Dawn FM Review

    

    "If pain's living on when your body's long gone, and your phantom regret hasn't let you go yet, you may not have died in the way that you must. All specters are haunted by their own lack of trust." Jim Carrey utters these paramount revelations on the album's closer, but these words are crucial to The Weeknd's situation because in Abel's eyes, he is dead and reliving his past. The Weeknd's new record Dawn FM is a supernatural voyage into the resurrection of Abel Tesfaye and a highly conceptual perception of his path towards trust and acceptance. He however walks this road side by side with another figure, himself, but one that is weathered and lost, trapped in a void due to the choices he made. This "revenant," a term used for an apparition thought to be long gone is all burdens, suffering and sorrows Abel ever endured, as well as the sinful temptations of life. The Weeknd's new LP is a supremely beautiful excursion, one seeing him traverse the many aspects of his existence through his reinvented 80s synth pop sound. The electro-funk guitar chords on "Sacrifice" and the luscious mix of serene flute samples on "Out of Time" are a few examples of this, as Dawn FM has many more heartfelt surprises in store. Love, drugs, sex and crippling emotions are on full display in classic Weeknd fashion, but the reverie of the radio station this record plays through offers something else in return for Abel: redemption. Dawn FM follows Tesfaye's reflective journey into his life and psyche, chronicling his regrets, memories and hopeful acceptance of the boundless possibilities waiting for him in the "Dawn." Abel has found a way to banish the character he personified in After Hours, this phantom, his own regret shadowing his steps. Abel has truly created something special here, as these upbeat notions are not without hesitation because even in his triumphant, yet despondent aura, Abel knows that nothing is ever given without a cost.

    Abel Tesfaye constantly pushes the boundaries of what sounds and ideas he can manifest into a blockbuster album. After Hours was an enveloping of every aspect of The Weeknd's gritty, haunting Red Suited persona and the album tended to rely more on his nostalgic, classic Arthouse R&B qualities, of course mixed with these new 80s sonic pieces he cooked up. Sure it still sounded like an album from that era, one laced with New Wave synths and pop-like structure, especially with mega-hits like "Blinding Lights," but Dawn FM turns it up a notch. Where his previous album was the darkest reinvention we had seen since House of Balloons, this new album is conceptually taking place in some sort of mindless prison, still living up to his damaging and heartless ego, but Abel sounds like less of the haunting bad boy and more like someone being punished. Visuals released for music videos like "Sacrifice" and others show us that Abel is in limbo, now guided by a sense of redemption. He is seeking his peace and all the things he knows are playing out in front of him, personified by the weathered version of himself we see on the cover art. The idea of the "Dawn" is the likely conclusion Abel is headed towards and, constantly referenced to as his "fate". If that fate is for the better or worse one can only guess but with a grand, psychedelic synth-pop soundscape to work with (Thank you Oneohtrix Point Never and Max Martin), he might just pull it off.

    The record as a whole is loosely guided by the weirdly calming and introspective voice of Jim Carrey. He appears up in the beginning, the middle and the end signifying the idea of this evanescent radio station being the "guide" for Abel as he transverses this limbo of love and lust he finds himself in. The title track "Dawn FM" starts with The Weeknd sliding in over a smooth, dreamy keyboard loop, laced with some synths cascading in the background. The first lyrics Abel sings are paramount to the theme of this resplendent crusade, singing "This part I do alone, I'll take my lead, I'll take my lead on this road, Cause after the light is is dark? Is it dark all alone? All alone." Abel knows that he must go through this endeavor alone or else he might not find this so called "destiny" that has been promised to him. Jim Carrey then pops up after saying "You've been in the dark for way too long, it's time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms. Scared? Don't worry." The next track "Gasoline" hints at this new Weeknd persona that sees hopefulness found in the acceptance of his regrets, especially on the chorus when Abel sings about his lover burning his body in bed sheets, once he "finally dies in peace." A true heart wrenching performance from The Weeknd, we do however see Abel reluctantly welcoming the pain through the nonchalant lyrics scattered throughout the songwriting, signifying Abel's changing mindset when it comes to relationships. Sonically,  Abel delivers post-punk vocals, a fabulous transition into the chorus thanks to some vibrant synths and, we see a classic performance from Abel on the hook with falsetto vocals and all. One thing Dawn FM does a great job of like in the previous cut "Gasoline," is contrasting redemptive and hopeful lyrical ideas with the ominous, upbeat production you would probably find in a dance party in the afterlife, as Abel has so elegantly styled for us here. The sounds on this thing can of course be more mellow and bright at times but a lot of it harkens back to disco-funk and edgy synth pop, with great purpose too because The Weeknd knows exactly how to use this towards his benefit, methodically painting a dancehall soundscape to escape reality and enter his own.

    The great thing about this record is that it captures a multitude of inspirations and instrumental persuasions from styles and sounds we first started to hear on After Hours. The cut "How Do I Make You Love Me" features some guest help from Swedish House Mafia and they work their magic on it, injecting EDM synths and echoing chord loops. The composition still constitutes an 80s vibe so none of the nostalgia is lost on this track and never on any other. "Take My Breath," which is an extended cut on the album apposed to the single version, rings in like a Daft Punk cut with its methodical buildup and repeating vocal numbers. The song evolves into a disco pop number as Abel comes in with his verses, carried by an extremely funky bassline and clean synth loops. The lyrical transitions from The Weeknd are seamless, as he switches his vocal inflections and song structure throughout. Max Martin and Swedish House Mafia team up on the cut "Sacrifice," as well as interpolating a sample of Alicia Myers' "I Want To Thank You" onto the chorus. The electric guitar loop throughout brings a raucous energy and an intense groove to this one, with Abel cleanly navigating the sonic complexity. Where Abel really shines is on more sensual cuts like "Out Of Time," co-produced with Tomoko Aran and sampling her song "Midnight Pretenders," a smooth R&B-Pop cut which sees him take the reins of her clean bassline and some of the flute synths, caressing with mellifluous vocals of mistakes realized and second chances at love. 

    A certain mindset is almost a necessity to have when approaching this project because every thematic aspect is vastly improved upon. In an interview with Billboard during November of last year Abel stated "Picture the album being like the listener is dead and they're stuck in this purgatory state." Abel seems to be at his best when weaving together cinematic experiences and, the death-like trance he finds himself in is done with multiple, fluid song transitions throughout the album. "How Do I Make You Love Me" closes out with questions left unanswered and leads into the next track "Take My Breath," which feels like a slow burning climax thanks to Abel's stuttering breaths on the building instrumental. The seamlessness of the music and its cinematic intentions are woven together quite well and this is ultimately The Weeknd's intent because with just how cohesive this record is from front to back, it is best left heard as presented: A non-stop radio station to the afterlife. Even more epic are the trio of "Best Friends," "Is There Someone Else?" and "Starry Eyes." These cuts all transition into each other, starting with the outro of "Best Friends," melding into a trippy pop melody on "Is There Someone Else," carrying the same glittering chord loop into "Starry Eyes," a more elegant R&B style track from The Weeknd. 

    Few and far between are there bad moments on this record but the least flattering would have to be the feature on "I Heard You're Married" from Lil Wayne. The track is nothing remarkable from Abel either but Wayne cannot function within the beat at all, sounding all over the place within the 80s instrumental. "Don't Break My Heart" is a desolate club anthem at best even with its quirky synths, but certain lines like "I almost died in the discotheque" are running a fine line between clever and corny. "Every Angel is Terrifying" echoes religious hues and the biblical grandeur on this cut is impressive. However, the edgy radio commercial making up the last half of this track is hard to sit through. We do catch a glimpse of the rumored "Second Trilogy" in the cut though, which the Weeknd referred to in a Tweet just after the album's release. Referred to as "The exotic, bizarre and beautiful world of After Life," the radio skit does do a great job of marketing this rumored project as beautifully terrifying.  It would make sense for this to be happening as Abel's last two projects have been deeply connected, seeing the same and similar personas carry on their story arcs, much like the Weeknd's endeavors on the first Trilogy series. With the ideas slowly beginning to meld into one cohesive element, we might just be correct in assuming a new character from the Weeknd has been on display since After Hours. 

    "Less Than Zero" is like lightning in a bottle and serves as Abel's final statement, a grand track in every meaning of the word that sees The Weeknd acknowledge what he must give up in return for peace. The last cut "Phantom Regret By Jim" is as its title suggests, a spoken piece done entirely by Jim Carrey. "Heaven is closer than those tears on your face." "Heavens for those who let go of regret." Carrey speaks in poetic mystique, leaving behind his final pieces of guidance, some with deeply spiritual and religious tendencies intent on helping Abel find a power larger than himself. His words ooze colorful, sanguine thoughts of regret and hope, evoking nostalgic feelings as it chronicles Abel's past and serves to encompass all aspects of The Weeknd's character. Abel is more ambitious than ever this time around and it pays off in full. The ominous pop theme is crafted well to support his grand vision of death, only to be called on a laboring journey into the dawn, confronting remnants of himself through the music along the way. The thought of a new Trilogy already in the making is reason for excitement, as The Weeknd's mesmerizing sound is entropy, inevitably spiraling out into a grand chaos and hopefully making the final trilogy piece even better than Dawn FM.

Score: 9/10