Key

The Weeknd - Starboy (Full Review)

I've been listening to Starboy for the past 2 days now almost nonstop, and I've also not stopped talking about it, so I'm using this as an excuse to talk about it even more.

Back in my previous post, I've mentioned that I'd never really heard much of The Weeknd before this album, and that still remains to be true, mostly because I've become hopelessly addicted to this album. It's one of the very few occasions with music where I really don't mind how long it is, because every single track is ****ing perfect. The production value to the dark lyrics mixed with the somewhat enlightening tones and beats really make this album something special.

I know a lot of people listen to The Weeknd and there is a lot to love especially when it comes to his dark lyrics, and I would like to fall into the category of the people that appreciates everything there is to appreciate about him. I've come to conclude after listening to this album almost nonstop that this is more than a hip-hop album, it's more than a pop album, it's an incredible experience with a story to tell with every single track. He teams up with some great acts in this album, and honestly, that's just the icing on the cake because just him by himself already has the ability to make this something phenomenal and special.

It's certainly been a fantastic year for music, and The Weeknd delivers and then some, much like a lot of acts have done this year. Even Metallica released a fairly decent album. I do want to repeat as I've said before that I'm just getting familiar with hip-hop as a genre, so anything I find that sounds good, I'm obviously going to cling to with an iron fist. I know there have been some negative reviews about this album with it not sounding like his other stuff, but for a first listener, this is beautiful.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook when the album was released that the album is a masterpiece, and at this point I'm inclined to believe him. My last.fm is pretty much filled to the brim with The Weeknd tracks solely, and almost nothing else, and I don't see that dying down any time soon.

If you haven't taken the time to listen to this album, even if you're not the biggest fan of The Weeknd, I strongly suggest you give it a spin, at least once. Decide if you like it or not, then move on. But I guarantee you'll end up getting one or two, or five songs stuck in your head. I have to say out of all the tracks actually that Secrets is the best on the album. Which is saying something since every single track is better than the last.

This is going to be one of those albums that I play the **** out of for months on end with no regret. I'm going to tell everybody I know about it, and I hope they enjoy it as much as I do.

A 5/5 album for sure.

Key

It's nearly December, which means I don't think there are going to be any other albums I'm looking forward to. But hey, I'm sure there'll be a surprise here and there. Anyway, I would like to put my final list for top albums for 2016. It's been an insane year for music, and I really hope next year is even better, if that's even possible. So here we go.

Album of the year for 2016:


Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight

#2: The Weeknd - Starboy (nearly a tie with #1)
#3: The Pineapple Thief - Your Wilderness
#4: pg.lost - Versus
#5: Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
#6: Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence
#7: Opeth - Sorceress
#8: Killswitch Engage - Incarnate
#9: Bruno Mars - 24k Magic
#10: Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

Those are my top 10 for the year. But honorable mentions: Metallica: Hardwired...To Self Destruct / Steven Wilson: 4 1/2 / Explosions In The Sky: The Wilderness / Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree

Anything else that was released this year just didn't quite hit my radar, or I just didn't find too interesting. I'm also excluding MB member albums since this list wouldn't end if that were the case.

The Batlord

The new Metallica album was a contender? Like, it was alright, even decent, highly decent if you wanna stretch it, but AOTY contender? Nah.

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Frownland

The Life of Pablo is on his list, I bet he's only heard like twenty albums from this year.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Key

Not a contender, just an honorable mention.

It really helps to read the whole post before responding with something is silly as this.

Anything else that was released this year just didn't quite hit my radar, or I just didn't find too interesting. I'm also excluding MB member albums since this list wouldn't end if that were the case.

Frownland

Right. But then you included The Life of Pablo, among other things.

__________________

Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Key

Because I enjoyed it enough to put it in my top 10 over other things I heard this year. Not hard to understand.

Frownland

And if you enjoyed that phoned in album more than the rest of the albums that you've heard this year, I assume that you must not have heard that many because The Life of Pablo is boring and lazy, even for a Kanye album.

__________________

Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Key

Well your assumption is incorrect, if we're going that route. But feel free to continue spouting your pretentious attitude elsewhere. Don't bring it into my journal.

Frownland

There's a difference between having taste while being opinionated and being pretentious, you know.

__________________

Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.