Kelly, it’s safe to walk into BLONDE with this one expectation above all others, and perhaps this expectation should be the foundation upon which we consume his latest work. Having drawn comparisons to Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Erykah Badu, and R. So, before ENDLESS debuted, I had to struggle with the next question: How do we absorb what comes next without being disappointed by the fact that it’s not CHANNEL ORANGE? Indeed, it seems to be a valid question for those who have not-so-patiently awaited a new Ocean album for the past four years, and the answer must surely lie in the reason we are so attracted to his artistry in the first place - he’s got soul. But, sadly, I realized that we were all kind of expecting another CHANNEL ORANGE, which would certainly be impossible given its unique combination of perfectly curated characteristics - pop accessibility, seamless exploration of genres, narrative cohesion, effortlessly beautiful vocals, evocative lyrics, and a strong, poignant thesis, to say the least. The live stream which began on August 1 st was a beacon of hope, but then as the activity on the video died down, I couldn’t help but ask myself: What are we all expecting? And will this emotional roller coaster even be worth it in the end? Yes, I have a huge capacity for dramatic existentialism. July 31 st drew closer and closer, and suddenly war flashbacks became a frequent reminder of the emotional betrayal felt last summer. Given the huge success of CHANNEL ORANGE, and because these fully-produced collaborations were the only credible insight into the sound of his activities besides the rough demo “Memrise” and some shoddy fan recordings from outside of a listening party, Ocean enthusiasts could only imagine his next work(s) to reach an even higher pinnacle than before.Īs someone who religiously checked the Frank Ocean Subreddit every day last July when the album was originally announced to be released, I found myself in hyperventilation the minute he posted the cryptic library due date slip on his website this summer. If this point is not made clear by his own music, then it must be obvious by his actions.įollowing the 2012 release of CHANNEL ORANGE, Ocean has notoriously spent the last few years basically in hiding, but casual fans and committed r/FrankOcean lurkers alike knew well enough from his mysterious Tumblr posts and the occasional collaboration with artists like Beyonce, Kanye West, and James Blake that he may be out of sight, but definitely not out of mind. But to ask the question twice seems to posit an answer that may come from a deeper rhetorical level, and we all know Ocean is not the type to serve us that which lives solely on the surface. The very last words we hear on BLONDE, Frank Ocean’s third full-length album, are: “ How far is a light year? How far is a light year?” Well, technically it’s nearly six trillion miles (which is the distance on a timeline between Ocean’s last album, CHANNEL ORANGE, and now). Favorite Tracks: “Nikes,” “Solo,” “Self Control,” “Nights,” “Solo (Reprise),” “Seigfried”