I haven't listened to the Weeknd for a few months now, after binging on them heavily for the last half of 2011 and early 2012. I intend to go back to him sometime in the autumn/winter, as I think then I'll be definitely in that kind of mood. I'm sure his own allure has faded, but I think what hooked me on the Weeknd was it's ability to transport [i]me [/i ]into that otherwordly dimension that you mention, rather than me merely peering into their world. And if the Weeknd still holds up (and I don't see why it wouldn't for me), it should still be able to do that, even if Tesfaye's mystery has gone.

Yeah seeing him live undercut everything that mystified me about his music. I can just imagine seeing him in an old run down club at 330 AM, with shadows and smoke everywhere prolonging that special appeal he had to me.

As for James Blake, something similar to that effect happened with him (never seen him live tho), and his music as it pertains to the listener has come down to being too familiar with how he constructs music. He's kind of been figured out and predictable, especially with his recent smaller releases. And that is related to his exposure I believe. His famous EP's that made him popular had a kind of Burial-effect power of mystery, and his new album was an unexpected turn of adding his vocals to his aesthetic. At the time, it was very welcomed for me because he was reaching out and experimenting with himself, all the negative space which signatures his stamp was so unpredictably patient to me, but now it almost seems too by the numbers the more he released stuff with his identity all over the place. I know Rashed is not a fan, but if anything, he needs to stop his excessive self-referentiality and progress to a new found freshness that I thought he had at his "peak" (when he wasn't so exposed).

2 points:

1. The more I listen to UR the more I think they are the best thing ever

2. Shackleton's Music for the Quiet Hour/The Drawbar Organ Eps has overtaken R.A.P. Music and God's Father is my new favourite record of 2012, don't know why this record hasn't gotten as much press, it's fantastic, ranks right alongside Burial's two albums as the best garage album eva imo.

shit i have to get on that. shackleton has always been great.

Who is UR, Avery?

Underground Resistance - Detroit techno outfit.

Anybody have a HQ link to the Shackleton that won't give my computer AIDS?

ooh yeah. Thanks for the heads up Avery. Ever since that remix of Rusty Nails I've loved him.

best thing shackleton ever did, which is coincidentally not something he actually did lol

^Minimal as FUCK. Love it.

four tet album is dope. i had already heard most of the songs before they came out because they were on other comps but this still feel like an album.

Truth.

Yeah, it's quality.

anybody have a link to that? Brother Kaleb said it's the best thing he's ever done

-http://zshare.im/four-tet-pink-2012.html

Not sure if I agree with Kaleb, but it's up there.