Review Summary: Cult Figure to Pop Sensation
The trajectory of The Weeknd has been an interesting arc to follow. It has been especially interesting for those who have been listening since
House of Balloons, The Weeknd’s debut mixtape. Before Top 40 hits and Ariana Grande features, The Weeknd was a cult figure hidden in the online community, a “recluse” who with three releases made soundtracks for late night revelries. His songs created dream worlds of enchanted hedonism slowly spiraling downward into darkness. He was a mystery.
Within the last year or so, The Weeknd has ascended into the public sphere, his fan base growing each day. And in a lot of ways it is this ascension that has caused a lot of anxiety among within the circles of day one fans. Of course one wants to see their artist succeed except not have to face the consequences of that rise to stardom. With
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd will finally capitalize on his momentum, his transformation into a pop star. The album’s perception might have been marred in the mind of fans’ own heightened expectations, their internal strife of selfless devotion vs. selfish withholdance. For some, The Weeknd was a musician who not only made cool music but each new song discovery felt like a personal journey, something special.
These journeys were into the private life of an enigma. Each song opened doors to a world of partying, provocative women, drugs and The Weeknd’s own exploration into debauchery hoping to find some semblance of happiness, only to discovery that each high only led to a darker, more nightmarish place than before. Fans want other people to enjoy the music yet at the same time feel hostility toward the growing fame, harboring a worry that people might misunderstand their artist. With this new album, many felt that maybe The Weeknd would censor his vision for commercial success and the appeasement of the record label.
Well
Beauty Behind the Madness has finally arrived. Whatever worries had populated fan’s expectations should be diminished after listening to the new record. Yes it is a pop album but that is the burgeoning allure of where The Weeknd now stands. It is a pop album without fully encompassing the standards of pop music. The only cut off the album that feels commercially motivated is the Ed Sheeran feature (“Dark Times”) yet the rest of it still carries the same dark, muddy, drugged-out vibe that have always been defining characteristics of The Weeknd’s sound.
Lyrically, he is at the height of his powers. “In the Night” showcases The Weeknd has the ability to create complex stories, in this case about a woman who tries to escape the wounds of her past. The beat of the song is radio-friendly but also dark while The Weeknd’s own powerful voice gives it a tragic quality. On “Tell Your Friends” he conjures a picturesque glimpse into his new life thus far, reassuring us that he’s still the crooner with the hair “popping pills, ***ing bitches/living a life so trill.”
The Weeknd has always been open with the facets of his character, even if at times it was hedonistic and with
Beauty he still captures the role of villain, lothario, drug user. Except this time around he adds something new. On “Acquainted” and “As You Are” he shares his newfound worry about falling in love. Although he places his anxiety in the semantics of sex, he reveals a possible longing for a new face of desire, a meaningful one.
Where
Trilogy was claustrophobic and muddy,
Beauty Behind the Madness is more electrifying, just listen to “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills.” Sonically, the moods range from dark melodies to reverberating crescendos, with The Weeknd capturing incarnations of pop music heroes like Prince and Michael Jackson. Although he strives for a more pop sound, which is to say a happier, less gloomy outlook than his past efforts, this change does not feel like a concession to radio but a practical change, The Weeknd in a new perspective.
Beauty Behind the Madness at times feels like a grand exposition, a remarkable opus that highlights The Weeknd’s complex character, a man who is at once brooding, provocative, braggadocious, hedonistic yet at once sensitive and gentle. Somehow he conquers the trappings of the pop music machine, making a dark work that still finds the ability to craft self-loathing into a celebratory listen.
The metamorphosis of The Weeknd feels triumphant, a solidification of what he was always meant to accomplish. He manages to capture his past while aiming for the future and we love him for that.
