reminisced this weekend on house of balloons when it first came out. just chilled and bumped to it so hard. i remember when it first dropped and all the media blog sites and outlets were like "who are the weeknd?" .
i used to frequent octobersveryown and then i peeped drake post some of his songs up in a post. pretty much posted the whole tape thru youtube videos. the videos with the black and white images, kinda like the house of balloons photoshoot. every time i hear those songs i think of those pictures and vice versa. first song i heard was "what you need" with the shorty standing in the room with the stillettos and dress.
Hooked. Instantly. Was going thru a moody period during that time. Perfect background music.
I remember I downloaded the tape right after that. wasnt even tryna sample the rest, i knew i would mess with it. thru it on the Pod and walked to the park during sunset hours, sat down and just bumped the whole thing thru. In a funny way it was like this outerbody experience. Some kind of music high, beats and synths coursing through my veins. It was a really cool experience i remember it so vividly.
Cant remember a mixtape or album have that effect on me. It was probably the combination of the artwork/theme + lyrics and content + ambiance and mood + the situation i was in that just made an imprint in my mind. i hear a song off that tape and im just in this mood.
it just made me want to make out with different girls in the corner of a basement party. track after track of ear candy, what a great tape. really unique sound. just some notes:
"what you need" - aaliyah on the sample got me floating.
"the morning" - loved the trap snares. probably the catchiest song off the tape. the garden tools love this song
"wicked games" - had everyone brooding and trying to make babies.
"party and after party" - ant decide what i like more, first half of second half. i got this version that as the second half begins, its mixed into the Screwed and chopped version by that guy that likes to do it to every song.. either way, amazing.
"loft music" - that beach house sample..... one time i was gone off the trees, got home, put my bag down and sat down for the duration of the song and didnt move till it was over. those "oh's" had me stuck to the couch.
"the knowing" - beautiful intro. anyone know if thats a sample or just an intro they made? thats probably my favorite :22 seconds on the whole house of balloons. every note pulled at my feels.
while I hold a different perspective on his catalog as a whole, i just have to tip my hat off to what he did on these songs. once in a while an artist comes out with something so refreshing (or in this case, suffocating) that you cant help but be drawn to it. sonically, its so well put together and cohesive. how old was he? 20?. just an impressive debut and i put it up there as a game changer. Cocaine for your eardrums.