album of the week: The Weeknd - House Of Balloons

You don't know what's in store but you know what you're here for.
Those ominous words make up the very first line from "High For This", the one thirds sexual, one thirds sinister and one thirds awesome opening track from this mixtape by Canadian artist The Weeknd, AKA Abel Tesfaye. With a voice so completely seductive he makes Chris Isaaks' "Wicked Game" sound like the work of an awkward schmo, it feels like House Of Balloons and the man behind it are a sign of great things to come in the new wave of R&B. Tesfaye's tunes - which invariably focus on love, lust, drugs, cash and horny Vegas vibes - are at once semi-worryingly lurid and very beautiful, but most importantly they're inescapable ear worms full of great vocal hooks and plenty of genius lyrics; example from standout track "The Morning": From the mornin til the evening complaints from the tenants / got the walls kickin like they six months pregnant. While not officially an album per se, House Of Balloons is a fantastic collection of compelling songs - with perfectly restrained production and a couple of Beach House samples for mileage. It's hard to stop listening.