Five years after his landmark album Channel Orange and a protracted gestation, Frank Ocean released his latest album on Saturday night. Called Blond, it was released as an exclusive to Apple Music.
Fans in New York, Chicago, London and Los Angeles meanwhile, could pick up physical copies of the record at pop-up stores. Queues snaked around the block in New York where there were reports of free copies being handed out.
At the stores, the album came packaged with a Frank Ocean-edited, 360-page glossy magazine called Boys Dont Cry, long expected to be the title of the record itself. The magazine features photographs taken by Ocean, an interview with his mother, horoscopes and the lyrics of a rap called The MacDonalds Man written by Kanye West.
The album itself has 17 tracks; some reported that the physical copy has a slightly different tracklisting to the version streaming on Apple Music.
There is also some ambiguity about the albums title. Listed as Blonde on Apple Music, the sleeve artwork spells it Blond. The sleeve features a picture of Ocean with green hair, photographed last year by the Turner prize-winning artist Wolfgang Tillmans.
On first listen, Blond is boundary-pushing and introspective soul on which Oceans voice is often distorted; long stretches of songs dont have drums and obvious hits are far from immediately apparent. A list of collaborators includes Andre 3000, Beyonc, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Radioheads Jonny Greenwood, Arca, Fish, Gang of Four and even David Bowie and the Beatles.
The albums long-awaited release was first heralded at the start of this month, when Ocean posted online a video of himself cutting up wood in a studio to snippets of music. On Friday, Ocean released another longform piece of music called Endless, a 45-minute, 18-track visual album which takes a freeform approach to songwriting, and which the Guardian described as brilliantly confounding.
On Saturday morning, Ocean debuted the first single from Blonde, Nikes. The song pays tribute to Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot by George Zimmerman. His voice eerily speeded up, Ocean sings that Martin looked just like me. The video, meanwhile, is a torrent of surreal imagery including a rapping chihuahua, a man clambering over theatre seats while dressed as Satan, n***d backsides covered in glitter and Ocean rolling around a stage dressed in white.
Oceans reputation as a fearless and agenda-setting artist has not diminished in his years away from the limelight; Blond is sure to be endlessly dissected over the coming days. On his Tumblr, Ocean posted a piece of writing about an experience of riding in a car while high on magic mushrooms, and also a note which was more straightforward: I had the time of my life making all of this. Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish. Which is basically every one of yall. Haha. Love you.
For those of us who obsess over long-gestating (and possibly even nonexistent) albums, the past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster. First, Frank Ocean (or somebody in Oceans camp) suggested that the follow-up to 2012s Channel Orange would soon appear on Apple Music, though so far it hasnt happened, which has apparently ruined a lot of lives out there. Then, Bon Iver previewed their new (kinda bonkers!) album, 22, A Million, the bands first since 2011s Bon Iver, Bon Iver, at last weeks Eaux Claires festival, set for late September. Finally, theres Japandroids, a two-man punk band from Vancouver thats less famous than Ocean or Bon Iver, but who nonetheless reignited widespread speculation over a sequel to 2012s Celebration Rock after announcing their first tour in three years last week.
Japandroids hasnt promised any new music yet, but given the wait for Celebration Rock which came out one month before Channel Orange, back when only one of the Rae Sremmund dudes was old enough to vote any sign of life from this otherwise M.I.A. band is reason for hope. A new Japandroids record already seems well overdue. After all, the duo are not meticulous artistes like Ocean or Bon Ivers Justin Vernon. Whatever the mannered soundscapes of Channel Orange and Bon Iver, Bon Iver are intended to signify, Celebration Rock represents the opposite. Fire it up, and Celebration Rock is incapable of purring softly; from the start, it roars with overpowering gusto. Its a flinty machine that runs on cheap power chords and bargain-basement drum fills, with cast-iron gears lubricated with gallons of skunky beer.
(Perhaps, Im being overly wordy here. To properly express my enthusiasm for a new Japandroids album, it would be better if I could communicate with a series of hugs and beer cans slammed against my forehead. Instead, I hope this suffices: Whooooooooa! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah! Whoooooooooa!)
In terms of indie-rock if the label indie-rock still suits Japandroids, rather than punk or even emo Celebration Rock is one of this decades watershed releases. It is the Pulp Fiction of 10s indie, doing for rock what Tarantino did for crime films by taking all of the cliches and conventions of the genre and reinvigorating them with canny execution and sheer, infectious enthusiasm. Like Pulp Fiction, Celebration Rock doesnt exist in a vacuum; Titus Andronicus 2010 LP The Monitor mines similar territory, as does the Hold Steadys output in the 00s. Where Japandroids diverge is in their preference for pure sensation over intellectual or literary trappings. For the Hold Steadys Craig Finn, youthful indiscretions are remarked upon from an adults distance. In the songs of Titus Andronicus, tales of woe from lead singer Patrick Stickles childhood in New Jersey are contextualized in a grander web of American history and critical theory. On Celebration Rock, meanwhile, the party happens in the moment, which the music evokes with every furiously strummed riff and triumphant wail.
Japandroids make music that should, theoretically, be relatively easy to produce more than once or twice per decade. And yet, when you make a record as good at being simple as Celebration Rock is, it doesnt leave you with a lot of options moving forward. If you repeat the formula, you have to compete directly with your most beloved record (and your audiences distorted memory of that record). If you change up the formula (assuming youre even capable of doing that), you run the risk of losing what people liked about you in the first place. Whether any of this has weighed on Japandroids in the time since they essentially dropped out of sight, at this point, is anyones guess. The band hasnt granted any recent interviews, and members Brian King and David Prowse shun social media. Album or no album, whatever Japandroids do from here will be a genuine surprise.
After months and months of speculation, it seems like we"re about to get swept up in Frank Ocean"s musical undertow once again.
The widely beloved, if elusive, artist is rumored to be releasing "Boys Don"t Cry" -- the long-awaited follow-up to his debut album, "Channel Orange" -- on Friday.
On "Orange," he talked candidly about s*x, money and, perhaps most revelatory, his unrequited love for another man. Singing about an honest desire for someone of the same s*x is a rarity in mainstream music, and was especially bold at the time of the album"s release in 2012. Although Ocean has not put a specific label on his sexual identity, he has been open about his experiences with both men and women.
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The LGBTQ community has often struggled to find its footing in a pop world that celebrates queerness more for shock value or as a punchline than as a genuine experience. After all, you can"t be mainstream if you"re not seen as marketable to a larger audience.
Recently, that"s started to change. Ocean and several other queer artists like him have been in the trenches, fighting to shirk that stigma as niche and as something that isn"t able to sell. They"re celebrating their sexuality and gender identity like we really haven"t seen before -- and doing so in ways as vast as the many identities in the community itself.
The use of same-s*x pronouns
Using a correct pronoun to identify a lover might not seem like a big change to some, but it"s turned into one of the most defiant ways that artists can identify their same-s*x relationships.
Synth-pop duo Tegan and Sara know this all too well. Both women are attracted to other women, and use their music to showcase that. "You turn me on like you would your boyfriend," the two sing on "Boyfriend." "But I don"t want to be your secret anymore."
This song could have taken other approaches. It could have been a vague, woe-is-me about feeling used by a "lover." They never needed to use the word "boyfriend," but that"s exactly why it"s powerful: They used words that described the situation exactly as they felt it, and as many in the overall LGBTQ community have felt it, too.
Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander has consistently noted how important using "he" is in his music, because it takes the pain of past relationships to a more authentic place; his band"s album includes two songs that use that pronoun. And country artist Steve Grand completely throws out the genre"s rule book when he pines for his "All-American Boy" with an equally emotional video to match.
But it"s not only in sad cases.
Rapper Le1f fires off a shade storm of take downs in "Koi," squashing another man"s feeble attempts to hit on him. "Boy, come try your luck, four-leaf clover / If you ain"t got no swag, then this conversation"s over," he spits confidently. (Apparently, the dude really didn"t have swag.)
The flirty fun of Who Is Fancy"s "Boys Like You" tells the story of a man falling for the bad boy ... as a boy yourself. Featuring Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor, the song is unapologetic about putting a gay man"s perspective right alongside two straight women.
For queer artists like these, using "he" when you mean "she" just doesn"t cut it anymore. The story just isn"t complete or compelling unless it"s honest.
Translating music stories into visuals
Some LGBTQ musicians opt for the "show, not tell" approach when it comes to expressing their queerness.
If they"re not specifically calling out their love interests by name or gender pronoun, many are using the visual part of their art to make a statement.
YouTuber-turned-pop-star Troye Sivan is a prime example. Weaving together the series of singles from his debut "Blue Neighborhood," Sivan created a trilogy of music videos that tell the complete story of a troubled same-s*x relationship.
In the videos, Sivan"s love interest struggles with a father who isn"t accepting of his son"s sexuality -- so much so that the son pushes past his feelings for Sivan"s character and dates a girl.
Alone, these videos act as chapters in a novel, but together they show a complete narrative that"s important for the public to see. There is kissing and intimacy. There is hand-holding. And there"s fighting -- all of it done with two male characters. It"s a beautiful story that demands its rightful spot in the mainstream.
Alex Newell, a dance artist and "Glee" alum with a powerhouse voice, goes even further in his music video.
Newell, dressed from head-to-toe in beautiful drag, gets sweet revenge on a jilted male lover in "Basically Over You (B.O.Y.)" Filled with humor and heart -- oh, and "America"s Next Top Model" winner Nyle DiMarco, who himself identifies as sexually fluid -- the video confidently throws gender roles and dating norms to the wind.
British crooner Sam Smith, who has a complicated history with the LGBTQ community, tells a heartbreaking tale of falling for someone who doesn"t reciprocate in "Leave Your Lover." Smith, part of a trio of friends and/or lovers, is longing for the other man in the group. The man consistently chooses someone else -- whether that someone is a man or a woman.
Even if the music isn"t explicitly expressing a more gendered approach, it doesn"t mean the queerness isn"t there.
Advocating and activism
Some queer artists also use their music to make more forceful statements of queerness. It"s not all breakups and heartbreak -- sometimes it"s about calling for equality.
Enter Lady Gaga"s "Born This Way." It"s a screaming, prideful anthem that reminds people, critics and the LGBTQ community alike that what you are is perfectly perfect, and you don"t need to change for anyone.
When Gaga sings "No matter gay, straight or bi / lesbian, transgendered life / I"m on the right track, baby / I was born to survive," she delivers a clear message: Accept the LGBTQ community as they are, or keep moving.
Folksy singer Lowell"s "Lgbt" gleams as another shining example. The 2014 pop tune might not be the ubiquitous hit it could have been, but it"s thematically focused on acceptance.
"Oho, don"t hate our love," she sings on the refrain. With just five words, Lowell delivers a commanding take-down of discrimination.
Mary Lambert captures similar sentiments on "She Keeps Me Warm," which you may remember hearing during Macklemore"s "Same Love." While it clearly touches on love, its focus is much more on the fact that she "can"t change, even if she tried."
Owning personal identity
Historically, there have always been prominent gay artists whose mere existence and success paved a path for the many expressions of identity. Artists like Elton John, Freddie Mercury, RuPaul and more have helped to slowly bring queerness into the mainstream.
Today, many artists are picking up that mantle simply by embracing their identities and being truthful in how they present themselves -- regardless of the gender or sexuality in the actual music.
Look at Shamir, an alt-electro musician who also just happens to have "never felt latched to a gender." Look at Miley Cyrus, the sometimes-problematic wrecking ball of a performer who came out as pansexual in 2015. Look at the army of drag queens RuPaul has inspired.
Or look at Ocean again.
He, like many of the artists represented here, is helping bring his queerness to the public in a way that is both authentic and personal. That"s an undertow we"ll gladly get swept up in.
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While many of us picture Frank Ocean"s face when we think about the classic fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf , it seems his latest move is a clear sign that a Channel ORANGE follow-up might actually happen.
At the stroke of midnight a video appeared on his website, which is being sponsored by (you guessed it) Apple Music. Due to the amount of people currently on the site, it"s not really loading properly for us. However, we"re told it"s either a looped video, or a live stream (update: it"s definitely a live stream).
Is today the day we finally get to hear Boys Don"t Cry? Fingers crossed.
Update: You need to head to the website on Safari (yeah, thanks Apple) for the video to work.
After James Blake called it "better" than his previous work and Chance the Rapper described it as "amazing", the Internet is convinced that Frank Ocean"s new album is going to be released today (3 June). It"s unclear where exactly the rumours stem from, other than the fact we"ve been waiting forever for it, but urban music TV network TRACE Urban tweeted "Fam, the wait is over. #FrankOcean will FINALLY drop his latest album on Friday, June 3". Either way, keep refreshing that Twitter feed
