No, this isn't a hostage play like the one going on in our nation's capital or anything specifically emphatic. But as I perused Twitter Sunday night and noted Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot's transmissions from the first of two shows in Chicago for Toronto post r&b mystery man The Weeknd and read his review on Monday, this fact became crystal clear to me. At this point in the fall of 2013, it's past time that The Weeknd make a stop in Buffalo.

After bursting on the scene with an air of elusive mystery and a killer mixtape called House Of Balloons in 2011, The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, has cultivated a rabid and growing following thanks to his expressive new jack soul voice, ever interesting indie electronica sound, and dark, sexy, and vaguely dangerous witching hour subject matter. Enigmatic amorphousness soon gave way to hot live shows in Toronto and GTA before the hotly buzzed about act completely skipped Buffalo on their way to larger, more buzzworthy locals, and for local fans who'd gone all in The Weeknd's next two free mixtapes Thursday and Echoes of Silence and waited for Canada's next big thing to play here, it hurt.

It hurt because this is Buffalo, a city that's enjoyed the musical bounty of our neighbors to the north for decades, from Rush to The Tragically Hip to Sloan to Arkells, etc. etc.. We're the creamy nougat of Tor-Buff-Chester, the one's that get Arkells shows at the Town Ballroom, Tokyo Police Club at Soundlab, Wildlife at the Mohawk, Sam Roberts in just about every venue in the city, Gord Downie at the Adam's Mark to play and talk about protecting our Great Lakes, and two Hip shows at the Outer Harbor when Mother Nature rains us out. We've got the Peace Bridge, that brings us this wonderful bounty as well as the occasional band coming from or going to Toronto, where EVERYBODY plays. His US debut was always earmarked for someplace else, The Weeknd was crossing over into the US via WNY on his march to conquest on a regular basis.

And it's even worse now that The Weeknd released his proper debut album, Kissland, on Universal last month and riding an even bigger wave of buzz after an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel and Letterman and shows in big markets. It's becoming clear that The Weeknd is the big thing coming out of Canada right now (whereas Wildlife is the next big thing coming out of Canada), but because he falls entirely in between genres he's nowhere on local radio, a big problem now that we've skipped the "getting to know each other" phase on his path to stardom. 

Ideally The Weeknd (on Universal Records) would be in rotation on our "new music alternative" 107.7 FM, but that station is still decidedly in it's infancy and yet to fully take up it's professed mantle as a source for new music. I haven't heard any Weeknd, Toro Y Moi, Janelle Monae, or Chvrches for that matter, and way, way too much No Doubt and Muse, and that's a damn shame, especially because it isn't aiding in getting The Weeknd down here to Buffalo for a show. But I still remain optimistic about that station, in part because they're still setting up a local operation that will theoretically give it the local flavor longed for by area music fans. Patience will be a virtue, and in any case it's gratifying to hear Tame Impala, Phoenix, and new Arcade Fire on Buffalo radio that isn't 91.3.

I guess that patience applies to The Weeknd getting down here for a show. It is inevitable after all. It might be after his second album when he's spreading it around beyond the places he hit on his magical mystery introductory tour. In the meantime I'll re-consume his Trilogy mini boxed set (which collected his 3 mixtapes for a rather affordable price) and the aforementioned Kissland, and keep an eye out for word of our Buffalo show. Word on the street is that it will be worth the wait.

The other day, Nick was writing about his favorite venues and he mentioned The Icon, which of course was the spot back in the day. Sure I saw De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest there, and yes it was one of the first joints in Buffalo to serve Guinness on draft, but for me The Icon was it's third floor, with the reggae and old school hip-hop, and the couches and the smoke and people of various creeds and colors getting ____ed up and chilling the ____ out. That's what I think of when I listen to The Weeknd. That, and strip clubs. Not because The Weeknd is stripper music per se (although some Weeknd tracks would certainly work); rather, because The Weeknd brilliantly conjures scenes from a strip club and it's champagne rooms and a downtown world of backrooms, drugs, sex, getting ____ed up, and burning up the night...

One of the best things about 2011 absolutely was The Weeknd. Over the span of three free Internet mixtapes, Abel Tesfaye and his producers stunned listeners and critics with emotionally complex lyrics and sonically adventurous productions that immediately drew the attention of indie listeners. House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence became events unto themselves,  while pointing to another possible future for r&b now that that genre is entirely played out, along with Frank Ocean, The Dream, and How To Dress Well. If you missed all of this (I won't hold it against you) all is not lost because The Weeknd has compiled all three mixtapes plus three new songs into a remastered and potent collection aptly entitled Trilogy that would easily be a contender for album of the year if it hadn't already been released last year.




House of Balloons starts us off in The Weeknd's midnight world with the dark and illicit "High For This," an ode to sly seduction and dangerous sex that features Tesfaye singing in his beautiful angelic falsetto "trust me girl... you wanna be high for this" to the object of his desire and to his audience. House of Balloons as an album is in fact one big vicarious seduction as The Weeknd slyly entices you to experience the dark thrills on display through the music. When not talking nasty Abel Tesfaye also proves to be a keen observer, wryly describing the particulars of the back room at a strip club in "House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls" and bleary AM scenes when the night's earnings/losses get counted in "The Morning." Best of all, the characters that stock these seamy tableaus are in touch with their tortured emotions, adding a little British New Wave anguish to the post r&b proceedings which already benefit from favoring Beach House and Siouxsie & The Banshees samples, trip-hop, and indie electronics over the now stale ass r&b tropes that have buried the genre. Yes, Tesfaye's tasty falsetto and phrasing is perfect, perfect r&b, but The Weeknd's House of Balloons and the rest of Trilogy is something new.

Thursday, the second installment should have been the runt of the litter and the one that should've scuttled the whole enterprise but like everything else about Trilogy it satisfyingly defied expectations. Trading the midnight champagne room milieu of House of Balloons for the hazy late night/early morning dreamworld of after hours parties and what happens when the lights go up, Thursday takes things further lyrically and musically. The exceedingly chilled out vibe of House of Balloons begins to take on an even darker hue on Thursday as grinding guitar samples and jittery electronics give the album an anxious teeth gnashing quality that goes perfectly with the late late after hours scenes and emotional wreckage and recriminations on display. 

Echoes of Silence, the final installment of Trilogy serves as The Weeknd's graduate thesis, mature and fascinatingly divergent from House of Balloons as it embraces electronic minimalism while jettisoning the samples and traditional r&b structures that the first two parts played with while the sleaziness and emotional tumult crescendos and climaxes. After a properly louche and rough and tumble cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana," Silence quickly gets down to the nitty gritty on blistering cuts like "XO," "The Fall," and "Echoes of Silence" that showcases Tesfaye's unflinchingly blunt lyrical honesty, in stark contrast to the juvenile cheese wiz of contemporary r&b. It's a sublime closing argument.

While I'll always remember those deliciously mysterious mp3's downloaded off of the Interwebs, the remixed and remastered Trilogy successfully polishes up and adds heft to an already aurally satisfying experience, and the three new songs included to round things out pleasingly prove that The Weeknd has way more up his/their sleeve. For people who missed out on The Weeknd last year, you are in for a profound, glorious treat, even if Trilogy isn't strictly speaking a triple album. Instead, Trilogy is three brilliant albums for the price of one, something new, and one hell of an introduction to a protean talent who's only getting started.

Rating: A

This week, the Listener is sifting through a range of new music whose tone is somewhat more low key than usual. As the year winds down, we are seeing more intricate and/or quieter releases from acts like Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin. The Weeknd and Lust for Youth takes us into darker territory, suggesting emotional distance and cold grooves. Sally Shapiro may be this week's most chipper track, itself a sweet burst of twee Italian Disco. Here are some of the highlights from this week.

Sally Shapiro - "What Can I Do:" At the more fey and twee end of the Italian Disco resurgence, Sally Shapiro has not released anything since her 2009 sophomore album. Readying a new LP for 2013 (is it already time to begin thinking about 2013?), Shapiro recently debuted this new track. "What Can I Do" is a warm song, with sweet wispy vocals and a pleasant groove. Those familiar with Shapiro's previous work will find themselves in familiar territory, but it is a welcome return.


The Weeknd - "Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun):" Another bonus track off of the coming physical release of the Canadian artist's album, Trilogy. The title would seem to imply a bright and hopeful song, but this is not the case as this is the Weeknd, who has begun to perfect a somewhat darker sound. This track gradually builds, slowly morphing from melancholy to ominous with the introduction of drums and background feedback.


Lust for Youth - "It's You:" Like Sally Shapiro, Lust for Youth is a Swedish electronic musician, and that is about it for commonality. In fact, Lust for Youth is on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. "It's You" is an icy driving track with short spoken vocals interspersing and coiling throughout. Sacred Bones, one of this year's breakout labels, will be releasing Lust for Youth's forthcoming LP.


Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin -"Intrusions:" An avant-garde supergroup (if you are into that sort of thing), this ambient single from Hecker and Lopatin is marked with the periodic intrusions of distortion and noise. The main thrust of the song is one of emergence, a melody gradually crystallizing from abstract sound. The full length from these two will be out later this month.


And, since today's track's were somewhat dark, and I don't want to leave you all too depressed, here is the legendary Prince Nico Mbarga and his biggest hit, "Sweet Mother." Happy Friday!

Hurricane Sandy might have messed with your midweek mojo, albeit via mild wind and rain (better safe than sorry) that we WNY-ers have been callused to, but it wouldn't dare mess with this month's list of new album releases! And while you still have all day to slug down one last Octoberfest or dress up for one more costume party, the inevitable truth is that November is here and its chill is steadily approaching. This time of year tends to fly by, but please find some time to wind down and check out some great new music this November. Do it before the holiday rush overtakes your soul!

Brace yourselves, there is still more experimental music to talk about--that is Brooklyn outfit Oneida. If there's one thing that is certain, it's that Oneida makes consistently great and distinctive music, and that their latest album, based on a sample track, will continue in the trajectory of minimalism and psychedelia. The album, entitled A List of Burning Mountains, is the follow up to last year's Absolute II and will be released on November 13 via Jagjaguwar. Listen to the sample mix off the new LP here.
6. Dirty Projectors - About to Die EP
Whether it's releasing excellent full-length LPs like this year's Swing Lo Magellan or churning out a short film for said record (Hi Custodian) you can be sure that lead singer-songwriter of Dirty Projectors, David Longstreth, is never running short of brilliant ideas. In fact, he is brimming over with them. So much that when he initially constructed Swing Lo he had reportedly devised over 70 songs worth of material, and thus we have the About to Die EP, a four-track gem which is due out November 6. 



5. The Revival Hour -  Clusterchord EP


Dropping the first single off their latest self-titled album, (III), the Toronto blog-house duo Crystal Castles is only boosting the synths, cranking the bass kick and inflating lead singer Alice Glass’ coarse vocals. “Wrath of God” is the continuation in the group’s ability to evoke non-stop dancing, but also seeks to increase their sonic degree of tension that we've come to love about the duo. (III) is sure to be an a step-up for the group, even as they follow-up their excellent sophpomore record of 2010, (II). The album is out Novemeber 12.


1. Sufjan Stevens - Silver & Gold

One of my old Hertel Avenue teenage partners in crime proclaimed the other day on Facebook that "R&B is dead!" and while I couldn't help but agree, I had to get his read on The Weeknd because he knows his business. "I like the Weeknd, but the genre is dead" Carlos responded, and again I had to agree. Glossy but shoddy production and execution, with juvenile content and Auto-Tune has reduced contemporary r&b to a parody of itself, and that's a damn shame considering the history of that once vibrant offshoot of soul. But out of the ashes of contemporary r&b there have been some intriguing developments: the Daptone Records label's resurrection of pure soul; the arrival of Frank Ocean and his embrace by indie music fans; and out of the after hours parties and champagne rooms of Toronto we got The Weeknd. 

Over the span of three critically acclaimed mixtapes released for free via the web last year, The Weeknd stunned listeners with louche subject matter, an artfully skeevy vibe, piercing introspection, progressive production sure to catch the ears of indie fans, and the kind of smooth R&B falsetto that regrettably went out of fashion with contemporary R&B playlists. Everything came together perfectly, and just when you thought the first mixtape House of Balloons was an all hype shenanigan ala Lana Del Rey, the follow up installment Thursday pushed the envelope and art on display further, before the emotionally supercharged coupe de grace and conclusion of the mixtape trilogy, Echoes of Silence. Taken as a whole, The Weeknd's trilogy of mixtapes was a remarkably daring and cohesive artistic statement from an unsigned artist operating from the shadows of Toronto's party scene.



There was also a refreshing darkness to the whole Weeknd operation as it flaunted this age of over-sharing and FourSquare by keeping everything hush hush and on the sly like the night world that is it's subject matter. The Weeknd also social media not only for hype but to also build a refreshing air of elusiveness and elicit mystery, so much so that the identities of the parties involved were subject to intense speculation until we got a name to go with the tales of excess, grudge sex, drugs, and bleary eyed fallout: Abel Tesfaye. 

But the notoriously publicity shy Tesfaye still managed to keep it mysterious, hiding in hazy photographs, up until recently staying out of the promotional material, and sparingly doling out the live performances (and skipping Buffalo, infuriatingly), all the while promising an eventual official release of his trilogy of mixtapes, a release that lands in stores and on iTunes November 13th. Remastered and including three new songs, The Weeknd's Trilogy will also be the steal of the year as buyers will be getting three discs for the price of one; a rare bird indeed in this day and age and a "must get" in this crazy economy- especially considering all three discs are exceptional and devoid of filler. The "ideal stocking stuffer" this upcoming holiday season? Absolutely, especially for freaks, indie music fans, and folks mourning the death of R&B... and not averse to getting nasty.