Blonde – Frank Ocean (Review)
by Latifa Tasipale
Ocean’s highly anticipated album does not disappoint. : http://blonded.co
You’d be foolish to say that Blonde was anything close to Channel Orange. Some would even say that Blonde was disappointing; after 4 painstakingly long years, Ocean’s album (released shortly after his visual album ‘Endless’) bled mellow melodies, lazy tones and a surprisingly large dose of electric guitar. But I’d argue that Blonde was anything but disappointing.
Ocean’s album exposes a new vulnerability that we’re yet to see in his work. Shedding light on heartbreak, letting go and the carefree attitude that’s expected of our youth, carefully constructed melodies paired with cool tracks and poetic lyrics package the album as a statement of Ocean’s youth. Occasionally interrupted by spoken interludes, Blonde explores a range of subject matter whilst keeping musically consistent. The body of work runs smoothly from track to track, each song an easy continuation from the previous track, each song a new, pleasant surprise.
Blonde bleeds mellow melodies, lazy tones and heavy doses of electric guitar. : http://bit.ly/2n6Ari0
I think the most interesting thing about the album is that, if you don’t listen closely enough to the lyrics, you’ll get distracted by the guitar riffs or Beyonce backing vocals and miss the shattering emotion or sharp commentary that Ocean is trying to convey. But listening closer to the chapter of his album exploring heartbreak, my oh my, I needed tissues; it reminded me of losing love, letting go and moving on.
At times, it drags a little. Towards the end of the album, songs like Godspeed, Futura Free and Seigfried have very similar vibes, and when played back to back (as per the album’s tracklisting), the songs blur into each other, the tempo winding down almost to a complete stop. Don’t get me wrong, individually, the songs are beautiful. It just makes me question the track listing. Frank’s choice to end the album on a schoolyard like conversation between school boys is also rather cryptic. I have to admit, it’s an odd way to end an album. But I don’t think it detracts from the earlier merits of the body of work.
My favourite song? Self Control. You can try to convince me that boys don’t cry, but tears must have been shed whilst writing this deceptively emotional piece. With the stand out lyric reading, “Now and then you miss it / Sounds make you cry / Some nights you dance with / Tears in your eyes,” Ocean sings earnestly of heartbreak and the unpredictable and overwhelming onset of emotions that come with remembering someone you’ve lost. It’s raw and it’s lyrically brilliant. But what else would you expect from the elusive Grammy award winning artist?
Heartbreak aside, Ocean explores police brutality and race relations in America in the poignant line of Nikes, “RIP Trayvon, that n***a look just like me.” But again, this lyric is easily lost in the flurry of synth and distorted vocals. The ease with which such a statement is lost in the song perhaps comments on how easily race relations are dismissed and forgotten.
After such a lyric opening the album, I hoped to hear more of his thoughts on cultural tension in America, but after Nikes, the album took a turn to explore youth and romance. Regardless, to pay tribute to Trayvon Martin in a song is empowering. Ocean follows in the steps of African American artists such as Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar and Lauryn Hill and uses his art to identify injustice perpetrated against people of colour in his music. Nikes shows us that music is undeniably becoming more political.
So you’d be right to say that Blonde and Channel Orange are completely different. But this new, mature sound rings truer to the darker spectrum of emotions one feels when going through heartbreak or facing the injustices of the world; it mightn’t be the Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids vibes we’re used to, but I’m getting used to it.
Gone are the days of ‘Thinking Bout You’. He’s thought about you, he’s loved you, and he’s lost you. And that’s what makes this album so much more complex than Channel Orange. Don’t knock it till you’ve heard (sobbed to) it.
3 songs going straight to the pool room:
1. Self Control
2. Ivy
3. Nights
Listen here.