You said it pretty well yourself with "Album's a big blob of near-indistinguishable moody ramblings"

It's a homogenous slog and I feel like all of the edge he had on Trilogy has been rounded off in favor of making his style as approachable, accessible, and digestible to the lowest common denominator possible. My rating is harsh and knee-jerky, but it irritates me that The Weeknd started as what sounded like a challenge to the monotony of the state of mainstream alt r&b only to gradually become the face of it. I don't have an inherent problem with commercial music, but I do have a problem with artists sacrificing their artistic integrity for the whims of their ego which is what the Weeknd's career trajectory has felt like to me.

It also strikes me as ironic because now alt r&b is thriving and really proliferating in the underground but this dude who had so much to say back when it was stale and crusty all of the sudden is like "i deserve a grammy wah, circle jerk my vapid sell out album"

The entitlement is nauseating

Haven't heard but I bet this isn't fun

Antithesis of fun

Album Rating: 4.0

it's fun

You fucking know it isn't

You like it, but you know it isn't "fun"

mmhmm

it’s pop, who cares

jk i care

Album Rating: 4.0

no it's pretty fun

he’s super entitled.
but you’re the one always trying (and suceeding) to convince me to care less about shit like that. And it sounds good IDK.
I think the idea of The Weeknd ever being REALLY edgy is hilario. Yes, even in trilogy days. It’s always been an obvious act lol. Like, jesus, look at his artist name.

Well achhhhttually, the point of my "it's pop, who cares" quote to you all those months ago was that who cares if it's shallow, branded, spoon fed, and curated by a team of professionals hellbent on getting their grubby little fingers into your wallet as long as it's fun. But this isn't fun. Coomer-drake was fun once, but not anymore and thats the prob.

I don't know about "REALLY" edgy, and yes it has become apparent that he has always just been in it for the ego and the greed, but trilogy was edgy for something that quite quickly became mainstream alt r&b at the time and it is disappointing that it wasn't genuine

Album Rating: 3.0

yeah i wouldn't consider this that much fun lol

Album Rating: 4.0

"and yes it has become apparent that he has always just been in it for the ego and the greed"



I mean



the entire theme of this album is how much the ego and the greed has ruined him so I think he's at least a little self-aware

the grubby-handed-ones did a good job

Another thing that is not fun is his entire persona which adds another layer of difficulty for me. If ur gonna be this entitled and pretentious at least be a fucking musical paragon so there is at least something to back it up. If you are just making LCD mainstream pop be fun and entertaining at least so I can overlook the fact that the music is superficial and panderous and say "who cares, it's just pop"

"the entire theme of this album is how much the ego and the greed has ruined him so I think he's at least a little self-aware"

Fair

Either that or just strategic. Everyone likes a "redemption" arch. Hopefully ur right and it gets some good material out of him again in the future

he shy

Commercial pop should be like a blatant self aware popcorn flick, not a big studio overseas blockbuster mascarading as an auteur art film