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frank ocean

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Listen: Frank Ocean – “Blue Whale”

New Frank Ocean is always a treat and last night’s mysterious new “Blue Whale” is no different. This time, however, Ocean trades his falsetto and melodies for a couple of chilled-out rap verses. We’ve already heard him spit on “Oldie” and “She” with the rest of the Odd Future goons, but “Blue Whale” (which seems to be an old demo produced by Midi Mafia) is the most continuous and solid rap effort so far from the Def Jam singer. Check out the song on Ocean’s Tumblr below.

MP3: Frank Ocean – “Blue Whale”

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)”

Listen: Frank Ocean – “Sweet Life”

Frank Ocean drops a new song today, just days after posting an extremely poetic clarification about his sexuality. The new track “Sweet Life” was co-written by Pharrell and will appear on Frank’s studio debut Channel Orange, out July 17th via Island/Def Jam. This is the first thing he has posted on his Tumblr since coming out two days ago. Listen and download the soulful new track from the talented Odd Future member 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

Video: Frank Ocean – “TV”

Frank Ocean has the whole mysterious vibe down pat. Earlier this morning, the Odd Future-affiliated crooner posted a short snippet of a brand new song onto his Tumblr. He left no comment and from the video, we’re left to guess that the new song is called “TV” and will appear on a new release entitled Channel Orange, out on July 17th. The song features layered vocals and a dark, glitchy synth in the background. The two minute snippet features, unsurprisingly for Ocean, a BMW station wagon. Listen and watch for yourself below.

There’s a good chance that Channel Orange may be Frank Ocean’s first official release with Def Jam, which was previously rumored for release in the summer of 2012. Since releasing his shelved album Nostalgia, Ultra as a mixtape last year, the singer went on to gain internet stardom and two well-received features on Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne. His first official single “Thinking Bout You” was released April 17, 2012 and may also be included on Channel Orange, although details are currently unknown at this time.

Watch: Frank Ocean at Coachella 2012

Picture from latimes.com
Frank Ocean, the R&B member of Odd Future, had the spotlight on him on Friday at Coachella. There were some technical difficulties, but overall it was a great performance. You can check out Frank’s Ocean full set below which includes a Bob Dylan cover and Tyler, the Creator joining to perform “Analog 2”. More Coachella coverage can be seen here.

Setlist
  1. Long Time Coming (Bob Dylan cover)
  2. Thinking About You
  3. Strawberry Swing
  4. Swim Good
  5. Analog 2 (with Tyler)
  6. Whip Appeal
  7. Voodoo
  8. Love Crimes
  9. Novacane
  10. White

 

Odd Future Update: New OF Tape and More

2011 was a fantastic year for Los Angeles based hip-hop/skateboard collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All with releases from Tyler the Creator, Mellowhype, Frank OceanThe Internet and Mike G, and yet after all that it looks like the group still won’t be slowing down in 2012. Following last year’s Goblin, Tyler the Creator is set to release Wolf  sometime in the spring, which was described by him as a deviation from his previous releases. Duo Hodgy beats and Leftbrain are also releasing a followup Mellowhype album titled Numbers sometime in the summer.

The collective has also announced OF Tape Vol. 2, which features new music from Tyler, the Creator, Hodgy Beats, Frank Ocean, Leftbrain, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Syd the Kyd and The Internet. The tape is a followup to the crew’s 2008 debut outing The Odd Future Mixtape, which you can download for free over here. On top of it all, Tyler and gang will also be premiering their own “Jackass”-like sketch show, Loiter Squad, March 25h on Adult Swim.

Head over here to check out a limited edition t-shirt designed by Tyler the Creator that will be released through Qubic Store. The shirt was made in response to the collective being kicked out of the lineup for Big Day Out 2012 Auckland, and they are set to have their own show at the Auckland Powerstation January 19th instead.

All future releases will be released through the crew’s own Odd Future Records.

Sid Sriram Covers The Weeknd

 

Sid Sriram has been on a roll recently, releasing a great cover of Frank Ocean‘s “We All Try” (watch that here). To follow up, he has released yet another fantastic cover, this time choosing to perform his take on The Weeknd‘s “High For This”. Complete with live instrumentation, Sid’s voice really shines here. You can download the song or watch the video below.

MP3: Sid Sriram – “High For This (The Weeknd Cover)”

Watch: Tyler, the Creator – “She (feat. Frank Ocean)”

Tyler, the Creator‘s Goblin receives its second set of visuals in the form of the Frank Ocean featuring track “She”. In his first video (for the song “Yonkers”), Tyler ate a cockroach, puked, and then hung himself, but today, he and his Odd Future friends return by creeping on the new girl on the block. You can watch the music video below.

Watch: Frank Ocean – “Acura Integurl”

Odd Future‘s Frank Ocean has released visuals to “Acura Integurl”, which features the 24 year old singer driving around town in an Acura MSX. $90k seems to be no big deal to Mr. Ocean, now that Def Jam is finally taking him seriously and will be rereleasing his album Nostalgia, Ultra. Check out the music video below.