whats the deal with frank ocean

[e_wind]

??

[e_wind]

is he an RnB artist? Why is he  so famous? Why is he the artist of the year? Did I miss something? I don't get it.

[Fully]

Have you heard Channel Orange? It's really good and avoids all the cliche's of a typical r&b album.  I'm not sure that I'd name him artist of the year, but he is extremely talented. He was the singer on No Church in the Wild off Watch the Throne as well. He works with Odd Future - but I truthfully don't get them. He's probably not an artist you listen to very much, but he does make some very good music. If you have spotify, listen to Super Rich Kids or Crack Rock. Those are the two most interesting songs off that album, IMO.

[exist10z]

Ummmm,.... He's awesome.

I guess I'd say he's R&B/Pop, but since I don't really listen to modern R&B or pop, I like to think of him as alt-R&B (it's a little catogorie I use to lessen the embarrassment of my love for Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Drake).  If his album Channel Orange wasn't my favorite album from this year, it was certainly my most played; and his last album Nostalgia remained on heavy rotation as well.  I honestly can't get enough, I think he's kinda genius.

So what's it sound like?  I guess I would describe it as what I would imagine would be playing in a very cool version of heaven.  But really, for instance, on Nostalgia he 'covers' Coldplay's song Strawberry Swing, and re-imagines The Eagles' Hotel California and MGMT's Electric Feel.  He also uses a snippet of Radiohead, and during an interlude semi-mocks his peers who might not know their music.

On Channel Orange, one of the songs has Elton John's Bennie and the Jets intro running through the whole song.  Oh, and for further 'credibility', Divine Fits recently covered his song Lost.  To me, he's really clever lyrically, and talks about things I wouldn't expect most in his position would or wouldn't as well as he does.  Oh, and the beats, they're great too.

So would I suggest everyone check it out?  Meh, maybe not.  This is a My Morning Jacket board, and while I give everyone here credit for good taste and openmindedness, there aren't really any guitars...

But, if you find you do like it, you should still be able to google-up a free download of Nostalgia, which he released on tumblr a couple years ago, unless they took them all down since they're selling it now that he's big-ish (actually, he's probably gonna be huge, grammys and all, which is sorta a bummer...).

[markcel]

Channel Orange  is probably my favorite/most played album of the year (maybe tied with Celebration Rock by Japandroids).

[Tracy 2112]

I love that guy!

Billy Ocean-Get Out Of My Dreams

[Fully]

I'll raise your Billy Ocean with two Frank Oceans.


http://youtu.be/0rdJZbJWb7g


http://youtu.be/8v9m0Bfm0YQ

[YimYodd]

I'll raise your Billy Ocean with two Frank Oceans.


http://youtu.be/0rdJZbJWb7g


http://youtu.be/8v9m0Bfm0YQ

I had heard his name but not his music.
After listening to just these 2, I gotta agree w/ e_wind.
Any other suggestions that aren't so pop, or  covers?

[exist10z]

You might just check out the video for Novacaine on YouTube, but if it's too pop for you, then it's probably gonna be too pop for you.

[YimYodd]

 

You might just check out the video for Novacaine on YouTube, but if it's too pop for you, then it's probably gonna be too pop for you.

Checked out Novacaine, liked it a bit more but you're right -  just too pop for me.
Kinda cool video though.
Watched a few more of his ... same feeling for me. Did hear a guitar, if not a guitar player.

[exist10z]

You might just check out the video for Novacaine on YouTube, but if it's too pop for you, then it's probably gonna be too pop for you.

Checked out Novacaine, liked it a bit more but you're right -  just too pop for me.
Kinda cool video though.
Watched a few more of his ... same feeling for me. Did hear a guitar, if not a guitar player.

I saw some video of him playing Coachella last year and it appeared he had an actual band, with a guitar player!

I know he's a bit of a Radiohead fan, as I mentioned above, and there a video circulating of him introing one of his songs with a partial cover of Fake Plastic Trees, so I know he at least appreciates good music, which I like about him.  I am generally not much of a lyrics guy anymore, maybe I'm just to old to relate much to music lyrics, but I really like Frank Oceans'.  Like I said, I find him witty and funny and self-deprecating, which is refreshing.

I'm a fan, but I can see how people drawn to more traditional rock might not find it all that appealing.

[parkervb]

the music stands on its own, but do you think any piece of his success is the buzz that came from his openness about his sexuality?  When he performed Bad Religion on Fallon...slayed

video is not the best but what I could find

http://youtu.be/sDSPybTFYHU

[exist10z]

I also think the music stands on it's own, but the sexuality thing made me like him even more.  Not being gay myself, but a big supporter of LGBT rights and having gay friends, it's an issue I'm sensitive to, and I thought his 'revelation' was highly courageous.  I guess it's the courage aspect as much as anything that increased my appreciation, but like I said, I was a huge fan before and loved Nostalgia.  I am not sure it helped or increased his popularity though, if anything I think it was a pretty big risk, as average fans of R&B don't necessarily overlap with supporters of LGBT rights, hence the courageous aspect.

[FiddleCastro]

He's pretty good. don't understand why he's being praised like he's the greatest thing since sliced McCartney, but i dig it.

[e_wind]

I'm not hating at all. It just came a surprise. And I wondered if I was the only with questions

[YimYodd]

Hey exist10z

  " Watched a few more of his ... same feeling for me. Did hear a guitar, if not a guitar     player. "

  My attempt at a bit of humor - was gonna say  "real" or "wicked" guitar" player but didn't wanna dis the player too much -  & confirming your initial response to e_wind about  this music not having much guitar.
I did watch his Coachella performance , still couldn't get into it much. Opens with a kinda tepid, "throw-away" version of Dylans' Long Time Gone that he doesn't finish.
I don't know if he's givin Bob props or dissin him (wouldn't be the first to do either).
Watched Divine Fits cover of Lost and  liked it better than the original, although I did like original more than his other stuff I've heard. I put his version on my ipod ,will keep looking for a couple others - to have some more "new" stuff to play.
















   

[ItBeats4Jew]

i don't know much about him but I saw the Fake Plastic Trees vid and it's pretty cool.

Frank Ocean - Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead Cover)

[Paulie_Walnuts]

the music stands on its own, but do you think any piece of his success is the buzz that came from his openness about his sexuality?  When he performed Bad Religion on Fallon...slayed

video is not the best but what I could find

http://youtu.be/sDSPybTFYHU

For sure he's found himself a nice little marketing niche there......

Listened to those first two clips and that's enough.....doesn't do anything for me musically or sexually!

[exist10z]

the music stands on its own, but do you think any piece of his success is the buzz that came from his openness about his sexuality?  When he performed Bad Religion on Fallon...slayed

video is not the best but what I could find

http://youtu.be/sDSPybTFYHU

For sure he's found himself a nice little marketing niche there......

Listened to those first two clips and that's enough.....doesn't do anything for me musically or sexually!

Really?  A marketing niche?  Cynical much?

As I said in an earlier post, I suspect if anything he hurt his commercial viability.

If you know the story, he basically just posted a short message about accepting other people and a story about his first love being man, and how it's difficult enough to get through life without being judged.  He hasn't said anything about his sexuality after that one brief missive.

I feel like his publicist.  But really, it sounds like you didn't dig the music, which is fine, and then sort of wrote him off entirely. 

[Paulie_Walnuts]

In a market swamped with mediocre R&B, which isn't R&B anyway if we really want to be honest, how better to make yourself stand out than with a little cryptic message about your sexuality that gets everybody talking about you?

Cynical.....hell yes!