By: Ryan Martin
It's been over four years since the world had a current emotional understanding in the art of music of the complex human being Frank Ocean. Where has he been? What has he been doing? What's taking so long? These are all questions we have asked others and ourselves. Whether it be Apple support techs, Twitter trolls, or Jesus Christ. But the wait is over, and on August 20th, 2016, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. If you are asking yourself what all the hype is about surrounding Mr. Ocean, listening to Channel Orange will not do justice. But Blonde will help you understand why Frank Ocean is our generation's most innovative, inspiring, and influential R&B/Pop Star today.
There are few projects that have been released recently that have a clear view of the emotion the artist is trying to convey in their music. At least artists that are trying to get their message across in their music. When those projects come out they sometimes don't get the attention they deserve. I have an extreme level of respect for Frank Ocean for taking his art seriously and not dropping Blonde last summer or last fall. He waited until the right time, the right mood, and perfected not just his sound but his vision. The vision of the art is the most important part because without that it's not really an album, but a collection of songs. Blonde is an album full of abstract and dreamy beats produced by himself with help from the likes of Jamie xx, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean and ROSTAM to name a few. talented vocals, few features and introspective lyrics. Dealing with Frank's past demons, opinions on sexuality and a killer verse from André 3000.
Some of my personal favorites include but are not limited to 'Nikes', 'Pink + White', 'Solo', 'Self Control', and 'Godspeed'. The album has three different skits as well, with 'Be Yourself' being a humorous stand out as Frank's mom leaves a very tongue-in-cheek voicemail warns him of the dangers of marijuana and alcohol. Frank's vocals range from haunting with the distortion on his vocals at the end of 'Ivy' or the high pitch on his vocals on the opener 'Nikes', to heartbreaking like on 'Godspeed' which he explained has to do with his reluctance to cry as a teenager because of his status as a boy. Hence the irony in the name of his magazine, Boys Don't Cry. Along with the release of his magazine, Frank also dropped a visual album entitled Endless on Apple Music, Endless has moments where it shines through, but is not as well-constructed as Blonde.
It's been over four years since the world had a current emotional understanding in the art of music of the complex human being Frank Ocean. Where has he been? What has he been doing? What's taking so long? These are all questions we have asked others and ourselves. Whether it be Apple support techs, Twitter trolls, or Jesus Christ. But the wait is over, and on August 20th, 2016, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. If you are asking yourself what all the hype is about surrounding Mr. Ocean, listening to Channel Orange will not do justice. But Blonde will help you understand why Frank Ocean is our generation's most innovative, inspiring, and influential R&B/Pop Star today.
There are few projects that have been released recently that have a clear view of the emotion the artist is trying to convey in their music. At least artists that are trying to get their message across in their music. When those projects come out they sometimes don't get the attention they deserve. I have an extreme level of respect for Frank Ocean for taking his art seriously and not dropping Blonde last summer or last fall. He waited until the right time, the right mood, and perfected not just his sound but his vision. The vision of the art is the most important part because without that it's not really an album, but a collection of songs. Blonde is an album full of abstract and dreamy beats produced by himself with help from the likes of Jamie xx, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean and ROSTAM to name a few. talented vocals, few features and introspective lyrics. Dealing with Frank's past demons, opinions on sexuality and a killer verse from André 3000.
Some of my personal favorites include but are not limited to 'Nikes', 'Pink + White', 'Solo', 'Self Control', and 'Godspeed'. The album has three different skits as well, with 'Be Yourself' being a humorous stand out as Frank's mom leaves a very tongue-in-cheek voicemail warns him of the dangers of marijuana and alcohol. Frank's vocals range from haunting with the distortion on his vocals at the end of 'Ivy' or the high pitch on his vocals on the opener 'Nikes', to heartbreaking like on 'Godspeed' which he explained has to do with his reluctance to cry as a teenager because of his status as a boy. Hence the irony in the name of his magazine, Boys Don't Cry. Along with the release of his magazine, Frank also dropped a visual album entitled Endless on Apple Music, Endless has moments where it shines through, but is not as well-constructed as Blonde.
Frank Ocean has created a body of work that sounds good, feels good, and describes the mood he is trying to convey perfectly. While there are songs that detail heartbreak there are others that detail the euphoria of love. Blonde is an album that sounds just as good when the windows are rolled down on a summer day as it does playing softly as you fall asleep. Not many artists can pull something like this off, but after four years, I'd say we deserve something of this quality. Frank Ocean deserves your time. Not just as a pop-star of today but as an artist. There are no songs on this project that scream radio-play or is trying to capture your attention. Frank puts out the music that he is proud of as a reflection of who he is as a human being. That is a quality that most musicians lose, as they put out music that the only satisfaction they receive from it is that their name is attached to it. There is a huge difference between being proud of a very popular album that you created to being proud of a very honest and vulnerable album despite it's popularity. Look at Weezer's Pinkerton, while not received positively at first, it grew cult status because it's honesty was realized. Blonde is a future cult classic that just happens to be receive critical acclaim.
It's very easy to get overwhelmed with all the new music that's been coming out recently. Put Frank Ocean's Blonde at the top of your list. It's the soundtrack for anyone as we all still enjoy the small bit of summer we have left. A mix of euphoria, heartbreak, and desire, for the future yet to come.
It's very easy to get overwhelmed with all the new music that's been coming out recently. Put Frank Ocean's Blonde at the top of your list. It's the soundtrack for anyone as we all still enjoy the small bit of summer we have left. A mix of euphoria, heartbreak, and desire, for the future yet to come.
Ryan Martin - @ryanmartin182
Ryan enjoys buffalo chicken pizza, Mario Kart, and binge watching Netflix/HBO