationship misfortune, House of Balloons was produced with such emotional honesty and rawness that the listener can’t help but be swayed by the music. In my personal favorite, “Wicked Games”, The Weekend brilliantly amplifies emotions of tragic pain, defeat, and desperation. With the haunting lyrics, “Bring your love, baby, I can bring my shame/Bring the *****, baby, I can bring my pain/I’ve got my heart right here/I’ve got my scars right here,” Abel showcased his disturbing and brutally raw lyrics. In his review giving the album an 8.5, Joe Colly perfectly describes what makes House of Balloons so original and intoxicating, “What makes this whole thing work in an album context is that all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together-- these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence … are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably the xx's debut … that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality. And even though the image of nightlife painted by the Weeknd isn't a place you'd ever want to live, it's one that's frankly very hard to stop listening to.” (Colly, Pitchfork.com). Rolling Stone also gave a worthy 4 star review of House of Balloons commenting, “It can all be disturbingly raw…The wormy hooks and earnest falsettos suggest the possibility of ginormous hits…” In my overall opinion, with the awesome beats that are not lacking meaningful lyrics, House of Balloons is absolutely brilliant and worth every cent, a mix of R&B/Indie album like none I have never heard. In every song, there is at least one thing the listener can relate to and empathize with. I have no doubt that The Weekend has even further enormous potential in the future.