I'm aware this is late. I just really wanted to talk about this album.
Released 4 years after the acclaimed Channel Orange, Frank had to release something better, at least he was pressured to do so. Originally, "the album", as it was dubbed on social media, was supposed to come out in Summer 2015. It's been rumored like no other since 2013, everyone constantly going back to Channel Orange and going on Twitter like "WHEN IS THE NEW ALBUM COMING??" But when July 2015 came and went, people were comparing it to Detox, the Jay Electronica album, and other unreleased famed albums. We thought we were never going to get it. Until August, when we were treated to a little teaser website, where it basically showed an empty warehouse. We realized this was for the visual album "Endless". Which while decent, was not the real album, but simply something to end his record contract. A contract he felt was weighing him down creatively, and emotionally. In this film you get a man building steps, but it leads no where... endless. You get the metaphor. But the day after, he released the actual real life album. Blonde.
The album cover alone captures the sound of the album pretty well. Melancholic, sexual, poignant, and a bit off, in a good way, intentionally. The spacey air 808's of the song "Nikes" kick off the album, and sets the mood. You're in the mind/heart/soul of Mr. Ocean. You notice the pitch-shifted vocals, and then his real voice. It occurs to you the voices have different cadences to them. Like they're personas of Frank. Then the soundgarden grows into the next tracks, Ivy sets the feeling, it's almost like a diary, and this is the part where he falls in love, even if he speaks in the past tense. Speaking like a fond memory. Then we go into the serene world of Pink + White, a track that I had no clue even had Beyonce on it until I read the credits. Something which I liked, showing that though there are outside influences, this is a Frank Ocean song. Your feature is merely a beautiful instrument (same sentiment goes to Andre's feature, though it's a big more urgent and demanding, it still feels like Frank) but as it goes, the music gets more beautiful, but the lyrics just get sadder and sadder, as if this love he knows, is not lasting. He knows how fleeting the love is, and it kills him slowly, but it feels so good.
Then we go into the next "section" of the album, which starts off with a voicemail from his mother. Telling him to stay off drugs and be himself. With juxtaposes with the next track (a personal favorite of mine) "Solo", where the first lines are about him dancing by himself on acid. Kind of a sad sight, but that's what happens when you're by yourself. In this track be names of things using the word solo, and ties it in with a story of a person, in which they're in Chicago, the person seems to want to smoke with Frank, but Frank has none, but still wants to be with them for the night. Then you cut to later, in which, he has the weed, but that person is gone, not answering texts. You get a picture of Frank smoking, holding his phone until it dies. It's really beautiful the more I think about it. How Frank seems to hold on to whatever affection he has left.
I honestly could go on about this album forever. Every track here it looks like he planned it out, he messed with it until it was exactly right. Every track feels explored, stretched as far as it can go, and fully realized. No listen of this album is exactly the same to me. I always find something new to love about it. Whether is be the secret message he lays in "Self Control" (I Leave Tonight, so basically, let's have one last night), or how Good Guy sounds like an old music video you would see on a VHS tape, except all it would be is Frank on a tiny piano, similar to that one from Charlie Brown. You know the one. Or how Frank uses different genres almost to convey a certain emotion. It's like different shades of a color, but in this case, sadness, mostly over lost loves, and lost memories.
The only thing I would even consider a flaw is how long "Futura Free" goes on for, especially that interview part at the end, which seems thrown in for the listener to make sense of (which I still don't really to be honest, what the hell are they even saying?). But even then, it's a beautiful ass track, with cryptic lyrics to satisfy as a closer, at least for me personally.
I think the track that was the biggest punch to the gut was either Godspeed, Solo, or White Ferrari. It just hit soft spots other songs have failed to hit. The power of Godspeed, the fragility of Solo, and the power of White Ferrari. I couldn't pick a favorite track.
The only album that even comes close to this album in terms of painting a picture of a broken soul tore down by past loves is probably Sea Change by Beck, even then some are more impressed musically with Blonde. Me included.
Blonde is a cinematic, melancholic, smart, layered masterpiece. Something I didn't mind waiting 4 years for. Because I feel like I still have ground to cover with this album, maybe it'll take me another 4 years to really understand this album entirely. Those albums are usually my favorites.
10/10
Released 4 years after the acclaimed Channel Orange, Frank had to release something better, at least he was pressured to do so. Originally, "the album", as it was dubbed on social media, was supposed to come out in Summer 2015. It's been rumored like no other since 2013, everyone constantly going back to Channel Orange and going on Twitter like "WHEN IS THE NEW ALBUM COMING??" But when July 2015 came and went, people were comparing it to Detox, the Jay Electronica album, and other unreleased famed albums. We thought we were never going to get it. Until August, when we were treated to a little teaser website, where it basically showed an empty warehouse. We realized this was for the visual album "Endless". Which while decent, was not the real album, but simply something to end his record contract. A contract he felt was weighing him down creatively, and emotionally. In this film you get a man building steps, but it leads no where... endless. You get the metaphor. But the day after, he released the actual real life album. Blonde.
The album cover alone captures the sound of the album pretty well. Melancholic, sexual, poignant, and a bit off, in a good way, intentionally. The spacey air 808's of the song "Nikes" kick off the album, and sets the mood. You're in the mind/heart/soul of Mr. Ocean. You notice the pitch-shifted vocals, and then his real voice. It occurs to you the voices have different cadences to them. Like they're personas of Frank. Then the soundgarden grows into the next tracks, Ivy sets the feeling, it's almost like a diary, and this is the part where he falls in love, even if he speaks in the past tense. Speaking like a fond memory. Then we go into the serene world of Pink + White, a track that I had no clue even had Beyonce on it until I read the credits. Something which I liked, showing that though there are outside influences, this is a Frank Ocean song. Your feature is merely a beautiful instrument (same sentiment goes to Andre's feature, though it's a big more urgent and demanding, it still feels like Frank) but as it goes, the music gets more beautiful, but the lyrics just get sadder and sadder, as if this love he knows, is not lasting. He knows how fleeting the love is, and it kills him slowly, but it feels so good.
Then we go into the next "section" of the album, which starts off with a voicemail from his mother. Telling him to stay off drugs and be himself. With juxtaposes with the next track (a personal favorite of mine) "Solo", where the first lines are about him dancing by himself on acid. Kind of a sad sight, but that's what happens when you're by yourself. In this track be names of things using the word solo, and ties it in with a story of a person, in which they're in Chicago, the person seems to want to smoke with Frank, but Frank has none, but still wants to be with them for the night. Then you cut to later, in which, he has the weed, but that person is gone, not answering texts. You get a picture of Frank smoking, holding his phone until it dies. It's really beautiful the more I think about it. How Frank seems to hold on to whatever affection he has left.
I honestly could go on about this album forever. Every track here it looks like he planned it out, he messed with it until it was exactly right. Every track feels explored, stretched as far as it can go, and fully realized. No listen of this album is exactly the same to me. I always find something new to love about it. Whether is be the secret message he lays in "Self Control" (I Leave Tonight, so basically, let's have one last night), or how Good Guy sounds like an old music video you would see on a VHS tape, except all it would be is Frank on a tiny piano, similar to that one from Charlie Brown. You know the one. Or how Frank uses different genres almost to convey a certain emotion. It's like different shades of a color, but in this case, sadness, mostly over lost loves, and lost memories.
The only thing I would even consider a flaw is how long "Futura Free" goes on for, especially that interview part at the end, which seems thrown in for the listener to make sense of (which I still don't really to be honest, what the hell are they even saying?). But even then, it's a beautiful ass track, with cryptic lyrics to satisfy as a closer, at least for me personally.
I think the track that was the biggest punch to the gut was either Godspeed, Solo, or White Ferrari. It just hit soft spots other songs have failed to hit. The power of Godspeed, the fragility of Solo, and the power of White Ferrari. I couldn't pick a favorite track.
The only album that even comes close to this album in terms of painting a picture of a broken soul tore down by past loves is probably Sea Change by Beck, even then some are more impressed musically with Blonde. Me included.
Blonde is a cinematic, melancholic, smart, layered masterpiece. Something I didn't mind waiting 4 years for. Because I feel like I still have ground to cover with this album, maybe it'll take me another 4 years to really understand this album entirely. Those albums are usually my favorites.
10/10
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