The Weeknd ended 2011 in the best way possible, by releasing the long awaited & highly anticipated finale of his trilogy, “Echoes of Silence.” I have been a hardcore fan of The Weeknd ever since “House of Balloons,” and I enjoyed Abel's first two mixtapes (excessively) so I was beyond excited to listen to “Echoes of Silence,” and his timing happened to be perfect, because he dropped it immediately after I had smoked a joint.
“House of Balloons” was epic for me, some life-changing shit I might even say. I hadn't heard anything like it before, and neither had anyone else. Abel directs you in the right way with “High For This” off “House of Balloons,” and the directions stay the same for “Echoes of Silence”--get high & listen. And shiiieeetttttt I enjoyed it!!
Abel starts off extremely strong with his rendition of Michael Jackson's “Dirty Diana,” and he even sounds eerily similar to MJ on the track. “ D.D.” is the 'hardest' song off the mixtape, from there we are taken into softer & slower tracks with the crooning we've come to recognize from Abel, and the mixtape ends appropriately with the title track which is almost lullaby-like.
“Echoes of Silence” shows a more matured Abel, and his confidence in himself is heard throughout the tape. His lyrics are extremely self-aware and honest. I was initially surprised at this-- but it would be ignorant to not acknowledge is huge underground following and the amount of women who probably throw themselves at him. He acknowledges these factors of fame on “EOS,” more specifically though, the bitches who only love him because of his fame.
He sings in his XO anthem “XO/ The Host” on all the drugs and liquor we might expect to hear about, however we also hear how his confidence has grown,“just don't blame it on me/that you wanna come party with a n*gga like me.” The beast progresses so smoothly into the latter half of the song that the change is almost hard to pinpoint if you are not paying close attention-- and it's like this throughout “EOS,” every change in tempo and beat is subtle and smooth, it is made to listen to in the exact order Abel gives it to you. It's the type of music you can fall asleep too but that's not a bad thing at all-- it's soothing.
Abel also reminisces quite a bit; “Same Old Song” finds him recalling a girl who didn't believe in him in the past, and now wants him back because of his success. “Next” is similarly honest, about those girls who want Abel just cause he's 'next.' And perhaps this is why “D.D.” was such a perfect way to start off “EOS”-- after all, it's about a groupie willing to do anything, and this is a motif Abel explores from start to finish.
Although Abel has provided us with new content based off his recent fame, the pill-popping & blunt-smoking lyrics are far from forgotten. They are a mainstay throughout all three tapes. Abel croons “I made it big poppin'” in “Same Old Song,” and ain't that the truth.
The beats throughout “EOS” blend well together without being repetitive, and the production is extremely well done. Every detail of the music is looked after, as to be expected from the Weeknd, which is why the finished product is so dope.
Abel definitely ended the trilogy on a good note, and if people were slightly disappointed by “Thursday,” this more than makes up for it. I seriously can't wait for what he does next, what that may be I have no idea, but to be his age (21) and already have completed three solid mixtapes...well shit, son!!
Download “Echoes of Silence” here if you've been slacking!!