Abel Tesfaye, also known as the The Weeknd, is back after casually redefining pop music in one fell swoop.
Tesfaye’s second full-length album, “Beauty Behind the Madness,” combines ’80s vibes with lecherous lyrics, creating a modern version of pop to be consumed by the masses. At times reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s dance-floor-anthem brilliance, Tesfaye’s new sound represents the singer’s alternate route from the obscure fringes of goth-R&B to the center of mainstream pop.
Previous releases such as “House of Balloons,” “Thursday” and “Echoes of Silence” went overboard with layering Tesfaye’s morose crooning over dark and raw instrumentals, causing tracks to drag in a thick, damp sameness. Thankfully, Tesfaye brings more beauty than madness in his latest release, interspersing the gloom with a little upbeat sparkle and a few high-profile collaborations to break the monotony.
The album starts off strongly. “Real Life” is a powerfully heart-wrenching anthem that pushes Tesfaye’s angst into the spotlight. “Don’t waste precious tears on me, I’m not worth the misery / I’m better off when I’m alone,” Tesfaye sings in the bridge, conveying genuine pain.
“Losers,” the second track, brings the most emotion to the album and the first whiff of pop to eagerly waiting Tesfaye fans. Featuring British soul artist Labrinth, the song discusses Tesfaye dropping out of high school at 17 and attempting to find his own place in the world. At times, Tesfaye’s voice can become slightly monotonous in its lack of inflection, so Labirinth’s huskier vocals are a very welcome contribution.
Tesfaye’s collaboration with pop hitmaker Max Martin, the songwriter behind The Weeknd-Ariana Grande duet “Love Me Harder,” could have compromised the album’s mood but instead enhances it. “In the Night” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” the album’s obvious but brilliant tributes to Michael Jackson, are prime examples of Martin’s prowess and Tesfaye’s vocal skill. The tracks are upbeat but not indulgent – an impressive accomplishment given Tesfaye’s tendency to occasionally overdo it.
Lyrically, however, Tesfaye brings nothing new to the table. The problem is that Tesfaye takes no risks, preferring to hide behind the same playboy facade from his mixtape days instead of exploring new angles and points of view.
In the mixtape trilogy, a subversive persona combined with Tesfaye’s grating instrumentals and youthful voice produced some sort of deep, dark magic that fans could relate to. Tesfaye, however, has lost some of that magic in the process of shifting to mainstream, commercial pop stardom.
“Nobody stopping us, oh no we’re destined / And everybody around you is so basic,” Tesfaye sings in the Yeezy-produced “Tell Your Friends.” Especially because a more upbeat pop vibe now accompanies his lyrics, the constant focus on sex and drugs is bland and causes his playboy image to lack nuance and personality.
Tracks like “Prisoner” and “Dark Times” don’t do Tesfaye any favors, either. “Prisoner” places Lana Del Rey in the role of yet another dramatic femme fatale, effectively locking her in the era of 2012’s “Summertime Sadness” without allowing her to explore and experiment.
“Dark Times” misses a step by featuring a misplaced Ed Sheeran as an unlikely rebel in the lyrics: “Waking up, half past five / Blood on pillow and one bruised eye / Drunk too much, you know what I’m like / But you should’ve seen the other guy.” It’s slightly unconvincing, to say the least, because Sheeran still sounds like the wholesome, acoustic-guitar-in-hand singer next door.
Placed one after another toward the end of the album, Sheeran’s and Del Rey’s weaker features in the album cloud the atmosphere of solid dark-yet-upbeat pop Tesfaye works hard to maintain in the previous 11 songs. Nevertheless, the strength of “In the Night” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” in particular, more than make up for the album’s slip-ups.
Overall, “Beauty Behind the Madness” provides a good balance of easy pop tunes and hard-hitting lyrics. It’s an admirable record that won’t alienate fans of his darker mixtape material, but Tesfaye still needs a little bit more time to experiment with his sound and become more comfortable in his new skin.
– Shreya Aiyar