Kiss Land
| The Weeknd
Kiss Land
Kiss Land is the debut studio album by Canadian singer The Weeknd. It was released on September 10, 2013, by Republic Records and XO.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Following three mixtapes released in quick succession that contained some of the most influential and gripping R&B of the new decade, Abel Tesfaye's bleak and atmospheric project makes its major label debut.
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DigitalSpy
The star doesn't drift too far from the sound that made him famous.
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Idolator.com
Kiss Land shows a softer, warmer side of the once-mysterious crooner who now isn’t afraid to wear his feelings on his sleeve.
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Music OMH
Kiss Land is an unrelentingly joyless album, and getting through its very long duration is something of a slog. Tesfaye is a master at atmospheric manipulation; however, his songs here are sorely lacking in dynamism as well as light and shade.
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Slant Magazine
Kiss Land makes for a generally brutal, misogynistic listen, though the level this cruelness reaches is unexpected, as is the overall slackness of the music.
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The Line of Best Fit
Kiss Land succeeds on not only being an album in the assumed sense of the word, with big singles, tasty hooks and singalong phrases, but as a concept record too, one that takes you hostage.
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Pretty Much Amazing
Everything you heard before? That was the practice round. This is the real deal.
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Hip Hop DX
But it does say there are times when the lyrics vacillate between seventh grade locker room talk and a dime store Valentine’s Day card—raunchiness and profanity be damned.
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Now Toronto
-go the distance he does with this studio debut: Kiss Land is a mere 10 tracks, but each is teased out and milked dry.
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Rolling Stone
Kiss Land follows in the lethargic steps of 2012’s Trilogy, but the pace is slower, songwriting thinner and vision more bloodshot.
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NME
‘Kiss Land’ is a fascinating record, Tesfaye defying reservations with the self-absorption of a madman.
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Hot New Hip Hop
The Weeknd clocks in with a seductive, reflective follow up to "Trilogy" that doesn’t disappoint.
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LYFSTYL
Kiss Land seems to miss the magic that The Trilogy captured brilliantly. The album had its soul ripped out by playing it too safe. It feels like it’s been over produced or been taken in the wrong direction.
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Platform
Kiss Land is an album that heavily references the material that came before it, and that sheds light on his potential future.
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Tiny Mix Tapes
— despite any of its musical, non-lyrical merits (of which, admittedly, there are many) — it is uncomfortable and even frequently unpleasant to attempt to engage with this album.
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Pop Matters
The Weeknd's major label debut finds the young artist faltering in the face of quick success and critical acclaim.
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Clash Music
invites us to an even darker world. And emerges from it triumphantly.
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Stereo Board
‘Kiss Land’ features some of Tesfaye’s best work to date and in just 10 tracks he’s tapped into a range of genres that should send him over the top.
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LA Times
"Kiss Land" is a rough place to visit. But then again, when it comes to sex and loneliness, we've all been there.
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Soul Head
Kiss Land will probably become the fall soundtrack for every college student and 20-something entertaining late-night guests. Kiss Land is the soundtrack for a generation that hears but does not listen.
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Northern Transmissions
Towards the end of the album, the songs begin to feel formulaic; with each track following a similar build and comedown. It’s exhausting at times, but the soul/R&B heads who prefer ominous beats, will serve as the perfect companion to the coming winter months.
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No Ripcord
Things would be much simpler if Tesfaye, for all his disgusting chauvinism, wasn’t so disgustingly talented.
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Treble
The lyricism throughout Kiss Land is thus below average, occasionally offering a glimpse of impressive thought or profound emotion, but most often burying them under unsubtle ruminations of materialistic pseudo-fantasy; indulgently blending reality and dream.
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KLSU
-sounds and beats flow throughout this album, making time seem to fly by. If you dig deep into his lyrics, they will shock you.
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Hit the Floor
“Kiss Land” takes The Weeknd‘s most reprehensible aspects to create an empathetic character. Scratch beneath the embittered surface, and you’ll find genuine love songs.
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Exclaim
The latest effort from the Weeknd is a mixed bag, but it can't be said that Abel Tesfaye is resting on his laurels.
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The Irish Times
-it’s the starkness and menace of the overall mood that really strikes a note.
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Crack Magazine
within Kiss Land, Abel Tesfaye’s notorious lechery is no longer shrouded by semi-relatable, drug addled self-indulgence and tender bedroom producer mystique. Giving his grim depravity a glossy sheen, on Kiss Land he’s become RnB’s Patrick Bateman.
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