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Frank Ocean - Blond

Posted: 1/25/2021 by Sam Bailey ( See All) Show:
(2016) Here it is folks, the last Frank Ocean review. Frank Ocean's "Blond", or "Blonde" if you want to get fancy, is a masterpiece. It's easy to dismiss many works of art as masterpieces, but trust me, this album is something to be savored like a fine wine or a Renaissance painting that lasts 1 hour and listens like an emotional roller coaster of nostalgia, lost love, future love, and a long, long lifetime of yearning. "Nikes" begins the album with a hauntingly pitched version of Frank discussing what all the lovers in his life wanted, rings, Nikes (but the real ones, specifically), and plenty of checks, though none of that is likely in his eyes. Frank establishes his moral code in "Nikes", detailing some obituary-esque lines before, at long last, showcasing his gorgeous, unpitched voice and telling us about how he cares for his lover/friend that, while he's younger than them, he still looks after them. "Nikes" sets you up for the rest of the album, weeding out listeners immediately to find out who wants to hear what Frank has to say. Following "Nikes" is a selection of more upbeat songs to contrast the latter half of the album, finding features from Beyonce and more that either went uncredited or are too long to mention. "Blond" has a gorgeous essence of collaboration to it, which is furthered in the vast expanse of sounds Frank goes for in the first half of the album, from bouncy flows in "Solo" to almost poetry-like lines in "Skyline To". After the last note of "Skyline To" plays, Frank details a "poolside convo" in "Self Control", the emotional climax of "Blond" that tells us what's really going on: Frank's significant other found someone else, and he can't help but hold onto it and hope to be with them somehow, despite how his emotions seem to be much stronger than his former lover's, since they moved on long ago and left Frank to deal with himself. "Self Control" details that story in a much more eloquent, poetic way that can't be described other than in the song itself, which is code for "please listen to 'Self Control' right now". After "Self Control", "Blond" gets more and more indulgent and contemplative, following up with a palate cleanser featuring Andre 3000 himself in "Solo (Reprise)". "Nights", the song leading up to the reprise, is the song I had my 19th birthday to, to get a bit personal. The reason is because of the gorgeous beat switch from an oppressive, claustrophobic-sounding guitar to an ethereal, spacey beat that does the exact opposite of paling in comparison to 2016's year of music production. If you can make it through that much of the album, good on you, take a break, have some tea or something because Frank hasn't unloaded on you just yet. Frank unloads on the listeners in everything past "Facebook Story", a funny little skit that talks about the little amount of contact people have past meaningless, short meetings that aren't always face to face, only to leave each other and never see each other again except for in awkward, emotionally difficult situations that Frank talks about constantly. "White Ferrari" is, quite possibly under "Self Control" or "Nikes", the best song on the album, combining Frank's soulful voice talking about being smaller in other dimensions and acoustic guitar to keep the song chugging along, layered on top of each other in the most gorgeous way. The album continues to spiral downward, passing by a gospel choir backing up Frank in "Godspeed", the song you'll end up showing to everyone from this album and saying it sounds like some new, beautiful religion you want to be a part of. The album closes off with "Futura Free", a 9 minute monster of a song that is divided into two parts: the song, and the interview that will make you bawl like a baby if you know Frank's past. Frank talks about wanting to pay us, the listener, for being his therapist, his outlet, his "Dr. Whoever" in the words of Amine, and his relationship with his mother/friends/family and anyone who crossed paths with him. Now that it's over, what do you have to say? Do you feel like you have to go cherish life and your relationships more? Do you want to listen again? These are all things I personally thought about after listening with some friends the whole way through. "Blond" isn't meant as a standalone, be-all-end-all of the conversation. Enjoy "Blond" with a friend, a lover, someone you trust, anyone you want as long as they mean something to you. Above all, enjoy "Blond" responsibly, take breaks if you need them, and give yourself time to process, especially if you've been listening along with these reviews. I shared my story about this album and all of Frank's other works, now go listen to them and do the same. Frank's voice has a reach further than music itself, and if he can make this humble music reviewer think about his life, emotions, and love, then I'm sure he can do the same for you. Enjoy.

Recommended If You Like: Any music at all really (it's that good)

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