New Music Friday: Justin Bieber, Macklemore, and The Weeknd
By Michael Cerio
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Bieb is back.
In the three years since his last album, Justin Bieber vandalized throwing eggs, almost got deported, got arrested, and allegedly assaulted a photographer. All this before his twenty-first birthday.
But that's old Justin. New Justin is legal and confused about the nature of his relationship.
Today's new single from Bieber -- "What Do You Mean?" -- is a Skrillex-produced straight forward rhythmic ticking featuring Justin trying to deceiver some of the more perplexing aspects of romance.
"What do you mean? When you nod your head yes, but you wanna say no" croons Bieber.
If you find the answer buddy, please give me a heads up.
"What Do You Mean?" is the first sample from Bieber's upcoming album scheduled for November, released today after a social media campaign featuring stars like Steven Tyler and Miley Cyrus counting down the days until its release. It all came to a close with Britney Spears last night, duckfacing in front of a slot machine warning of the songs arrival.
10 hours to go. Worldwide release #WhatDoYouMean. @britneyspears is ready :) pic.twitter.com/6fGZnFzqSN
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) August 28, 2015
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You can hear the song and watch the video of Justin skateboarding (like a reformed grownup) here, or check it out this weekend as he performs at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Speaking of videos, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis just released a wild one for their new song "Downtown."
The Grammy Winner's are back, graduated from Thrift Shop spending to buy a moped. No really, the song is about buying a moped. However, it is the best song ever about buying a moped!
The song is epic in scope, shifting from classic Furious Five era beats featuring Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee, to marching Broadway style vocals courtesy of Foxy Shazam singer Eric Nally. As big as that sounds, the video outdoes it.
Macklemore's moped transforms in to a moose motorcycle, a swollen Ken Griffey Jr. is there catching a fish, there's a West Side Story showdown, and a parade down the streets of Spokane, Washington. Again, really. You can watch the whole thing here.
HERE IT IS! WORLD PREMIERE: DOWNTOWN Official Music Video Feat Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz & @NallyEric http://t.co/HVdfp44psY
— Macklemore (@macklemore) August 27, 2015
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Like Bieber, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are slated to perform this weekend at the MTV VMAs. Likely both songs will be everywhere this fall long after you tire of drinking pumpkin spice lattes.
Also out today is a much anticipated album from The Weeknd.
Beauty Behind The Madness is the R&B singer's first since 2013's Kiss Land, and really his first straight ahead mainstream record. What started as a mysterious mixtape phenomenon has transformed into a much more unflinching, glossy pop effort.
The Weeknd, or Abel Tesfaye if you want to be formal about it, seems to have shaken off most of his "alt-R&B" stylings buried in a smoky dark haze in favor of a brighter shiny approach. You can hear shades of Michael Jackson all over Beauty Behind The Madness, certainly on the hit "I Can't Feel My Face."
He experiments like MJ here too, taking a bit of everything and throwing it into the pop blender. A dash of classic soul sampling, a little acoustic crooning, an Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Ray guest spot for flavor. This is what major label backing affords you, and it's the most accessible yet diverse version of The Weeknd yet.
A few other things that are out this week but we spent all our space writing about moose motorcycles, new releases from Beach House, Halsey, and Foals.
