Starboy - The Weeknd (Album Review)(Part 2 of 3)
PhenomentalOne 7. True ColorsI don't see anything in this track that interests me even in the slightest. Like, seriously, the lyrics paint Abel as the innocent one trying to make a girl confess of her infidelity. Abel and innocent, two words that NEVER come together in a sentence. Even the music feels oddly happy and beautiful. Because, consider this - 'Earned It' has the same 'Gentleman Abel' who still retains his actual personality and it comes out just fine, if not good. Here, Abel sounds barely convincing. This is one track which I'm not happy about and shouldn't have existed.
Best Part of the Song - This song could've been better if ANYONE other than The Weeknd had sung it.
8. Stargirl Interlude (Ft. Lana Del Rey)
Oh man, this will be even hard to talk about.
This might be the first time that Lana has sounded so horrible. First, she sounds like she just woke up and the first thing she saw was Abel holding a paper with lyrics. But that is normal Lana, so I can get behind that. But as soon as she says the word 'Starboy', all hell breaks loose. She is crooning like she is an opera singer and her sole purpose in life is to break as much glass as possible with her voice.
Then Abel, realizing his pitiful mistake, comes in and saves the day, but not before it is too late to repair the damage.
As for the song, well, I like the plucky guitar and the synths that appear at the outro, so, yeah, at least I can forgive Lana for this atrocity.
Best Part of the Song - Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
9. Sidewalks (Ft. Kendrick Lamar)
You know, adding K-Dot to your album is like giving your 100%, and then some more.
I neither love nor hate the autotune in this song, but it does come as a surprise that Abel had to use it to sound better, though it's evident by the live version that it was unnecessary. The guitar solo is fantastic and gives the song an edge. That, mixed with the piano that occasionally appears, makes this song good musically.
As for the lyrics, you know this was easy for Kendrick Lamar since he has the exact rags-to-riches story that Abel has. Even though Abel's verse sticks more to the subject, Kendrick manages to swoop in with an equally strong one, complete with cleverness and a mention of a tally of the no. of hands and legs in a party which was definitely not needed. Also, Daniel Wilson (the guy everyone thought was Sam Smith) sounds smooth and seems to have no difficulty in reaching those high notes.
So yeah, I like this.
Best Part of the Song - The piano (Adds to the beauty in the song, though this song is anything but beautiful.)
10. Six Feet Under
Many people noted that the song feels like a better version of Low Life. This becomes apparent in the 2nd verse. But do I think this is better than Low Life? No.
This song is about a gold-digger who apparently has necromancy skills (because how else can you earn money while you're buried underground?) and makes men commit adultery. Yeah, great theme, like you didn't say THE EXACT SAME THING in False Alarm! But no, that isn't the matter. The main question is - what is this doing over here? Like I get that False Alarm had the energy and thrill to be a standout track on this album. But this is just a bad clone of it.
Best Part of the Song - The bridge (I seem to be the only one who doesn't mind Future's excessive use of autotune)
11. Love To Lay
This has simple lyrics, a simple beat and drop. And that's what makes this song good. This accomplishes everything that True Colors and Six Feet Under couldn't. Abel plays the victim, but not an innocent victim, since even HE had to learn the hard way and here, the girl fools him without necessarily being evil, since her sole purpose is to lay. This seems more realistic and to-the-point. So, this track rules.
Best Part of the Song - The modified background vocals in the chorus ("She loves to...")
12. A Lonely Night
This was one of my earlier jams when the album came out. Now it has wore out on me a little. But it is still good.
This has the opposite story of Love To Lay, where Abel returns to his dominant position and leaves the girl all alone, and his excuse this time is that it was all for just one night. But this time, a baby is also involved (Billie Jean much?). So, okay, a little originality. Thanks for that.
Also, this might sound weird, but I feel that Daft Punk had a hand in producing this. The thudding beats, the 80's inspired music (I don't know anything about that period. This is just a guess. Sorry.) and the bridge, all could only be done by them. Which makes this song even better.
Best Part of the Song - Daft Punk (Remember, I called it first.)
So there you go, the 2nd part of this review. And it seems like we are slow but steady. Next part also comes out today, so stay tuned.
Midway Rankings
12. True Colors
11. Six Feet Under
10. Stargirl Interlude (Ft. Lana Del Rey)
09. Rockin'
08. Secrets
07. Party Monster
06. Sidewalks
05. False Alarm
04. A Lonely Night
03. Love To Lay
02. Starboy (Ft. Daft Punk)
01. Reminder
XO