Photo: Press
It’s here! It’s finally here. Frank Ocean has cast aside the cryptic clues and finally dropped the follow up to his critically acclaimed album channel ORANGE. It took a while to get here - 1502 days to be exact - but we’re thankful the time has finally arrived. Keeping fans at bay and fuelling their frustrations on multiple occasions, the man Rolling Stone called a “gifted avant-R&B smoothie” made it clear on his Tumblr page that he’s thankful the fans stayed both on him and with him throughout the long and drawn out creative process:
“I had the time of my life making all of this. Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish. Which is basically every one of y’all. Haha. Love you.”
Almost tricking fans into thinking the messy and at times beautiful visual album Endless - which he released via Apple Music on Friday - was the album fans had been waiting on for so long, his rollout continued to be as sporadic as his public sightings when it was announced there was another album to be released - this time solely audio. Fans were then informed there would be four pop up stores opened on Saturday evening/Sunday morning in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and London, and once the fans got in they took to social media to notify the world that there was a magazine available in the stores, titled Boys Don’t Cry - the longstanding working title for Ocean’s follow up album - and it contained a free copy of his new album, Blonde.
A digital version spelt slightly different - Blond - was released via iTunes and Apple Music the same evening the pop up shops were opened. Featuring a slightly modified track list to the physical release found in the Boys Don’t Cry magazine, we’ve now had some time to digest it and here’s our breakdown track-by-track of the much anticipated new album from Mr. Ocean.
‘Nikes’
Opening like you hoped a new Frank Ocean album would, the album’s lead single is both fluid and atmospheric. Lifting the curtain on materialistic self-indulgence, the song hears Frank tell a gold digger she isn’t going to get what she wants out of him. Starting with a high pitch added to his vocals, about three minutes in Frank’s all to familiar weightless tone finds its way back with an almost rap-like delivery. Paying homage to Pimp C - the UGK member who died from a reported cough syrup overdose in 2007 - as well as then later on shouting out his former record label, Rap-A-Lot Records, the trippy tone of the instrumental feels like something the southern label powerhouse could have put out themselves. The pop up shop version of this features added vocals from KOHH.
‘Ivy’
Lacking an obvious rhythm section, ‘Ivy’ is steered by a constant guitar strum which is then overlaid with yet more guitars creating a string-dominated instrumental for Frank to sing about growing up and the evolution of a relationship that started in the friend zone. A little empty in terms of any real punch, the track really slows the pace of the album down but being that it’s only two tracks in there’s no real damage. In fact, the dreamy soundscape provides the perfect chill out soundtrack to anyone needing to drift off and reminisce about the good old days.
‘Pink + White’
Produced by Pharrell Williams and featuring vocals from Beyoncé, ‘Pink + White’ is a stellar moment on Blond. Accompanied by some beautifully lavish keys, Frank once again take his thought process back to the memory of a past lover. With colour continuing to play a big part in Frank’s creative process - think channel ORANGE and ‘Pink Matter’ - this time applying unnatural colours to nature while relating them to sexual acts, the songwriting on this particular record could be compared the unorthodox songwriting genius that is Brian Wilson.
‘Be Yourself’
Similar to the ‘Not Just Money’ skit on channel ORANGE where a friend of his mother’s explains that money isn’t the be all and end all, ‘Be Yourself’ hears Frank’s mother spout some words of wisdom about drug use. Over a futuristically murky backdrop that mirrors something from the Blade Runner soundtrack, Frank’s mother says to her son: “be yourself and know that that’s good enough…Don’t use that cocaine or marijuana because that stuff is highly addictive. When people become weed-heads they become sluggish, lazy, stupid and unconcerned.”
‘Solo’
Contradicting his mother’s advice on the previous skit, ‘Solo’ is an ode to drug usage and needing it, especially when riding solo. Addressing topics such as abortion, this is a very reflective record for Frank. Over another rhythm-less slice of instrumentation that’s led by an organ of sorts, high on weed, red eyes and all, he’s talking to someone but you’re left wondering who. By the end of the record you’re even wondering how - you’re led to believe it might be via text.
‘Skyline To’
Short and not really making too much sense, random thoughts are the main ingredient this time around. With a barely noticeable Kendrick Lamar feature - he’s occasionally heard on backing vocals - and Tyler The Creator on the boards, you’d expect a lot more bang for your buck on this one. Lacking direction and context, this might be both the worst and most confusing moment on Blond.
‘Self Control’
Frank Ocean continues to offer up brooding backdrops that have no real climax and feel incoherently misguided due to not having an instrumental heartbeat. Where are the drums? Playing like an album intro, ‘Self Control’ ironically has no self control when it comes to indulging in an onslaught of atmospheric strums and chimes. Sure, some of the vocal work is epic, especially during the song’s closing minute, but for three songs on the trot you’re left wondering if instead you’re in fact listening to a James Blake album.
‘Good Guy’
Looking at both homosexual and heterosexual dating, this is one of the braver moments on Blond. While the majority of the album so far has looked at male/female relations, being that Frank Ocean is essentially the R&B poster child for the gay community after admitting to the world he was bisexual back in 2012 you’re left wondering if he’s still embracing that part of his life. ‘Good Guy’ answers this question. Not too deep in nature, it’s more about a blind date that Frank realises isn’t for him. Murmuring over a simplistic yet perfect keyboard arrangement, this is one of those times when less is more.
‘Nights’
Feeling a little like something The-Dream might have put together for his debut album Love Hate - due in part the obvious dividing sound switch midway through - ‘Nights’ reintroduces drums back into album. Detailing different events that happened to him during the darkness of night, the uplifting rap-inspired first half Frank delivers has a bounce Blond has well and truly missed up until this point - apart from perhaps ‘Nikes’. The second half of the song feels exactly like Take Care era Drake - think ‘Marvin’s Room’ and ‘Over My Dead Body’.
‘Solo (Reprise)’
Continuing a working relationship that was last seen on Frank’s ‘Pink Matter’ record, Andre 3000 lays down one of the album’s key moments. Continuing with the theme of riding solo that the song’s predecessor kickstarted, the ever elusive Andre spits his thoughts on unaccompanied lifestyles over a skittish array of keys that midway through turns into a snappy electronic bass drop that mirrors an early 90s video game score. And the most talked about lyric of the month goes to: “After 20 years in I’m so naive, I was under the impression that everyone wrote they own verses/ It’s coming back different and yeah that shit hurts me.” Shot at Drake? Perhaps.
‘Pretty Sweet’
An intense moment that acts like a shotgun loaded with loud and brash instrumental bullets, this is the part of the album where things stop to make sense for a moment. Feeling like Frank needed to let loose and just be free from restraints, he can be forgiven for experimenting with his creativity in such a messy manner, everyone needs to let off some steam some time. However, it’s not a pretty listen.
‘Facebook Story’
Looking at love in the digital age and the social media stalking, French producer SebastiAn recalls how his relationship fell apart because his girlfriend accused him of cheating because he wouldn’t add her on Facebook. An all too familiar narrative in this day and age, hearing someone with a certain level of fame tell the story just proves it can happen to anyone, regardless of status. With hardly any production heard on the track, this is more a narrative filler to serve as food for thought.
‘Close to You’
Autotune and Frank Ocean don’t mix too well. When you have such a recognisable and ear-pleasing vocal tone why ruin it? Yes, this might be a reworking of Stevie Wonder’s cover of The Carpenters’ song of the same name and Stevie himself used autotune on the track, Frank’s unique voice sounds restricted with an electronic coat on it. As it goes the song isn’t too bad. Syrupy and full of zing, it just would have sounded better minus the autotune.
‘White Ferrari’
Easily the album’s finest moment, ‘White Ferrari’ is trademark Frank Ocean. Heavenly from both a vocal and production standpoint, Frank’s musical palette is wet with romantic croons, soothing synths, and pure intentions. A ride that could reflect a dream, Frank and the object of his desires changes speed and direction throughout, all the while examining the magic that is their bond and the purity surrounding it. Again missing its rhythm section, this time it works due to the narrative being so strong. Admitting he was listening to The Beatles for inspiration during the making of Blond, the song includes a line from their record ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ - “Here, making each day of the year.”
‘Seigfried’
Passionate and poetic, this is Frank looking through a detailed lens at what’s really important in life. Discussing the homeless and openly admitting to sharing his home with those in need, over the delicate and airy instrumental raindrops that build with the heart twitching strings he references everything from Elliot Smith’s ‘A Fond Farewell’ to yet another relationship that fulfilled his need for pure and unfiltered love.
‘Godspeed’
Wishing himself luck on his journey into manhood, ‘Godspeed’ is a reimagined version of Frank’s boyhood. Adding to the holy vocal tone of gospel singer Kim Burrell, the production builds a church-type atmosphere. Again lacking any percussion, the track however does hit you in the gut with a sense of pride from the word go. In the Boys Don’t Cry magazine Frank wrote of the song: “Boys do cry, but I don’t think I shed a tear for a good chunk of my teenage years. It’s surprisingly my favourite part of my life so far. Surprising, to me, because the current phase is what I was asking the cosmos for when I was a kid.”
‘Futura Free’
Reflecting on his rise to prominence, ‘Futura Free’ looks at Frank’s accomplishments and what it took to get there. Feeling like an off cut from Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo album, especially when the distorted vocal tone and backdrop is introduced towards the first half of the track, fame, religion and sexuality are on the menu of discussion while the conspiracy theories surrounding 2Pac still being alive are also touched upon. The second half of the song features a series of questions fired at Mikey Alfred, Sage Elsesser, Na-kel Smith and other Illegal Civilization members by Frank’s younger brother Ryan Breaux.
Verdict:
Overall Blond is nowhere near as strong as channel ORANGE. With no obvious single - which isn’t always a bad thing - there’s only a handful of songs that truly recapture the Frank Ocean fans grew to love on both nostalgia/ULTRA and channel ORANGE. Yes, this is a completely separate body of work to his previous releases but still you expect a certain level of consistency.
Aside from the consistency issues, Blond does have a strong reflective quality to it. Music serves so many purposes and it feels like Frank’s latest body of work was built to help those in need of escape from the madness of the world. While lacking percussion in various places, instrumentally the album is in fact beautiful. Pushing the boundaries of creative production with help from adverse soundbites implanted into the mainframe of Blond, it’s a courageous body of work that doesn’t always hit its mark but does more to heighten the senses than the majority of albums today.
