"Nostalgia, Ultra" is a collection of songs which I think describe Frank as a person. It contains covers, originals, remixes, badass beats, guitars, orchestras, meaningful lyrics everything I would want in an album. This isn't a typical R&B album. R&B most of the time is based around love and Frank tends to step away from love often in many of his songs.
The album starts with the sound of Frank putting in an album in a cassette player and the album is underway. Right away you here illuminating tones of a guitar playing and you think, "Wait, did I accidently put on a Coldplay album?" But no, it's Frank Oceans cover of "Strawberry Swing" by Coldplay. Which I didn't really find a good song until Frank did it. Coldplay seems to agree with me since they produced it for him and said, "Hey, when you do it that good, consider it yours man."
Next is the hit song "Novacane". Frank really told a beautiful story in this song. The sounds of a drum with futuristic tones cue in a genius with the lyrics, "I blame it on the model broad with a hollywood smile, stripper booty with a rack like wow. Brain like Burkley. Met her at Coachella, I went to see Jigga, she went to see Z-Trip. Perfect." and continues to tell stories of how he met a girl who is like a drug and numbs the pain for him. This girl gives him drugs of all sorts (probably pain killers) and it's just a great story of a girl in the porn industry and Franks relationship with her.
In the song "We All Try", every person is able to pick out a line or two they believe in as well. This ballad shows Franks struggle in faith in all things. He doesn't know what he believes in, but he believes in something. I think everyone has this conflict within themselves in their lives at one point. Really a great song.
Another little snippet of a Frank Oceanesque skit on this album. And it really got my hopes up. I thought "Is this guy gonna sing Radiohead???" Then you just hear this girl he trying to impress say, "What's a Radiohead?" and changes the track as Frank sneers, "What ever." But it's cool because he transitioned into another really fun and good song. This is definitely the more poppy side of Frank Ocean as he sings about how he sings to get at girls. At least he's honest about it. And what's different it doesn't seem as if he's bragging. Just telling the conversations he's had about this topic and how he's tried to lie about it and be truthfull about it and it never pleases anyone. Fun Song.
I'm just gonna skip to another great song because I'm running out of time here. "Swim Good" You hear the classic BOOM CLAP BOOM BOOM CLAP. And what's amazing about this song is that Frank really is a melody genius. No one I've heard since Stevie Wonder has made melodys just flow so naturally like that. Pharrell Williams calls him the "Black James Taylor". Really a beautiful song. I still don't fully understand the song cause that's just how complicated it is.
Now this album has a lot of great stuff but I just named my personal favorites. He has songs of how he is secretive, covers of The Eagles and a remix of MGMT's smash hit "Electric Feel", he makes it into more of a sexy nature thing with "Nature Feels". And ends off the album with a beautiful ballad "Pyrite." I'm not giving anymore away. Listen to it. You won't regret it.
No comments:
Post a Comment