by Julia Sundstrom
Praise Jesus for Aug. 20, 2016 because on that day Frank Ocean released his most recent album, “Blonde.” It has been four years and Frank Ocean has finally released new music. It is not like we all have been waiting around for his newest creation *rolls eyes.* It has felt like forever with a long period of white noise from this guy but now the time is here.
Frank Ocean has always been different from other rappers around the block, but even listening to the album he seems like a new man.
“Channel Orange,” his first album released, is slam packed with some good jams that will last a lifetime. This newer release is just as good, but it might take a little more time to get past the slow intercessional melodies. These fresh tunes are filled with his classic storytelling ability, but heightened to a new level of smooth and groovy rhymes. His new tracks are honestly more random and unconventional.
Five songs from ‘Blonde” have reached the Top 100, which is no surprise. Even though those songs are more popular, I personally believe there are other songs that are better. There are few other songs that have become my tune of choice. ‘Nike,’ ‘Pink + White,’ ‘Skyline To,’ ‘ Self Control’ and ‘Nights’ are just a handful of songs that have been on repeat on my commute to school or even studying at the coffee shop. ‘Self Control’ is hands down my personal favorite because Frank Ocean actually sings to a more acoustic indie melody with a little of the eclectic white noise.
The only downside to the release was that the album is only available on Apple Music. On the other hand, it was an extremely intelligent strategy from a marketing and economical viewpoint to only sell his album on iTunes.
At first I was nervous to buy “Blonde” because it was a blind buy on iTunes and truly a lot of trust in this guy’s talent, but I was not disappointed.
One thing Ocean will forever be good at is simply making music that just sounds beautifully strung together with purpose, stories and beats. The whole album is filled with rich music that is just waiting to be discovered.
