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9.1
58619
9.1 |
Pretty Much Amazing
It is fitting that he considers this LP his proper debut. Everything you heard before? That was the practice round. This is the real deal
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8.4
58618
8.4 |
Billboard
The LP isn't a rehash of his mixtape series, but then again, it isn't a departure either; it allows listeners to refamilairize themselves with the Weeknd's aesthetic, which was striking and singular to begin with
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8.0
58824
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
He pulls no punches, and while some of it is for the boudoir, some is an emotional exposé, some is traditional R&B fare, some is avante-garde compositions – and it’s all fantastic
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8.0
58879
8.0 |
The Observer
A seductive layering of glittering, MOR surfaces, ambient textures and a deep, aching undertow
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8.0
59074
8.0 |
NME
A fascinating record, Tesfaye defying reservations with the self-absorption of a madman
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8.0
58616
8.0 |
Clash
He’s managed to transcend his previous efforts via the scaling up the sonics and simply maintaining the quality of this excellent record
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8.0
58621
8.0 |
Mojo
A formidably complete aesthetic. Print edition only
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8.0
59456
8.0 |
Fact
Ultimately the genius of Kiss Land‘s production lies in its ability to literalise Tesfaye’s fractured state of mind
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7.0
58617
7.0 |
Spin
Kiss Land plays like a more considered, better-mastered continuation of Echoes of Silence, not anything dramatically different
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7.0
58734
7.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Tesfaye will almost certainly make a bigger, better record soon. For now, Kiss Land works fine as one of the year’s most fearless pop releases
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6.5
58620
6.5 |
The 405
It's confident, but pretty underwhelming with ideas that aren't quite fully articulated or tactile, leaving the listener in the dark - but not the dark he wants
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6.2
58637
6.2 |
Pitchfork
While Kiss Land creates an immersive atmosphere, it rarely feels grounded with a sense of place
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6.0
59114
6.0 |
The Irish Times
It’s the starkness and menace of the overall mood that really strikes a note
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6.0
59376
6.0 |
No Ripcord
While this leap into the big leagues proves that he’s still very much a rare talent, it unfortunately seems that genuine inspiration is even rarer
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5.0
58715
5.0 |
All Music
For those who aren't as easily drawn into Tesfaye's world, this will seem roughly as insufferable and as bleakly aimless as the earlier material
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5.0
58720
5.0 |
PopMatters
Without the cohesive vision of a producer like Kavinsky or Illangelo, the Weeknd can’t seem to see past his own navel
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4.0
58641
4.0 |
Slant Magazine
A musically static album that's also disturbingly backward on gender issues, with a sustained focus on degradation that no longer seems anything but vile
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4.0
59241
4.0 |
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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4.0
58827
4.0 |
The Guardian
He doesn't so much gaze at his navel as have a stare-out contest with it, and it's often repellent
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4.0
58859
4.0 |
The Independent
Leaves you wondering what has happened to this man's soul
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