The Weeknd posted the following message on Facebook:

The Weeknd is looking for a professional guitarist and bass player in or around the Toronto area to travel and perform live in concert. Those interested please send all information to:

theweekndband@gmail.com

Include: name, age, instrument, and a photograph if possible. Any additional youtube video footage, credentials, etc. of performer is welcome.

Serious inquiries only please.

Deadline is Sunday January 8, 2012

To quote Pitchfork: "The Weeknd's follow-up to House of Balloons and Thursday is here. Grab the nine-track Echoes of Silence-- featuring a cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" and production from Clams Casino-- for free over on the-weeknd.com or here,"

House of Balloons, the first mixtape, was #1 on a list of albums that Heems from Das Racist submitted to Pitchfork. Check out Heems' full list of 'Top Albums of 2011' below...

Continue reading "3rd Weeknd mixtape released; Heems likes the 1st one a lot"

The Weeknd is not making his US debut next week in NYC after all. VICE had this to say: "the Weeknd has cancelled their scheduled New York City performance. We're disappointed, but are here for him when he's ready. We're big fans." Stay tuned for more details on who is playing the Vice.com party (and how to get in) next week. We now resume our regularly scheduled programming.

Toronto R&B singer The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is set to make his US live debut in NYC on September 15 at Skylight One Hanson. The performance is part of Vice's Upfront Extravaganza party in honor of the launch of their new URL Vice.com. The party also includes live and DJ sets by A-Trak, Tanlines, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Nick Zinner (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Black Lips. Stay tuned for more details. All we could confirm so far is that this is happening. We can only assume that some sort of RSVP will pop up at some point.

The Weeknd has released two mixtapes this year, House of Balloons and Thursday, and expects to release a third, Echoes of Silence, this fall. Some tracks off both of those mixtapes are below...

Continue reading "The Weeknd making US live debut at Vice.com event in NYC (next week!)"

DOWNLOAD: The Weeknd - "The Zone" [Feat. Drake] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Weeknd - "Thursday" (ZIP)

Toronto PBR&B singer The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye), who came out of nowhere this past March with the dubsessed R&B mixtape House of Balloons, released its followup yesterday (8/18), Thursday. He's still wallowing in rumbling beats but this new tape throws in more than a bit of gentle acoustic guitar too. The whole thing was produced by Canadian producers Doc McKinney (Esthero, Santigold) and Illangelo, who both worked on his first mixtape as well. The rumors that he'd be working with Drake were confirmed true on the track "The Zone," which you can grab above. Download the entire tape above as well, or at The Weeknd's website, and stay tuned for his third release, Echoes of Silence, to drop sometime this fall.

Tracklist below...

Continue reading "The Weeknd giving away a new mixtape (called Thursday)"

DOWNLOAD: Austra - "Spellwork" (MNDR Nighttime Remix) (MP3)

Austra at Santos (more by Vincent Cornelli)

2011's short list of nominees for Canada's Polaris Music Prize were announced. They include a mix of indie veterans, grammy-winners, a sax player who has played with those grammy winners, and some new kids on the block like the super buzzy The Weeknd whose resume includes working with Drake. Full nominee list is below.

One of the artists, Austra, will release a remix EP to follow-up their latest release Feel it Break. The remix collection, entitled SPARKLE will be released digitally on July 26th and on wax on August 23rd. The release features remix contributions from MNDR, Mark Pistel, and Planningtorock with the digital collection having an additional four bonus remixes. Preorder it at Domino, and download/stream one track, "Spellwork (MNDR Nighttime Remix)" above/below.

Reminder, look for Austra to play a FREE show on July 14th supporting tUnE-yArDs at Pier 54 in NYC. They'll also be on hand to support Cold Cave at Bowery Ballroom on August 6th (tickets). Cold Cave also plays NYC next week, at Knitting Factory with Cult of Youth on July 12th (tickets).

Braids, also nominated, recently announced a ton of tour dates.

Austra song stream and dates and the Polaris Music Prize nominees are below.

Continue reading "Polaris nominees announced, Austra releasing remix EP"

by Andrew Sacher

"expect absolutely nothing from me..." - The Weeknd

Readers of this site should be very familiar with Weekend, who just played a BrooklynVegan SXSW party and who we just interviewed. Their tour with Wire hits New York this Tuesday (4/5). Tickets are still on sale for the MHOW show, and for Weekend's show at Mercury Lounge the next day.

Weekend is not to be confused with the Canadian hazy electro-R&B artist Abel Tesfaye who records under the moniker The Weeknd (in part because he spells it "Weeknd" and not "Weekend"). He's currently all the rage due to his nine-song mixtape House of Balloons which he released last week for free on his website. Hype wars are only adding to the attention. A Pitchfork Best New Music tag and praise from the Village Voice are in controversy with an article from The Guardian which insists "indie-leaning music critics are once again getting R&B spectacularly wrong." Rolling Stone calls the Weeknd an "Artist To Watch" ("mama if you can hear me... i did it.. i'm a rolling stone now..", The Weeknd Tweeted). NY Mag highlights a funny new "PBR&B" subgenre name people are using on Twitter to describe the "hipster R&B" category that also includes artists like How to Dress Well and Odd Future associate Frank Ocean.

Like recent albums by James Blake and How To Dress Well, The Weeknd's mixtape is constantly crossing the lines between indie and R&B. With two Beach House samples (The Weeknd says their management is "cool as fuck"), a Siouxsie and the Banshees sample, and synthy beats that would feel far more at home at Electric Zoo than on an R. Kelly record, The Weeknd (whether he's ruining R&B or revolutionizing it) is certainly up to something worth listening to.

The Weeknd also has support from fellow Canadian Drake, who tweeted lyrics and linked to a song download before the mixtape was fully released. According to The Boombox who say Drake broke the new artist, it's rumored that The Weeknd, Drake and producer Noah "40" Shebib will be working together in the near future.

House of Balloons is available for free download on The Weeknd's website, but if you want to hear a couple songs first, check out the Beach House sampling "The Party & The After Party" and the album opener which contains the disclaimer, "You wanna be high for this," below...

Continue reading "Weekend vs. The Weeknd (get his free PBR&B mixtape now)"