Creative Commons photo by Electric Lady Studios via Wikimedia.

After agreeing to do a review of Frank Ocean’s new album, I dedicated my few passing periods, and times in the passenger seat of my friend’s car, to listening to every word, beat, and note within this compilation of auditory art. I have, once again, been moved by the modern artistic world of today, including: Kanye’s “The Life of Pablo” and The 1975’s “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet unaware of it.

Frank Ocean is one of the only artists who can keep the world on their toes for over a year and still manage to leave their audience in awe. His recently released mixtape, available exclusively on Apple Music (or illegally on soundcloud), breaks social, cultural, and gender boundaries with meaningful lyrics and expertly produced tracks; all constructed from the mind of Ocean himself. The cover of the 17 track album features Ocean, shirtless with a shaved head of green hair, artistically centered around a white background, yet focused on the black lettering revealing the title of the tape: “Blond(e).”

I always ask my dad what he thinks about my music, I got most of my taste from him so I’d like to know if he’d like anything I found on my own. Although it isn’t Pearl Jam or Pink Floyd, I’d like to think this album is one that my generation will look back on and admire for its’ creative vision and masterful production.

Ocean’s album previous to this one, “channel ORANGE,” is seen merely as an experimental album for the artist compared to his latest release. Featuring the songs “Forrest Gump,” “Pyramids,” “Super Rich Kids,” and “Lost,” “channel ORANGE” was a strong leap into the industry; ultimately proving he can use live sound, music, and lyrics to portray a story with passion and an artistic drive.

[polldaddy poll=9511307]

His creative vision, along with Francisco Soriano’s, was shown more explicitly with the release of his 45 minute visual album, “ENDLESS,” a few weeks ago. Pairing aesthetically pleasing visuals with the haunting, almost gospel like vocals, Frank juxtaposes his creative process, executed while producing both “ENDLESS” and “Blond(e),” with the slow but steady construction of a staircase that Ocean is seen doing in the film, ending only to see the artist climb the stairs he just built.

The first track of the new album, “Nikes,” starts off with a solid beat and background track that flows together steady and strong. The artists then begins to sing with a hypnotic, high-pitched voice that brings together his alternative R&B type sound perfectly.

A very controversial line within this first song, that has been discussed many times on social media was something that stood out immediately to Ocean’s audience, mentions a pivotal happening in our countries history: “Pour up for A$AP, RIP Pimp C, RIP Trayvon, that ***** look just like me.” The murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 sparked a movement within America, #BlackLivesMatter, that ultimately affected the population and added to modern day activism.

“Ivy” and “Pink + White” are the next two songs on this record, which accentuate Ocean’s beautiful vocals and storytelling ability. “I thought that I was dreaming when you said you loved me,” starts off the song “Ivy,” which allows us to start to visualize who has captured the heart of Ocean and ultimately became the artist’s muse. The way the song “Pink + White” flows is almost impossible to explain with words. He uses a solid beat that bumps alongside the sounds of soft female vocals, the quiet playing of violins, lyrics that fall off the tip of his tongue, and classic piano. The song ends with the sounds of birds cooing and then switches abruptly to “Be Yourself.”

Very much like the artist’s previous songs on “channel ORANGE,” this song is just the sound of a woman’s voice over a chilling beat. The woman, a mother, begins to talk about the dangers of college students becoming hooked on drugs, marijuana, and alcohol. The woman continues to repeat words of wisdom, warning Frank, and the listener, not to become a ‘weed-head’ or unconcerned with others. The song is a quick 1:27 minutes and ends with the woman saying “this is mom, call me, bye,” adding a chilling, emotional tone to the short song.

This idea of having a simple voicemail, either standing alone on the album or ending a song, is seen also in Mac Miller’s “The Festival (feat. Little Dragon)” and West’s song “Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeeer Intermission.” I like the idea of the sounds we hear around us being portrayed as music; it shows how well Ocean works to create a smooth, flowing pace throughout his album between music, speaking, and singing. This is shown, also, on the track “Facebook Story”, which is just the sound of a man talking about not wanting to add his girlfriend on facebook and getting dumped for it.

The next song, accompanied by a reprise later on in the album, is called “Solo.” It once again proves the artist’s songwriting ability and exceptional vocals. “It’s hell on earth and the city’s on fire, in hell, in hell there’s heaven,” this line, repeated many times throughout the song, stands to represent to struggles within Ocean’s time alone. The vocals are strung atop the slow sound of an organ playing, exaggerating the beautiful lyrics and notes that this mans Frank Ocean is able to hit.

“Self Control,” a slow song that starts off with a guitar strum and more high-pitched vocals, is one of the most beautifully produced songs on the album. The lyrics are sung as if Frank is reading off a love letter that he has written for his boyfriend, which I love, considering that most of his songs are written as a massive metaphor and you have to decipher the language that is Frank Ocean.

Another short excerpt from the mind of the artist is featured on the album with the song “Good Guy,” explaining a man Frank expresses feelings for. “Here’s to the gay bar you took me too, It’s when I realized you talk too much, more than I do,” these lyrics, written with pure, raw emotion, explain the feeling of wanting someone who doesn’t truly need anyone in their lives. I’ve never heard a song about a bootycall as exceptionally beautiful as this one; it seems that Frank’s strength is producing stories written from a perspective most don’t, or can’t, seem to see.

One of my favorite songs on the album is called “Nights,” which starts off with a upbeat, bass driven track with Ocean’s voice talking over it. His line, “You were from my past life hope you’re doing well bruh,” is one of the many mentionings of the artist’s struggle with his “past life” and how it is affecting his current life within the album; adding to the unique, personal story Frank is trying to portray with this album.

When the song is almost over, the track switches up on you after about a second moment of silence, into a slow, PARTYNXTDOOR type beat with Ocean continuing to sing the song’s hook. The song then echoes slowly out and starts the lyrically driven “Solo (reprise).”

I’m really glad Frank decided to have a pure, smooth rap song on this album. Ocean has clearly proved that he can tackle many different genre’s of music, but it’s good to see him making sure to include his roots. The lyrics in this reprise, rapped by Andre 3000, stresses the issues with police, money, and girls; each tangent is strung together perfectly with the brilliant vocabulary the “Hey Ya!” and “Pink Matter” singer possesses, while always circling back to the word “solo.” The word play within this reprise is a typical Andre 3000 move and a great edition to this album.

The bars in “Solo (Reprise)” remind me of songs done by Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples; just a beat with a perfectly executed rap. Making this reprise 10x better and solidifying both Andre and Frank’s place in the world of rap.

My all time favorite song on the album, “White Ferrari,” is another song within the album the mentions the idea of existentialism and the weight this world has on everyone. Frank uses strong word play to lure his audience in, hypnotically and flowing. Lines like: “So I text to speech, lesser speeds, Texas speed, yes, based takes it’s toll on me, eventually, eventually, yes, I only eventually, eventually, yes,” traps the words into the music likes a maze and creates a rhythm you can’t help but move your head to.

The reason “White Ferrari” is my absolute favorite is because of the Bon Iver verse that wraps up the rest of the piece. Iver is one of the most brilliant songwriters and artists I have ever come to know and his soft, yet powerful voice hums every lyric while opening his listeners up to the inner workings of his mind. I really was not expecting Bon to be on this album. It shocked me when I first heard it, my jaw literally dropped, and I found an immediate respect for this track.

Creative Commons photo by Andy Holmes via Flickr.

“Siegfried” begins with the quiet sound of rain falling and then the voice of Frank singing. The lyrics in this song refer to the nature of the artist’s mind while dealing with a breakup. “Been living in an idea, an idea from another man’s mind,” Frank sings in the second verse of this song. The idea of a metaphysical, bittersweet love songs is something only Frank Ocean could master and that was achieved within this song.

Including religious affiliation within rap music has recently been executed perfectly within Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book album, where he includes his Chicago rap roots with his passion for family and his faith; this trend continues beautifully in Frank’s motivational serenade, “Godspeed.”

To conclude the album, Frank has a 10-minute song called “Futura Free” which stands as a sample section for many features to sum up many of the different motifs within the album and references to other lyrics. The final few minutes is an interview between Frank and an interviewer, where the artist talks about wanting to be dead and alive simultaneously, what sports he plays, his secrets, and more. He then finishes the song with the question: How far is a light year?

Many artists do not have the chance, nor the talent, to make a successful comeback after years of being off the radar. Frank, however, wrecked the world of music with two albums, a few videos, and a magazine all in the matter of a few days.

The amount of unapologetic pride Frank Ocean should be boosted with right now is enough to prove his relevance and talent now and forever within the industry. So, Frank, on behalf of millions of listeners, fans, and aspiring artists, we’d like to say thank you for coming back to the music industry and blessing us, with this album in particular, and everything you do in between.

P.S. Please never make us wait a year for an album with absolutely no information again, thanks.