In this time of relentlessness and ubiquity, there is no art more potent, or shocking, than the art of disappearance. Silence may not be Frank Ocean’s greatest gift, but it’s one the R&B singer has wielded effectively for most of the four years since his last album, “Channel Orange.” The reactions to his evaporation from public life have been most intriguing to watch — his denial has been seen as a necessary balm against the scrutiny of fame, and then, after a while, a sort of insult, and finally, in the run-up to his just-released projects, a possible sign of failure on the horizon.

Lest you mistake the silence of creative gestation for the silence of lethargy, Mr. Ocean has now swapped scarcity for abundance. Since Thursday, he has released, in effect, two new albums — “Blonde” and a “visual album” called “Endless,” both exclusive to Apple Music — a video for the song “Nikes,” and an oversize art magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, which includes a CD version of “Blonde” and was made available free at pop-up shops in four cities.

Though “Endless,” with its meaningfully slow 45-minute video of Mr. Ocean building a staircase, came first, the pairing of “Blonde” and Boys Don’t Cry captures the range of Mr. Ocean’s ambitions and gifts.

Image The cover for Mr. Ocean’s new album.

“Blonde” is dewy, radiant and easeful, with an approach to incantatory soul that evolves moment to moment. It’s feverish but unhurried, a slowly smoldering set that’s emphatic about loneliness. “I couldn’t gauge your fears/I can’t relate to my peers,” Mr. Ocean sings on “Seigfried.”