 |
Recommended track: “Bad Religion,” “Thinkin’ Bout You,” “Sweet Life,” “Forrest Gump,” “Pilot Jones”
Frank Ocean
‘Channel Orange’
(DEF JAM/UNIVERSAL)
Ocean made headlines a few months ago for being the first man in hip hop to publicly acknowledge his attraction to other men.
But his commercial release debut shows that he is earning attention for his extraordinary musical skills rather than his sexual orientation.
Made in partnership with producer Malay, Channel Orange breaks all the rules constricting the music industry, with clever combinations of notes and words.
Though the LP’s centrepiece is “Pyramids,” an idiosyncratic 9-minute ode to an unrequited love, comparing her to Cleopatra, by far the best track is “Bad Religion,” a tribute to his first gay love, with raw emotion and sincere vulnerability perfectly captured.
The true depth of the album makes it hard to believe that it lasts slightly over an hour. It is still a lot to take in one sitting. There are dizzying words and sounds clashing and meshing with each other. It messes with your head even when you cannot fully understand the complex lyrics. But his infectious voice, from his low register to falsetto, consistently draws the listener through some mind-numbing poetry.
The only discernible negative aspect is the order of the tracklist, as after “Bad Religion,” the rest, including the excellent “Forrest Gump,” feels like fillers.
— KWAAK JE-YUP
Track Listing:
1. Start
2. Thinkin Bout You
3. Fertilizer
4. Sierra Leone
5. Sweet Life
6. Not Just Money
7. Super Rich Kids (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
8. Pilot Jones
9. Crack Rock
10. Pyramids
11. Lost
12. White (feat. John Mayer)
13. Monks
14. Bad Religion
15. Pink Matter (feat. Andre 3000)
16. Forrest Gump
17. End
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] INFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/a3c3440b8dc84bce8ca94394a170fef2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
