Channel Orange, Modern Masterpiece?

In the swamping midnight heat of LA, a young man decided to make a reckless decision. In the background, a media storm was brewing over an extremely personal message about his sexuality was published on the blogging site tumblr. In the foreground, a very real threat of the album leaking online was present. These factors, and perhaps a devilish spirit inspired Frank Ocean to release his debut album Channel Orange a week early. What resulted, was stuff of dreams.

As hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, the prolifically secretive musician returned to the place that shaped his music arguably the most-LA. Ocean began to write for every artist that has ever scored a number one in this millennium, from Pharrel to Bieber. As he began to tire of thankless lyricism, Frank Ocean became entwined with Tyler, The Creator and Odd Future. This ignited his creative spirit and the legend truly began. Frank Ocean began a solo career, crafting the inimitable Nostalgia Ultra EP then writing his debut album.

The album is an hour long journey into the mind of Ocean. Like all great artists such as Nick Drake, Lana Del Rey and David Bowie- the line of character and man, reality and fiction are blurred to infinity. One likes to imagine that every lyric is self autobiographical, that Frank Ocean has led a thousand lives resulting each in an individual narrative. This believability only comes as a result of his dense and personal lyrics that regularly delve deep into our own insecurities. Whether it be the cougar tale of Sierra Leone or the ingrained classist jealousy present in Sweet Life, Channel Orange speaks like an R&B story book.

Channel Orange mixes pop sensibilities and complicated themes and symbolism to create a stunning piece of art. The album is conceptual, a flick through different channels with the passion to find ‘orange’. The ambiguity of the concept is focused through Ocean’s interpretation of experiences as colours, the orange denoting a Summer spent with an unrequited lover. Themes throughout the album range from wealth, loss, escape and inequality of love. Pink Matter gently hints at Frank’s sexuality, and Bad Religion knowingly condemns Islamic prayer 'Allahu Akbar'/ I told him don’t curse me. Channel Orange is artistic, intellectual and at times very biting.

Sonically, the album heralded a new generation of emotionally conscious R&B. Arguably the reason why Drake makes ‘nightime rap’ and The Weeknd remains relevant, Channel Orange flows song to song breeding expansive and luxurious ballads. Pyramids is a ten minute miltonian effort, combining different styles and inspirations to create a gargantuan ode to a stripper. The final secret song is Golden Girl, a Tyler produced song that predates Wes Anderson tinted songs such as Okaga CA and Treehome 95. This, over every reason is the reason why it’s a masterpiece. It just sounds good