The Weeknd's 'Echoes of Silence' Has Dropped; It's Fantastic

​Canadian R&B act The Weeknd (fronted by Abel Tesfaye) last night released his third mixtape of 2011 (following the critical acclaim of the last two mixtapes, House of Balloons and Thursday). The latest set, called Echoes of Silence, comes after the Weeknd's Polaris Prize-nomination and a ton of 2011 hype.

It's also the last of what the group calls "The Balloon Trilogy." The band had dropped hints on both Facebook and Twitter that it was coming out today, and fans eagerly waited for it. (As of 3 a.m., there were already more than 25,000 downloads.) The first track is a killer, does-justice-to-Michael version of the classic "Dirty Diana," and the rest of the songs on the album are both slick and sincere at the same time, the way best R&B songs should be.

The band has hinted via Facebook that they're planning to tour once the trilogy was complete. Download Echoes of Silence at the Weeknd's website; the track list after the jump.

Echoes of Silence:

1. "D.D."
2. "Montreal"
3. "Outside"
4. "XO/The Host"
5. "Initiation"
6. "Same Old Song"
7. "The Fall"
8. "Next"
9. "Echoes of Silence"