My Review of "The Weeknd: Dawn FM"

The Weeknd has a new album out and it sounds quite familiar to me but only because I recognize the era that he's emulating. I know for sure a lot of younger listeners will be curious about this "new" sound of the Weeknd. Though there is a story throughout the album if you listen through from start to finish.

This album starts off with an interlude that harken back to the days that people listened to the radio for music. I know people still listen to the radio for music but we have kind of moved over to streaming sources or MP3s that we have on our phones.

They have a slick radio host that in some ways reminded me of playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (GTA:VC). That was a game that was based in the 80s and that's what I already get a feeling for. Then the first few songs start to hit.

Immediately I feel the new wave sound of the 80s with the synths playing with high energy. The album has more of the same feeling as it the Starboy album he did in 2016. There are even elements of a Daft Punk feel in some of the songs.

It's kind of weird because he sings with falsetto in his voice at times. The big artist of the 80s was Michael Jackson and he sang with a similar high pitched voice. I don't know if this is on purpose or simply coincidental.

The familiarity continues to hit me with the song Sacrifice that is yet another remix of Alicia Myers' song, "I Want to Thank You". This is a song that hip hop artists have heavily sampled. I remember when Busta Rhymes, DMX and Mariah Carey sampled this song. It's a classic I don't blame all of them for choosing this song to sample.

As you go through the songs in sequential order you'll notice that the songs start off with meeting someone and then the relationship ending. He then goes into melancholy with the next song to talk about his loss.

The big story is the song, "Here we go again" where Weeknd sings about he's moving on from his previous relationship with a movie star who a lot of people speculate is Angelina Jolie.

There is a little bit of darkness with the later songs but only to go into some sort of existential awareness. There is a lot of songs here that talk about being wronged and trying to figure out what the right course of action should be.

Ultimately the song ends off with a more uplifting perspective. Despite being wronged in the past and the turmoil he's been put into he realizes that we are all insignificant in the bigger sense of existence. There are some references to religion and from people that he holds in reverence.

This album goes through a whole slew of emotions that I think that a lot of people can relate to. Despite the fact people may not know the references they will still enjoy these songs. I hope that people do enjoy these songs that they will do a little research and resurrect some old songs from the 80s because there are some hidden gems in that era.

Overall, I had a great time listening through this album. I think it is best experienced by just taking the time and listening to the album by itself. Just lay on the couch or bed and just absorb it. It's not a terribly complicated album but it is comforting. This is definitely a pop album that has broad appeal to the masses.