Here’s my review of The Weeknd’s second 2011 mixtape, “Thursday.” We’re just gonna keep right on trucking with these, so hopefully, I like this one a bit better than “House of Balloons.” Let’s look at every song, and then give the mixtape a rating of “excellent,” “good,” “okay,” “bad,” or “awful,” shall we?
Lonely Star: I really like the fast-pacing on this one, and I think the hook is pretty catchy. It does have quite a bit of empty space like a lot of Abel’s early songs, but this one is definitely really enjoyable. Instrumentally and vocally, it’s a strong start to the mixtape.
Life of the Party: I’m really intrigued by the way this one sounds, especially with the use of guitars. It’s really interesting and different in a good way. The fast-pacing on this one keeps it really exciting, and Abel’s performance on this one is as sharp as ever. Very enjoyable track.
Thursday: Unfortunately, this is where the mixtape takes a step back for me. This one isn’t bad, just alright: the instrumental is interesting, but the hook is not really that good to me. It's a
n overall pretty unexciting song, and it does feel a bit too long.Lonely Star: I really like the fast-pacing on this one, and I think the hook is pretty catchy. It does have quite a bit of empty space like a lot of Abel’s early songs, but this one is definitely really enjoyable. Instrumentally and vocally, it’s a strong start to the mixtape.
Life of the Party: I’m really intrigued by the way this one sounds, especially with the use of guitars. It’s really interesting and different in a good way. The fast-pacing on this one keeps it really exciting, and Abel’s performance on this one is as sharp as ever. Very enjoyable track.
Thursday: Unfortunately, this is where the mixtape takes a step back for me. This one isn’t bad, just alright: the instrumental is interesting, but the hook is not really that good to me. It's a
The Zone (ft. Drake): I absolutely love the hook on this one, and I think Abel’s performance on it is just as strong as you’d expect. Unfortunately, I just don’t love the verses as much as I love the hook. Drake’s guest appearance is pretty decent, though. Another decent, not great, song.
The Birds Part 1: The marching band-like sound is really interesting on this one. I like this one because it isn’t plagued by the “empty space” I was talking about before. This isn’t one of my favorite songs on the mixtape, but I can definitely say it’s an enjoyable one.
The Birds Part 2: Note to self, don’t listen to this one before bed again, because the beginning and the end are EXTREMELY creepy. I’m really glad Abel split the two parts into separate songs instead of making both parts one song as he did throughout his previous tape. Part 2 has a really good instrumental sound, a typically great performance from Abel, and a solid hook. I feel like this one might grow on me even more in the future, but for now, it’s still an enjoyable track.
Gone: I was admittedly a bit nervous about this one because of the fact that it’s 8 minutes long. Fortunately, despite its length, it’s a good track: I really like the “old-school video game sound” it has going for it, and Abel’s vocals keep things pretty exciting for the most part. It does have some moments of drag, but it’s still one of the better of his “marathon” songs. Certainly not one of the better songs on the mixtape, but it’s an enjoyable one.
Rolling Stone: I actually really like how it starts so big, but then after it swells, it gets a bit more subdued. I really like Abel’s flow and sound on the verses. While the hook isn’t one of his best, the song as a whole is extremely enjoyable, and it’s definitely one of the mixtape’s better songs.
Heaven or Las Vegas: I really like the beat on this one, and the instrumental as a whole is very good. The verses are solid and the hook is also good, and surprisingly, even despite the “empty space,” I think it works here because the instrumental is so good. Another really strong song that (if you don’t count the bonus track) really ends off this mixtape nicely.
Valerie (2012 “Trilogy” bonus track): This bonus track came with the “Trilogy” re-release of this mixtape. Though it’s not as strong of a bonus track as “Twenty Eight,” I still found it to be a pretty sweet song. I really like the beat and the verses a lot on this one. The hook is definitely not one of Abel’s best, but this is definitely a pretty solid song.
Overall, this was definitely an improvement over “House of Balloons.” I think that, while some of the issues I had with "House of Balloons" were still here, he was able to make things work a bit better this time around: some of the empty space wasn’t nearly as bad, and the quality of the mixtape as a whole was better. It’s not the greatest thing he’s produced, and some of the songs still feel like they go on for a bit too long, but I walked into this with some optimism and I walked away from it pretty satisfied.
Favorite tracks: Lonely Star, Life of the Party, Rolling Stone, Heaven or Las Vegas
Least favorite track: Thursday
Rating: Good
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