![]() ![]() Besides the various explicit features, the songs on this album reference Michael Jackson (“A Lonely Night”), even Justin Bieber’s “What Do U Mean?” with the electro-howls on “True Colors”. Lana’s interlude, over all other tracks, reinforces the point that The Weeknd, at least in regards to Starboy, doesn’t have a sound of his own, that any artist that features on his album is welcomed to bring his or her own sound to Starboy. ![]() Sophie: The Lana feature was interesting, Kendrick’s great but relatively lazy. As she hits her high notes, The Weeknd sings, “I just want to see you shine because I know you are a stargirl,” making for an amazing, but unfortunately underdeveloped, track. Lana’s sultry, crooning voice pairs with the amazing beat, which has muted chords slightly reminiscent of her Ultraviolence album, especially “West Coast.” Her poetic lyrics paint a picture of “nails in the kitchen,” and you can see the songstress act out her parts in an actual kitchen in this video she posted to her Instagram profile the day of the album release. Pauline: My ultimate favorite track on the album, however, if you can even call it that, is the “Stargirl Interlude” featuring Lana Del Rey, which in my opinion is way too short. He is more a singer, a face, a hairstyle, and an admirer of the process of creating manufactured music above all else-he’s also specifically acknowledged this point. In this case, that’s more than welcome, as the darker atmosphere of The Weeknd’s music better captures current trends and the attitudes of club-going 20-somethings and young people who now, at least in theory, prize chasing money and status over any emotional intimacy, a pervasive theme throughout the album and mainstream pop in general.Īs much as I think this album a perfectly manufactured pre-, in, and post-club mainstream electropop/hip-hop album, this album made me realize that The Weeknd doesn’t have a strong voice. “Starboy” is essentially “Get Lucky” with Pharell replaced by The Weeknd. Sophie: “Expanding the artist’s voice” is what I thought this album was going to do but failed to do. Paying homage to hip-hop nostalgia, Kendrick repurposes Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s “It Takes Two” as he raps “I wanna rock.” His track with Kendrick, “Sidewalks,” intertwines a jazz groove typical of the rapper with amazing guitar, and is definitely a high point on Starboy. The album opens up with “Starboy,” an addictive song produced with Daft Punk that was essentially the hottest jam of late summer, early fall. I am especially a fan of the collaborative efforts on this album of his, as they are with a lot of my personal favorites: Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, and Kendrick Lamar. Pauline: The just-released Weeknd album, Starboy, expands the artist’s voice, this time evolving into a more space-age, electropop sound combined with his famous R&B vocals and hip-hop rhymes. ![]()
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