Echoes of Silence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Echoes of Silence
The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence.png
Mixtape by
the Weeknd
ReleasedDecember 21, 2011 (2011-12-21)
Recorded2011
GenreAlternative R&B, ambient pop
Length45:45
LabelXO
Producer
The Weeknd chronology
Thursday
(2011) 		Echoes of Silence
(2011) 		Trilogy
(2012)

Echoes of Silence is the third mixtape by Canadian singer the Weeknd, released on December 21, 2011, by his official website.[1] The release follows his Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut release House of Balloons and his second mixtape Thursday,[2] both released earlier the same year. The project is the final installment in the trilogy of mixtapes released by the Weeknd in 2011.[3]

Echoes of Silence was preceded by the release of the promotional single, "Initiation", on October 10, 2011.[4] Long-time collaborator Carlo "Illangelo" Montagnese returned to produce the bulk of the project, with other production contributions coming from Clams Casino and DropxLife. Rapper Juicy J contributes a short spoken-word interlude at the end of "Same Old Song".

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[5]
Metacritic82/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[7]
The A.V. ClubB+[8]
Chicago Tribune3.5/4 stars[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[10]
The Guardian4/5 stars[11]
Now4/5[12]
Pitchfork8.1/10[13]
Rolling Stone3.5/5 stars[14]
Slant Magazine3.5/5 stars[15]
Spin8/10[16]

Echoes of Silence received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an average score of 82, based on 17 reviews.[6] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said, "It's Tesfaye's total commitment to his ghastly persona that makes Echoes Of Silence so entrancingly chilling."[8] Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune said, "It's an impressive consolidation of his strengths, tightening up his songwriting and sharpening his often disturbing wordplay."[9] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Tesfaye's velvety melodies infuse his trippy minimalism like incense smoke, getting lost only on the too-woozy title track."[10] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said, "The dragging beats, washes of synthesiser and eclectic musical references – chillwave and crunk hip-hop, Aaliyah and France Gall – somehow contrive to sound not just eerie and desolate but cosseting as well, inexorably drawing the listener into a deeply troubling world."[11]

Benjamin Boles of Now said, "The mood is still dark, druggy and claustrophobic, but this time Tesfaye is channelling a pain that's less about cold emptiness than it is about more traditional heartbreak and longing"[12] Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork said, "A strong finish to Tesfaye's first trilogy, providing just enough closure to satisfy, and just enough mystery left to entice us back for the next round."[13] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone said, "The Weeknd has helped make R&B a creepier place, crooning too-honest come-ons over cavernous, ballad-slow tracks that balance leering sensuality with vague menace."[14] Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine said, "Disappointing as Echoes of Silence may be as a collection of songs, it nonetheless serves its purpose in giving the Weeknd's triptych a suitably grim finale."[15] Brandon Soderberg of Spin said, "Echoes is a profound listen that, despite its veneer of cynicism, oozes pain and crisis."[16]

The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012. This marks the second consecutive year the Weeknd has been nominated for the award.[17]

Track listing[]

All tracks produced by Illangelo, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."D.D."Michael Jackson 4:35
2."Montreal"
 4:10
3."Outside"
 4:20
4."XO / The Host"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
 7:23
5."Initiation"
4:20
6."Same Old Song" (featuring Juicy J)
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
 5:12
7."The Fall"
5:45
8."Next"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
  • Wong
 6:00
9."Echoes of Silence"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
 4:02
2012 reissue bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
5:19

Sample credits

References[]

  1. ^ "The Weeknd". Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Weeknd – 'Echoes of Silence' Mixtape – TheNext2Shine.com – New R&B Music Video, R&B Soul News Interview, Emerging Undiscovered Unsigned Talent". next2shine. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  3. ^ "Drizzy on Twitter: "@theweekndxo Trilogy complete."". Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  4. ^ ""Initiation" by The Weeknd Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Echoes Of Silence by The Weeknd reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Reviews for Echoes of Silence by The Weeknd". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "Echoes of Silence – The Weeknd". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Rytlewski, Evan (January 12, 2012). "The Weeknd: Echoes Of Silence". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Kot, Greg (January 10, 2012). "Album review: The Weeknd, 'Echoes of Silence'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Anderson, Kyle (January 10, 2012). "Echoes of Silence". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Petridis, Alexis (January 12, 2012). "The Weeknd: Echoes of Silence – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Boles, Benjamin (January 5, 2012). "The Weeknd's Echoes Of Silence". Now. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Ryce, Andrew (January 3, 2012). "The Weeknd: Echoes of Silence". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Dolan, Jon (January 4, 2012). "Echoes of Silence". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Cole, Matthew (January 7, 2012). "The Weeknd: Echoes of Silence". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Soderberg, Brandon (December 22, 2011). "The Weeknd, 'Echoes of Silence' (Self-released)". Spin. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "Polaris Prize long list includes lots of Toronto bands". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
Retrieved from ""