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Review: Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Released: July 10, 2012
Label: Def Jam
Purchase: iTunes | Insound | Amazon

Frank Ocean‘s Channel Orange is a nightmare of an album to review, not because it’s a bad piece of work or even because of the circumstances that surrounded its release (read: Frank Ocean broke the ice about his still unclear sexuality just days before the album’s release with a painful recounting of his failed relationship with a man — a huge no-no in the heteronormative R&B world). Instead, the difficulty of reviewing Channel Orange lies in the fact that its such an intimate experience that it probably shouldn’t be dissected out of respect for Ocean. That emotional purity and the special way that Ocean seems to deliver it make Channel Orange an engaging and heartwarming listen from start to finish. He may be bisexual, but his pains and murmurs of unrequited love ring true to a much wider audience (it’s no wonder that he found success early on in his career writing songs for Beyoncé).

Interestingly enough, what makes Frank Ocean so particularly endearing may or may not even be the music he manages to make; his wit, charisma, and uncharacteristic nonchalance for someone with so much pain inside him carry him more than far enough. Perhaps even more interesting though, is that this doesn’t even matter in the grander scheme that is Channel Orange. From the bittersweet reminiscing of “Thinkin Bout You” to the outpour of regret and contemplation on “Bad Religion” to the ten-minute magnum opus that is “Pyramids”, Ocean spins a tale of desperation and heartbreak so real and so personal that we can discover exactly who Frank Ocean is, regardless of what we may or may not have heard about him. “This unrequited love, to me it’s nothing but a one-man cult and cyanide in my styrofoam cup. I could never make him love me,” he explains to a non-suspecting taxi-driver on “Bad Religion” — and suddenly, we know he has some secrets about his sexuality. On “Pink Matter”, he questions, “What do you think my brain is made for? Is it just a container for the mind?” — and we feel both his mind and brain at work. When Ocean’s flawless falsetto accentuates the hook on “Thinkin Bout You” and he croons, “Or do you not think so far ahead? Cause I’ve been thinking ’bout forever,”  we feel Ocean’s nostalgia for the past he loved and the future that never was, all in the present tense. Over the course of the album’s intentionally sparse 17 songs, we discover much about Ocean while at the same time, he encourages us to discover more about ourselves as he carefully pieces each vignette together and invites us to reflect alongside him.

Ocean is far from what you would normally expect from an R&B star, but he does represent everything that you’d hope to find in one. That, perhaps, is much more important.

9.5

Standout Tracks: “Bad Religion”, “Pyramids”, “Pink Matter (feat. André 3000)”, “Super Rich Kids (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)”

Video: Odd Future – “Sam is Dead”

Rap group Odd Future just released a new music video for “Sam is Dead” which features Tyler, the Creator and Domo Genesis. The song is from the OF Tape Vol. 2, which was released earlier this year. The video was directed by Tyler, the Creator under the Wolf Haley alias and is shot as a war short film.  The video features appearances from Lee Spielman of Trash Talk and many OFWGKTA members including Lucas and Earl Sweatshirt. Watch the music video below.

Frank Ocean Releases Channel Ocean Cover and Tracklisting

Frank Ocean of Odd Future has released the final details of his forthcoming new album Channel Orange, his Def Jam and official studio debut. Out on July 17th, Ocean’s new album features a verse from Outkast‘s André 3000 and additional collaborations with John Mayer and fellow Odd Future cohort Earl Sweatshirt. He also posted the album’s cover (seen above) and its full tracklisting on his Tumblr account.

Channel Orange Tracklisting:
01 Start
02 Thinkin Bout You
03 Fertilizer
04 Sierra Leone
05 Sweet Life
06 Not Just Money
07 Super Rich Kids [ft. Earl Sweatshirt]
08 Pilot Jones
09 Crack Rock
10 Pyramids
11 Lost
12 White [ft. John Mayer]
13 Monks
14 Bad Religion
15 Pink Matter [ft. André 3000]
16 Forrest Gump
17 End

Watch: Odd Future with Earl – “Oldie (Live in NYC)”

To follow up last night’s report on Earl Sweatshirt joining the rest off Odd Future in Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom, we now have a decent quality fan-shot video of the crew performing the ten-minute-long “Oldie” from The OF Tape Vol.2. Midway through Earl’s killer verse, twenty-some Odd Future members piled onto the stage to surround Earl in support of his first major live show. Enjoy.

Earl Sweatshirt Performs in NY, Does First Interview

Earl Sweatshirt is back and if you didn’t believe the original reports about his return, we now have much more concrete evidence. First off, Earl just participated in his first ever interview, sitting down with Hot 97’s Paul Rosenberg to talk about his return alongside Odd Future members Tyler and Taco.

Perhaps what is even more exciting is the fact that Earl made his live debut tonight at Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom. With the entire Odd Future crew by his side, Earl performed key cuts from his discography, including “Orange Juice”, “Assmilk”, and “Kill”.

Below, you can watch the Rosenberg interview, as well as an impromptu music video for OF Tape Vol. 2‘s crew cut “Oldie” that was filmed by Lance Bangs at a photoshoot with Terry Richardson.

Odd Future – “Oldie”:

Odd Future Release Tracklist and Covers for OF Tape Vol. 2

Odd Future‘s second collective album, OF Tape Vol. 2, will be out March 20th via their own Odd Future Records and today we get our first look at its 18-track-long tracklist and its four covers (shown above). Featuring no outside guest verses, OF Tape Vol. 2 includes new material from every Odd Future member except for Earl Sweatshirt, who recently made his long-awaited return home from Samoa.

Before that album drops however, we’ll first get new material from the gradually improving Hodgy Beats, who just announced that his new Untitled EP features production from Flying Lotus, the Alchemist, Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, and Thelonious Martin and will be out this Friday.

OF Tape Vol. 2:

01 Hi.
02 Bitches [ft. Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats]
03 NY (Ned Flander) [ft. Hodgy Beats, and Tyler, the Creator]
04 Ya Know [ft. the Internet]
05 Forest Green [ft. Mike G]
06 Lean [ft. Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis]
07 Analog 2 [ft. Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, and Syd tha Kyd]
08 50 [ft. MellowHype]
09 Snow White [ft. Hodgy Beats and Frank Ocean]
10 Rella [ft. Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, and Tyler, the Creator]
11 Real Bitch [ft. MellowHype and Taco]
12 P [ft. Hodgy Beats and Tyler, the Creator]
13 White [ft. Frank Ocean]
14 Hcapd [ft. Domo Genesis, Hodgy Beats, and Tyler, the Creator]
15 Sam (Is Dead) [ft. Domo Genesis and Tyler, the Creator]
16 Doms [ft. Domo Genesis]
17 We Got Bitches [ft. Tyler, the Creator, Taco, and Jasper Dolphin]
18 Oldie [ft. Odd Future]

Odd Future’s Earl Sweatshirt Returns

After being reportedly stuck in a Samoan camp for quite some time, it appears that Odd Future‘s Earl Sweatshirt has finally come back home. The young rap prodigy, most known for his fantastic mixtape, Earl, created both a Twitter and Tumblr account, and has also released a youtube video teasing new material in return for receiving 50,000 followers. Upon reaching the milestone, Earl tweeted a link to his new website, Terttlefer.com (turtle effer?), which contained a new song fittingly titled “Home”.

MP3: Earl Sweatshirt – “Home”

The Los Angeles based hip hop skateboard collective, who have a busy year ahead, also released the album art (shown above) to OF Tape Vol. 2, which fits into their established style and features OF collaborator Lucas Vercetti. Check out the music video for Earl Sweatshirt’s “EARL” below.

Listen: A-10 & Young Brew – “Let You Know (Prod. By Keyyz McFlyy)”

Talent isn’t something that is defined by age. That’s something youngsters Odd Future have made clear in the past year, with the extremely talented, 17-year-old Earl Sweatshirt dropping nicer lines than rappers double his age. Today, I have a new track from the 16-year-old A-10, who hails from Durham, North Carolina. With his team, A-10 has been drawing attention for his clean flow and chilled-out sound, personally reminding me of a blend between Curren$y and Chip Tha Ripper. His upcoming mixtape is entitled The Cold and will be out at the end of this month. Check out “Let You Know” with Young Brew below.

Mixtape: Domo Genesis – Under The Influence

It’s not the full-fledged follow up to Rolling Papers, but yesterday we got a brand new free mixtape from Odd Future‘s stoner-rap specialist Domo Genesis. His latest project, Under The Influence, is a fourteen track mixtape featuring Domo rapping over some of his favorite industry beats, including Kanye West‘s “We Major”. The whole affair sounds quite out of place in the rest of the OF catalog, firmly cementing Domo’s place as the explosive collective’s most laid back member.

Odd Future’s de-facto leader Tyler, the Creator makes an appearance as Ace on “Whole City Behind Us”. While Under The Influence, isn’t quite as polished as Tyler’s Bastard mixtape or Earl Sweatshirt‘s EARL, it’s still a great piece of work. You can download the entire mixtape below. A few choice cuts are also included below as previews.

DOWNLOAD: Limelinx

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Guess Who’s Back”

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Whole City Behind Us (feat. Ace)”

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Shine”

Has Complex Found Earl Sweatshirt?

Complex Magazine believes they have located the long lost OFWGKTA member Earl Sweatshirt at an academy in Samoa. Earl, arguably one of the best rappers in the Los Angeles rap group, was reportedly sent there by his mother because “she didn’t like his ‘disrespectful’ music”. You can download Earl Sweatshirt’s debut album, EARL, for free on the group’s Tumblr. Free Earl!