Frank Ocean - "Blonde" first listen notes

After weeks of rumor, speculation, release dates and non-release dates we finally have the new Frank Ocean record. It is called “Blonde” and it comes off the back of his visual release “Endless”. So as I sat down to take a listen, I decided to take notes as I went, jotting down things that immediately came to me as I listened.

Here is the un-edited version of my first time listening experience to “Blonde”

“Nikes”

The first single off the album. Video dropped yesterday and is amazing. Really cool warped vocals.

“Ivy”

Nice soulful track. Classic Frank Ocean.

“Pink + White”

Soulful R&B with a nice beat.

“Be Yourself”

Spoken word track addressing socio-economic issues. Really cool public service piece.

“Solo”

Again very soulful with the addition of some beautiful organ.

“Skyline To”

Very melancholy and slow. What sounds like a Rhodes Piano is a nice addition.

“Self Control”

Really cool bluesy guitar throughout. Soulful vocals make this one of the album’s highlights.

“Good Guy”

Another short track with more Rhodes Piano.

“Nights”

Contemporary R&B with a solid beat. Changes tempo halfway through with an interesting guitar segue.

“Solo (Reprise)”

Andre3000 spitting mad bars. Fuck yes!!!

“Pretty Sweet”

Choir-like vocals, storming electric start. Changes tempo again halfway through.

“Facebook Story”

Another spoken word track. This time it sounds like a French guy talking about Facebook.

“Close to You”

A Carpenters cover? Again, very short with auto-tuned vocals.

“White Ferrari”

Absolutely gorgeous double tracked vocals. Very melancholy with a delicate acoustic guitar.

“Seigfried”

Atmospheric soul track. The first track where I lost interest. A bit boring.

“Godspeed”

Some nice organ appears again. Very soulful/gospel vocals. Is that Beyonce at the end?

“Futura Free”

Starts off with someone rapping, I think it is Frank. Slow start, but then the beat kicks in around 3mins. Silence around 5min before what appears to be a hidden track made up of audio of someone asking personal questions to other people.

- Sam