"Trust me girl/You'll wanna be high for this," purrs a seducer near the beginning of this mysterious mix-tape debut. It's reasonable advice. A seamless, self-released concept album that set off an internet brushfire — complete with Twitter clues from evident co-conspirator Drake and Weeknd itself — it traces a woozy, debauched journey over nine slow jams that join the current conversation in hallucinatory r&b and indie rock: James Blake, Frank Ocean, jj, Salem, and Beach House. The latter even appear to get sampled here, twice: "Gila" bubbles up in "Loft Music," as does "Master of None" in "The Party & The After Party." (B-more, you have much to answer for.) The rest of the tracks are equally haunting: the rhythm of the aching "What You Need" is built around the surprisingly sad sound of what may be a straw sucking up the last drop of a milk shake — or something more potent.  

Artist to Watch: The Weeknd

Toronto singer Abel Tesfaye, who seems to be the entire group, has a striking high tenor: at points on "House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls," he sounds like Michael Jackson yelping into an intercom in a Propofol haze. It can all be disturbingly raw, even when — especially when — Weeknd overplay the tales of the tragic high life — check the plea "Bring the drugs, baby/I can bring my pain," on the killing, blue-black "Wicked Games." The wormy hooks and earnest falsettos suggest the possibility of ginormous hits if Weeknd were to clean things up a bit, both lyrically and sonically. But let's hope that doesn't happen too soon. (The production team was reportedly led by progressive Toronto hip-hop producers Martin "Doc" Mckinney and Illangelo.)

Listen to House of Balloons:

Gallery: Random Notes, Rock's Hottest Photos

“Ambling Alp”

The "Ambling Alp" was the nickname of the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Primo Carnera. Though the song is named after the Italian-born 1930s heavyweight champion, Yeasayer are actually paying tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis with this first-person psychedelic dance-rock tune. “I was always interested in writing a song that had boxing mythology in it,” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating said. “It’s pretty fascinating: There were so many amazing characters, and it was so closely entwined with 20th century history.” Yeaseyer also invokes German champ Max Schmeling and hints at the historical significance placed on the historic bouts between the Nazi-era boxer and the African-American Louis.