

All of these names and the ambiguity from the song files themselves leave the listener with the task of identifying where the samples and collaborations occur throughout “Blondes'” tracks. The list lumps all the credits together without distinguishing what was sampled, who was a collaborator, and which artists simply provided an inspiration for the album’s songs. The aforementioned “Boys Don’t Cry” magazine featured a list of names, a veritable who’s-who of the music industry, from David Bowie, Jamie xx, The Beatles, Brian Eno to Kendrick Lamar. And while the Apple Music album cover art shows an alternative spelling of the title (“Blond”), in the “Boys Don’t Cry” magazine, on the included alternate CD – it is clearly spelled as “Blonde.”Īs we fully enter the digital age of album releases, the credits for the album were presented in an entirely new manner. The CD version is much shorter, not including several of the tracks that are on the Apple Music version, yet features songs, “Mitsubishi Sony” and “Easy,” both of which are not available on the streaming version. Also making the zine of particular interest is that it included a CD of “Blonde,” which is reportedly different than the one currently available on Apple Music.
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The magazine features interviews with Ocean’s mother, Kanye West, Lil B plus includes poetry, photography, a screenplay and other literary work from the singer and his peers. Lucky fans who arrived early enough to these four pop-up shops had an opportunity to grab one of three versions of the magazine – though it appears the only difference between the three is the cover art. This explosion of content from Ocean is a welcome relief for die-hard followers of the “Thinkin Bout You” singer, many of whom wondered when they would get to hear his new music. In conjunction with the album’s release, pop-up shops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and London dispensed a limited-edition magazine titled “Boys Don’t Cry” (the working title of “Blonde”). Unlike previous instances where Ocean’s fans got their hopes up, this time the payoff came with “Blonde” being released exclusively on Apple Music Saturday afternoon. Onlookers were unsure if the “ Endless” visual album, previously made available on Friday, was in fact the new LP with another version in tow and if “Nikes” was an addition to that or if there was an entirely new album on the way as promised. The video’s release initially led to confusion. Saturday morning, prior to the album’s release, it’s first single, “ Nikes,” went live on Ocean’s website along with a visually-arresting Tyrone Lebon-directed music video.

This weekend, the enigmatic R&B singer released “Blonde,” his follow-up to 2012’s revelatory “Channel Orange.” At 2 a.m. The minimalist project is jampacked with detail, something very few artists can pull off, and it serves as a reminder of Frank Ocean's ability to craft a masterpiece.Frank Ocean Debuts Eclectic New Album ‘Blonde’ Alongside ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ MagazineĪs of Saturday, the wait for a new, proper Frank Ocean album has officially ended. Social statements are echoed and amplified, with Frank speaking on topics such as drugs, life, philosophy, and sadness, making the listener think twice about every line, meaning and entendre while mellowing out or crying to the dreamy yet eerie background. Frank seems to hold complete control of everything throughout the album and it appears that he completely shaped "Blonde" into what he wanted. Frank's soft-spoken harmonic voice is beyond soothing, and pairs extravagantly with the soft piano and imperturbable guitar.


"Blonde" is Frank Oceans second album, and it is an exceptional piece of art with an emotional, heavy-hitting tracklist, one of self-finding "Blonde" is Frank Oceans second album, and it is an exceptional piece of art with an emotional, heavy-hitting tracklist, one of self-finding and Frank's struggles with anxiety.
