The Rundown: The Weeknd, Kiss Land
A track-by-track review of the crooner's studio debut.
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The Rundown: The Weeknd, Kiss Land - Sonically, each song of The Weeknd's studio debut is like an artfully crafted blend of noises that range from poignant instrumentalism to three dimensional sound effects. The result paints a picture for the Canadian crooner, born Abel Tesfaye, to detail his exploits and share his unabashed hypersexuality. Fans of Trilogy won't be disappointed here. He does it bigger and better in this cinematic Cirque Du Soleil of lust music. Click on for a track-by-track review.(Photo: Republic Records)
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"Professional" - Kiss Land kicks off like a live show: Dynamic build up, followed by an angelic siren song, before The Weeknd's unmistakably fragile falsetto comes in. "It's Ideal, you need someone to tell you how to feel / And you think your happiness is real / There's so much more the world has to reveal / But you choose to be concealed," he sings. Around the 2:30 mark the track opens up a different, darker sound that flows into the next.(Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Redferns via Getty Images)
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"The Town" - Starting off with an ominous backdrop,"The Town" is vocally as close to Michael Jackson as The Weeknd has been since his infamous "D.D." cover. He's singing about the love he left behind on his rise to fame. "You made me feel so good before I left on the road / And you deserve your name on a crown, on a throne," he lamented. Once again the song takes a turn around the 2:30 mark with The Weeknd jumping up an octave while the track adds a touch of electropop. (Photo: Peter Kaminski/WENN.com)
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"Adaptation" - The Weeknd recalls letting go of what might have been "the one" in lieu of having a little fun. "I chose to lie and I realized she might have been the one I let it go for a little fun," he sings while the electric guitar laces the backdrop on this musical bag of mixed emotions. (Photo: Larry Marano/Getty Images)
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"Love in the Sky" - The Canadian crooner creates the soundtrack to a dream sequence, fully equipped with thunder and rain as he offers the listener intricacies of his life on the road, and even his inner-most insecurities saying, "I'm always gettin' high cause my confidence low / and I'm always in a rush ain't no time to f**k slow / and even if I tried it's not something I know." (Photo: Vince Talotta/Getty Images)
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"Belong to the World" - Some birds just weren't meant to be caged is the premise of this song. The funky, somewhat alternative song is refreshingly uptempo compared to most of the album. The beat claps over the dark foundation, while a conflicted Weeknd testifies, "I wanna embrace you, domesticate you, but you belong to the world." (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)
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"Live For" Featuring Drake - The Weeknd calls on fellow Toronto superstar Drake for this tale of debauchery. No cryptic messages here as blue-eyed singer starts out, "They wanna threesome, then some / spend whatever come in f*** an income."(Photo: PA PHOTOS/LANDOV)
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"Wanderlust" - The Weeknd continues to share his x-rated fantasies on Kiss Land's most uptempo track, which blends elements of retro pop with futuristic instrumentalism. "You believe in something stronger than trust, wanderlust," he sings. Good for the dancefloor and the bedroom.(Photo: Clinton Gilders/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
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"Kiss Land" - The Weeknd uses the title track to return to what he does best: telling raunchy tales of hotel-room romance. This serves as an ode to his "band aids" in each city, who are hoping to graduate to becoming one of his regulars. "You can meet me in the room but the kisses ain't free / You gotta pay with your body / Not really into kisses leading into nothing / I'm into shows every night / If you play your cards right I might / f*** around bring your whole crew on tour / F*** around turn you to my West Coast girl." (Photo: Republic Records)
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"Pretty" - The electric guitar echoes as The Weeknd reveals a fracture to his delicate ego and a girl he's reconciling with, singing, "He can't make you feel this pretty, and he won't make you feel this beautiful." The famous falsetto is in full effect on the second half of the song, which ends with a special treat as the beat rides out over the last minute. (Photo: Republic Records)
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