| Grammy Award-winning trendsetter The Weeknd, first rose to prominence with his three independent online releases - House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. Released as the Trilogy compilation in 2012 on Republic Records, it was certified platinum in the U.S. and debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200. House of Balloons, the first part in the series, is presented in this 10th Anniversary 2 LP set. Limited Edition. Long before he was headlining the Super Bowl, breaking chart records, or selling millions of albums, Abel Tesfaye was a struggling, 21-year-old artist from Toronto, who had floated a few tracks out on YouTube, and was readying to release his debut mixtape under the pseudonym "The Weeknd." Originally released on March 21, 2011, House of Balloons launched the career of a new musical force - putting The Weeknd on the radar of critics and fans alike. The freely distributed, nine-track mixtape featured The Weeknd's earliest three tracks from YouTube ("What You Need," "The Morning," and "Loft Music") as well as his debut single, "Wicked Games." It also included "The Knowing" - which spawned his first music video - and "High for This," which was featured in promotional spots for HBO's final season of Entourage. Primarily produced by Doc McKinney and Illangelo - who would both go on to become longtime collaborators of Tesfaye's - the mixtape featured samples from a wide variety of artists, including the Cocteau Twins, Beach House, Aaliyah, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. House of Balloons quickly garnered underground buzz, as well as rave reviews - eventually gracing more than a dozen year-end lists. Complex declared it the "best album of 2011," while it landed in the Top 10 of annual roundups by Stereogum, The A.V. Club, and Pitchfork. To commemorate his landmark release, The Weeknd partnered with acclaimed artist Daniel Arsham, who reinterpreted the mixtape's cover art. This new imagery will not only be featured on the mixtape's vinyl jacket but also on a variety of merch. |
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