The Two Sides of Blonde Within the years the internet was running rampant over a new album, Frank Ocean had moved from Los Angeles and was now living in the rainy pavilions of London. He’d go on a journey visiting Japan, Senegal, Germany and England all whilst crafting his album Blonde and magazine Boys Don’t Cry. Much of the two projects projects partially discuss, hint and focus on sexuality. Frank has managed to cleverly trickle moments and experiences about his sexuality throughout his music and it was beautifully shown in the “Nikes” video directed by Tyrone Lebon. Ocean leaning against a $16 million sportscar whilst drinking lean and sparkled in glitter and eyeliner is clever social commentary as much as it is visually gorgeous. The male and feminine contrast between concepts like these are portrayed throughout Blonde. Frank subtlety split up the album into two sides and it occurs right at the beat switch in Nights which is in the absolute middle of the album.

The album is split into a ‘Day/Night’ and concept.

The first half has a light, innocent and graceful vibe to it. We hear the silky smooth guitar on Ivy as Frank being nostalgic, recalls a fluorescent yet failed relationship he once had as a teenager. There aren’t any drums, just a simple baseline and guitar played by ‘Vampire Weekends’ Rostam Batmanglij. Then the vibrant and colorful strings of Pink + White chime in while faint sounds of songbirds chirping are heard in the background. The birds are also present in Be Yourself as Buddy Ross’ “Running Around” plays. The birds create the atmosphere of a bright peaceful morning. Then we hear the minimalist organs of Solo as Frank echoes the chorus. During the first half of the album, the production is super spacey and dreamy thus giving the listener a morning vibe. It allows Frank to be natural and conduct the story through his words and forces the audience to tune into what he’s saying. The next song Skyline To is tranquil and gentle much like the tracks preceding it. The subject matter is also very reminiscent of Nostalgia Ultra where Frank is remembering days of romance he’ll never get back, it’s more concrete memories than a personal reflection on his actions. “In comes the morning hunting us with the beams, summers not as long as it used to be” Frank is dawning on the days where it was just him and lover all summer long without a care in the world. Now that they’re older the two have parted ways and every day feels like it’s twice as fast. The track Self Control has Frank pleading his to old lover to spend time with him for old times sake. The track’s foundation is built through a creamy and serene acoustic guitar and features Austin Feinstein on the chorus. It’s a calm and soothing track and stays true to the first half of the album. Good Guy, one of Frank’s most personal tracks features simple piano chords and a vocal effect on Frank’s voice. The vulnerability and disappointment are evident as Frank takes the listener back to the night in New York City where his heart was broken. The first 8 tracks on Blonde have similar production and atmospheres. Frank barely used any drums and mainly relied on guitars and his voice to steer the music.

On Nights, the tone and subject matter begins to change. Frank takes us back to the Hurricane Katrina days where he was hustling to get out of New Orleans. The track has lush electric guitar riffs and thumping drums, it wakes the listener up. As we shift to the second half of the track, the beat change occurs exactly 30 minutes into the album. The second half of Nights becomes chill and mellow as Frank sings about working late nights and juggling his relationship with his girlfriend at the same time. This transitions into the second half of the album.

This half really goes into the recess of Franks mind as he reflects on personal choices, relationships, and his life. The first half focused on memories of his childhood and teenage years such as Hurricane Katrina, falling in love for the first time, running into his ex and getting his heart broken. However Frank focused more on the surface of details such as locations, vivid imagery and encounters rather than singing about his thoughts on the situation about and how it affected him. Songs like Close to You, White Ferrari and Siegfried delve into the brain and thinking process of Frank during his time of struggle. For example on the outro of White Ferrari we understand how Frank feels about his partner:

“I’m sure we’re taller in another dimension You say we’re small and not worth the mention” “You dream of walls that hold us imprisoned It’s just a skull, least that’s what they call it And we’re free to roam” These lines let us know that Frank feels like he’s in a relationship where his lover doesn’t value him as much as he values them. He’s restricted by the boundaries of his love, he’s imprisoned by his desire of this person to the point he can’t let go of them. It’s lines like these that set the two parts of the album apart, the second half is super in-depth about Frank’s thinking and how vulnerable he really is to heart break.

On Close to You, we can hear the pain in Frank’s voice. He’s taking a hot shower (“underneath warm jets”) reflecting on a failing relationship with his lover. Frank’s fed up of trying to make his lover believe in their relationship, believe that they’ll last (Why am i preaching..to this crowd, to this atheist?”). Frank uses atheist as a metaphor for his lovers faith in their relationship. Neither Frank or an atheist believe what they’re being told.

Siegfried is quite possibly the most intimate song Frank has written. Built on the foundation of an almost underwater sounding guitar, Frank lets loose on everything from his past lover, his sense on reality and how his life will be in the future. The name Siegfried means “Victory” in German and much of the song is about Frank’s victory of overcoming various obstacles in his life. With cinematic strings ringing, we hear Frank confess to being in a super dark place: “I’ve tried hell” he says, changing the lyric from “i’d rather try hell” from the 2013 version indicating Frank went through some tempestuous times. He then goes into a poetic outro talking about how we should all stop and be grateful for he life we’re in because it may end any second. It showcases that even though he’s been through several heartbreaks and dark times, Frank is willing to give love and life one last chance. “Dwell on my gifts for a second A moment one solar flare we’re consumed So why not spend this flammable paper on the film that’s my life?”

Godspeed has Frank coming to terms that his relationship with his lover was never meant to be. He reassures them that he’ll always love them and can always come back to Frank if they need him. This track explores Frank’s character as we see him having to say goodbye to someone he clearly still has feelings for. There’s a little part on this track that has an audio effect over changing its sound, it goes like: “This love will keep us through blinding of the eyes Silence in the ears, darkness of the mind Until it’s time…” This may represents what Frank and his lovers relationship could’ve been had they not separated which may be why Frank added an effect. To symbolize that maybe in another dimension and alternate universe, they’ll be together, happily and majestically.

The last track on Blonde opens up with Frank talking to his mother and letting her know that he’s made it. Frank sums up his entire life for his mother and his fans. It’s a first hand peek into Frank’s journey all the way up until Blonde. From the minimum wage jobs, fake friends, travelling, industry beefs to making hundreds of thousands of dollars, Futura Free wraps up Frank’s life in 5 minutes. It’s a gorgeous, nostalgic and fluid track that glides it’s way to that incredible drop which features drums, an instrument that is so rarely used throughout the album but executed perfectly. This track provides us with a lot of little details such as how Frank handled the infamous Chris Brown situation: “Niggas wanna fight in the street Now shit starting to make my hands hurt Jay hit me on the email Said I oughta act my net worth” His friendship with Tyler: “Our friendship don’t go back that far Tyler slept on my sofa yeah Niggas go back that far”