Trilogy
Toronto R&B enigma Abel Tesfaye presents his landmark trifecta of mixtapes in one bleak, woozy stretch. Over *Trilogy*’s three hours, we descend ever deeper into the antihero’s decadent universe: Tesfaye pours Alizé in his cereal over bleary synth washes on “The Morning,” and that’s about as PG as he gets. But for all its doomy R&B nihilism—\"House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls\" combines sex, drugs, and Siouxsie samples—\"D.D.\" hints at Tesfaye\'s interest in joining pop’s one-gloved upper echelon.
This set gathers the three 2011 mixtapes from Toronto R&B singer Abel Tefsaye and adds three new songs along with new mixes and mastering. Trilogy as a whole sets up a narrative that was previously only implied and has more force when heard in this form.
The Weeknd's Trilogy is ambitious, messy, uneven and baffling but it will remain one of the most thrilling records to come out of this decade, writes Paul Bridgewater.
The Weeknd’s cinematic grandeur has proved a blessing and may end up a curse, in part because we know how the movie ends.
The Weeknd's three free online mixtapes get the major-label treatment, making this an essential buy if you missed them first time around, writes <strong>Killian Fox</strong>
Listening back to this collection of all the Weeknd's material to date kills the mystique a little, but it's still striking stuff, says <strong>Paul MacInnes</strong>