The Weeknd - new single "Blinding Lights" (Max Martin, O. Holter)

[backgammonfiend]

after hearing tracks 9-11 on after hours i had to go back and listen to a lonely night to make sure i wasn’t buggin. this album felt like a noticeable dip in quality from starboy especially on Max end.

heartless and faith are my top 2 from this album, i don’t think i will appreciate much else until the instrumentals drop in ~18 months. It was the same with Kiss Land and Balloons, which i still think don’t go as hard with vocals in many instances.

[McCartneyMartin]

after hearing tracks 9-11 on after hours i had to go back and listen to a lonely night to make sure i wasn’t buggin. this album felt like a noticeable dip in quality from starboy especially on Max end.

heartless and faith are my top 2 from this album, i don’t think i will appreciate much else until the instrumentals drop in ~18 months. It was the same with Kiss Land and Balloons, which i still think don’t go as hard with vocals in many instances.

I hear you, the album starts off like the dark classic "Trilogy" era Weeknd but then around "Blinding Lights", it starts becoming "Starboy" era filler before ending with classic Weeknd like at the beginning. I wish that Abel would just either go full on pop with Max + WC on every track or stuck to Illangelo + his XO crew to make another trilogy like what he was gonna do with follow ups for "My Dear Melancholic," before they got scrapped.

I made a custom tracklist/Playlist for a shorter (32 mins) but stronger "After Hours" that matches as a proper followup for "MDM".

1. Alone Again
2. Too Late
3. Snowchild
4. Escape From LA
5. Heartless
6. Faith
7. After Hours

I also made another album out the 5 Max tracks + 2 leftovers + 3 bonus tracks that I call "Blinding Lights". What do you think? (I was just gonna leave the Max tracks as a 5 song EP but then he dropped the bonus tracks so.)

1. Blinding Lights
2. In Your Eyes
3. Save Your Tears
4. Hardest To Love
5. Scared To Live
6. Nothing Compares
7. Repeat After Me
8. Until I Bleed Out
9. Missed You
10. Final Lullaby

[j.fco.morales]

I'm still not feeling the album.

[*Sabine*]

I'm probably not the first, I'll probably say it anyways but I wonder if "Scared To Live" will be the next hit after "In Your Eyes". I feel it will become the people's anthem after this whole coronavirus panic is over if it does it end. I mean with a title like that it's bound to become sort of relation for the people on resuming everyday life.

Very interesting point! I also think Scared to live would be a perfect 3rd single and actually, as you said, its lyrics would fit the situation this summer...a nice coincidence!

[B Steady]

Very interesting point! I also think Scared to live would be a perfect 3rd single and actually, as you said, its lyrics would fit the situation this summer...a nice coincidence!

He nowhere mentioned "this summer" which would've been presumptuous.

[B Steady]

I hear you, the album starts off like the dark classic "Trilogy" era Weeknd but then around "Blinding Lights", it starts becoming "Starboy" era filler before ending with classic Weeknd like at the beginning. I wish that Abel would just either go full on pop with Max + WC on every track or stuck to Illangelo + his XO crew to make another trilogy like what he was gonna do with follow ups for "My Dear Melancholic," before they got scrapped.

I made a custom tracklist/Playlist for a shorter (32 mins) but stronger "After Hours" that matches as a proper followup for "MDM".

1. Alone Again
2. Too Late
3. Snowchild
4. Escape From LA
5. Heartless
6. Faith
7. After Hours

I also made another album out the 5 Max tracks + 2 leftovers + 3 bonus tracks that I call "Blinding Lights". What do you think? (I was just gonna leave the Max tracks as a 5 song EP but then he dropped the bonus tracks so.)

1. Blinding Lights
2. In Your Eyes
3. Save Your Tears
4. Hardest To Love
5. Scared To Live
6. Nothing Compares
7. Repeat After Me
8. Until I Bleed Out
9. Missed You
10. Final Lullaby

"Your first "EP" is great but I would've included the bonus tracks as they're not matching the other songs of the "second EP". The interlude and UIBO are also not fitting the pop tracks.

[McCartneyMartin]

"Your first "EP" is great but I would've included the bonus tracks as they're not matching the other songs of the "second EP". The interlude and UIBO are also not fitting the pop tracks.

I made a revisited playlist as I was listening and you're right, those two track really sound out of place on the "Blinding Lights" Ep I made. So decided to add them to the first EP, The 3 deluxe bonus tracks I originally was gonna have on the "BL" EP but the way they were mixed & overall sound of them is what made me removed them off of it. I made a bonus EP using 3 of the remixes from the deluxe edition along with the bonus tracks to make what I call "After Hours: Epilogue". I didn't put the Heartless Remix due to it's bad mixing and guest verse from Uzi & the Scared To Live (SNL Version) was cut due to well being the same as the studio version also its live too so it wouldn't of fit.

Here are the revamp tracklists (any additional input is welcome)

"After Hours" [ALBUM]

1. Alone Again
2. Too Late
3. Snowchild
4. Escape From LA
5. Repeat After Me (Interlude)
6. Heartless
7. Faith
8. After Hours
9. Until I Bleed Out

"Blinding Lights" [EP]

1. Blinding Lights
2. In Your Eyes
3. Save Your Tears
4. Hardest To Love
5. Scared To Live

"After Hours: Epilogue" [EP]

1. Blinding Lights (Chromatics Remix)
2. Save Your Tears (OPN Remix)
3. After Hours (The Blaze Remix)
4. Nothing Compares
5. Missed You
6. Final Lullaby

[B Steady]

Here's my proposal:

"After Hours" [ALBUM]

1. Alone Again
2. Too Late
3. Snowchild
4. Escape From LA
5. Nothing Compares
6. Heartless
7. Faith
8. After Hours
9. Until I Bleed Out

"Blinding Lights" [EP]

1. Blinding Lights
2. In Your Eyes
3. Save Your Tears
4. Hardest To Love
5. Scared To Live

"After Hours: What could've been scrapped" [EP]

1. Blinding Lights (Chromatics Remix)
2. Save Your Tears (OPN Remix)
3. After Hours (The Blaze Remix)
4. Repeat After Me (Interlude)
5. Missed You
6. Final Lullaby

Other than that great segmentation!

[McCartneyMartin]

Here's my proposal:

Other than that great segmentation!

I like it, but what would you call the scrap track EP other than epilogue I'm trying to come up with a better name for it. it has to be something related to the concept of the album.

[B Steady]

I like it, but what would you call the scrap track EP other than epilogue I'm trying to come up with a better name for it. it has to be something related to the concept of the album.

I'd scrap the whole EP.

[backgammonfiend]

i still think the first five songs on this album are trash, but the second half really grew on me over time except for BL and UIBO which are still pretty mid

in your eyes and save your tears have some great bass lines and melodies, but the title track and RMI are also quality tracks

a lonely night STILL better than any track on this LP tho

[nanofives]

This remix has new arrangements, more sax and trumpets. I love it. I didn't have much hope for Doja's verse but it blends quite nice with the feel of the song.

[david]

This remix has new arrangements, more sax and trumpets. I love it. I didn't have much hope for Doja's verse but it blends quite nice with the feel of the song.

I was thinking if was max that recorded the sax and trumpets

[AlexanderLaBrea]

Max tend to use the same swedish guys for brass. This is not like a "typical" remix (like EDM or whatever), it's the same song just with a different mix with some new arrangement stufff, and Doja.

[j.fco.morales]

New arrangements? It's basically the same song with new verses and a slightly different structure.
Probably they used stuff from the sessions to not be the exact same thing.

Loving the Doja vocals.