The Weeknd: Dawn FM ALBUM REVIEW, or The Story Of How I Got To Know The Music By The Weeknd

 

 

Dawn FM scratches a specific itch: the pop current landscape is flooded with music that tries to revive the futuristic, analogue vibes of the 80s, but with nowhere nearly has much inventiveness. Dawn FM takes risks, and ends up being a polarizing album for most, but it exactly for that reason that it is great. It is inevitable to compare it to Daft Punk's music: I like both of those for the same reasons. The production is impeccable, the vibes are solid, the performance passionate. 

 

I've never been great on Pop music. The closest I can say my taste brushes upon Pop is perhaps with Daft Punk: there is something really pleasing about the production of the tracks that Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo put out, a hit factor that exudes passion for music. In 2016, Daft Punk collaborated with Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, which goes by the stage name The Weeknd, to put out what I thought at the time to be a "rather cool song". I Feel it Coming, beyond being a very catchy tune with strong vibes, was a tastefully produced song that really made Abel's vocal talent and performance shine. It was sexy and full of personality. I didn't care much for the rest of Abel's music, though. It was in 2020, mid COVID pandemic, when After Hours was released. This was the fourth album by The Weeknd, and it was getting rave reviews. I remember commenting with a friend of mine that my liking of I Feel it Coming wasn't misplaced: there was a real show scheduled for sometime in The Weeknd... Anyways, I enjoy After Hours. 

 

However, it would be in 2022, with the release of Dawn FM, that I would truly schedule some free time for The Weeknd. My friend had really enjoyed it, and I ended up following his recommendation and giving it a spin. The first five songs of this album are solid Pop bangers that flood the ears in vaporwave-colored synths. The album opens on a curious note, with an interlude at the end of the opener Dawn FM styled like a religious radio break: "Welcome to 103.5 Dawn FM". The words "free yourself" are echoed by the singer.  How do I Make You Love Me? transitions seamlessly into Take My Breath, both of them amazing songs. The interlude A Tale by Quincy leads into the ballad Out of Time, which is a song that I unapologetically love. A guilty pleasure, if you will (I don't really feel guilty for enjoying what I enjoy). It is a lamentation of the mistakes committed in a previous romantic relationship (something I deeply relate with), and one that feels very honest.  It stands out from the rest of the fuckboy type tunes that The Weeknd so frequently puts out, so as to suggest that there is a side to Abel that The Weeknd's music does not often reflect. Curiously, after this cut the fuckboy music returns, and it is great. Best Friends is about being friends with benefits. The theme isn't anything exceptional, but the beat is: The song instantly hits the listener with a balls to the wall-heavy bass line. The second half of the record slows down a bit. I do think that this is in the album's detriment, as the second half does not get me as hyped as as the first. Every Angel is Terrifying is a curious interlude, structured like an advertisement to some sci-fi-esque entertainment service, further building upon the futuristic vibe the album has going on. I Heard You're Married features a rather disappointing feature by Lil Wayne. This cut feels like a crowd-pleasing single made to boost sales, but it wasn't. It really should've been left in the mixing room for a while longer. Less Than Zero once again sees Abel expressing past regret. The album concludes with a spoken-word track, Phantom Regret by Jim, a sort of poem read by the radio host of 103.5 Dawn FM, preaching about "turning to the light", perhaps representing the atonement Abel achieved through the expressing of regret along the record thus far. "In other words, you gotta be Heaven to see Heaven".

All in all, this is a good record, and I definitely play it when I have guests or want more of a party vibe. Dawn FM represents somewhat of an outlier within my musical preferences, but it has attained considerable significance in these trying times. It's hard to recommend this album, because neither my extreme-music peers, nor the more generalist music fans seem to find it interesting. Thankfully me and the previously mentioned friend love to no end, and that is more than enough!

Verdict: Stream it