![]() ![]() Much of his work operates without the pretense of fear, ignoring trends in search of the bigger picture. His lyrics enjoy freeform surrealism, challenging to pin down to any one influence, and his ear for the music accompanying the words has yet to fail him. Songwriting has long been the bright red cherry on top of Frank Ocean's caked-with-soul sound. Fortunately, for the fan who prefers a tidy and neat streaming experience, the officially-sanctioned Frank Ocean discography likely satisfies even the pickiest of people. The free-to-download 2011 mixtape nostalgia,ULTRA. has yet to hit streaming at press time save for three singles, as do singles like “Whip Appeal,” “Acura Integurl,” “Pyrite” and “Memrise.” His 2016 visual album Endless can’t be streamed individually on Apple Music or Spotify. Nonetheless, Nostalgia, Ultra helped usher a new iteration of R&B into the sonosphere, one that was gnarlier, cooler and infinitely more sincere.For as many songs and albums 33-year-old singer, songwriter, record producer, photographer and visual artist Frank Oceanhas put out into the world, his official discography in major streaming services comes out to just two albums-2012 Def Jam album channel ORANGE and the 2016 Boys Don’t Cry album Blonde-and a slew of singles. He arbitrarily labelled the mixtape as “bluegrass” and “death metal” on iTunes and called the concept of genres “dated” in an interview with the Quietus. In 2011, R&B had become a dirty word associated with corny chart-toppers – perhaps one of the reasons Ocean was so reluctant to be associated with it. Paired with the more nightmarish elements on tracks such as “Novacane”, it chimes with the pandemic-induced anxiety most of us are experiencing today. The sugary optimism and intense longing for the past is something we can all relate to. Nostalgia, Ultra feels as pertinent now as it did ten years ago – in some ways more so. Said album was Channel Orange, released a year later to even greater acclaim. West even offered to feature on Ocean’s debut album, but he reportedly refused. He worked on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative album, Watch The Throne, and wrote “I Miss You” for Beyoncé. Coldplay invited Ocean to support them on tour in 2012. Other artists were more conciliatory by now Ocean was stacking up the five star reviews and as the first Odd Future member to go mainstream established musicians wanted in. Four years later he was still holding onto the grudge, calling Ocean a “talentless little prick” in an interview with the Guardian. Following the mixtape’s Tumblr release, Eagle’s member Don Henley threatened legal action, despite the fact Ocean had made no money from the record. It is a seven minute-long remake of “Hotel California” by the Eagles, on which Ocean laments the state of love in America. ![]() The penultimate track, “American Wedding”, is at least part of the reason that Nostalgia, Ultra is so difficult to come by today (you won’t find it on Spotify or Apple Music). Cruising atop an undulating synth, Ocean paints a vivid picture – “I took a seat on the ice cold lawn / She handed me a ice blue bong” – while simultaneously aiming a sharp jab at the music industry: “Every single record, autotunin' / Zero emotion, muted emotion / Pitch corrected, computed emotion.” On the second single, “Swim Good”, the troubled protagonist drives his Lincoln Town Car into the ocean. The first, “Novacane”, tells the story of a dental student who uses local anaesthetic recreationally and pays for her studies by “doing porn in the Valley”. When Ocean reconciled with his label, two singles were released from the mixtape via Def Jam. ![]()
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