De Minimis
  • Home
  • ABOUT US
  • Podcast
  • Your Learned Friend
  • Anonymous Feedback
  • Art
  • Get published!
  • Comment Policy
  • Archive
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2017 >
      • Semester 2 (Volume 12) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8 (election issue)
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
    • 2016 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 9) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
      • Semester 2 (Volume 10) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8 (Election Issue)
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
        • Issue 13 (test)
    • 2015 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 7) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
      • Semester 2 (Volume 8) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
    • 2014 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 5) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
      • Semester 2 (Volume 6) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 12
    • 2013 >
      • Issue 1
      • Issue 2
      • Issue 3
      • Issue 4
      • Issue 5
      • Issue 6
    • 2012 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 1) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
      • Semester 2 (Volume 2) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
  • Blog

Review of Frank Ocean’s “Blond”

5/9/2016

 
PAT SEXTON
Volume 10, Issue 7
‘What the hell am I listening to?’

The was my initial reaction when I heard the first thirty seconds of Frank Ocean’s long-awaited sophomore studio album, Blonde.
‘I’ve been waiting four years to hear this, and now I’m listening to a chipmunk…’

The pitch-shifted opener Nikes, which sees Ocean brood about the materialistic trappings of the modern world, was an ambitious way to start off an album that had so much to live up to.

And, unfortunately, that ambition fell short of the mark. I can get around artistic experimentation as much as the next person (808s & Heartbreak fanboy here), but listening to a wailing chipmunk for more than three minutes doesn’t do it for me.

‘You’ve trolled us enough, Frank. Give me something here!’ was my next thought.

Thankfully, he delivered.

Atmospheric, emotive and stripped-back are the words that spring to mind when I listen to this album. And while it doesn’t have the same punch as Channel Orange or even Nostalgia, Ultra, there is still a lot to like about Ocean’s latest offering to the musical world.

Ivy is where the album picks up, with Ocean letting his full range of vocals out to play over a simple yet elegant guitar riff.

Things only get better from there as we are taken down a mellow yet for the most part engaging road, with the superstar guest list epitomising what Blonde is all about. The likes of Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé grace the album but in the faintest of ways, their features melding into the background of tracks; tracks that aren’t about fanfare or instant thrills, like the album itself.

The only time the project leaps out to grab the listener is when Andre 3000 jumps in just past the halfway point with Solo (Reprise). His hectic flow and cutting lyrics are a real highlight, and are yet another example of his prowess on the microphone.

The album as a whole is full of beautifully constructed instrumentals and poignant lyrics. Coupled with this is, of course, Ocean’s fantastic voice. The ease with which he changes octaves is something to be celebrated, and his falsetto has somehow gotten even better since his last album.

The artistic subtleties that we’ve come to expect from Ocean are another positive to take away, and they add even more intricacy to what is an already thought-provoking project.

Blonde is centred around duality. The spelling of ‘Blond’ on the cover even though the actual title is ‘Blonde’, the majestic beat switch at the exact halfway point of the album during the track Nights and the fact Ocean released this album alongside the visual project Endless all point to this. They are representative of Ocean’s own duality as a bisexual and his masculinity and femininity, with ‘blond’ considered the masculine form and ‘blonde’ the feminine form.

While admittedly the album can be too relaxed and drawn out at times,  these intricacies, together with Ocean’s powerful lyrics,  ensure it is stimulating enough to hold the listener’s attention.

Blonde is an extremely cohesive, elegant and pleasant project, and while it doesn’t have the same lustre or grandiose of Channel Orange, it is definitely worth checking out.

Score: 3.75/5

Favourite tracks: Ivy, Pink + White, Solo, Nights, Solo (Reprise), Futura Free


Pat Sexton is a second year JD student
Picture
The rest of this week's issue:
  • Notes on Commercial Acumen Info Session
  • #HumansofMelbourneLawSchool: By Putting Students at Risk Marketing Department Attains Immunity from Criticism
  • Dear Prospective MLS Student
  • University "Profitability" Trumps Freedom of Academic Expression Under Failed Policy
  • International Perspectives: You Don’t Look French Enough
  • Equity Uncle: Equityquette
 More articles like this:
  • King Kendrick came, saw and conquered
  • At the Movies: Ex Machina
  • At the Movies: The Revenant, The Hateful Eight, The Big Short

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

  • Home
  • ABOUT US
  • Podcast
  • Your Learned Friend
  • Anonymous Feedback
  • Art
  • Get published!
  • Comment Policy
  • Archive
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2017 >
      • Semester 2 (Volume 12) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8 (election issue)
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
    • 2016 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 9) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
      • Semester 2 (Volume 10) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8 (Election Issue)
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
        • Issue 13 (test)
    • 2015 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 7) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
      • Semester 2 (Volume 8) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
    • 2014 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 5) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
      • Semester 2 (Volume 6) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 12
    • 2013 >
      • Issue 1
      • Issue 2
      • Issue 3
      • Issue 4
      • Issue 5
      • Issue 6
    • 2012 >
      • Semester 1 (Volume 1) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
      • Semester 2 (Volume 2) >
        • Issue 1
        • Issue 2
        • Issue 3
        • Issue 4
        • Issue 5
        • Issue 6
        • Issue 7
        • Issue 8
        • Issue 9
        • Issue 10
        • Issue 11
        • Issue 12
  • Blog