It’s been a while since Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia: Ultra mixtape/LP blew our minds and while we have heard various othertracks leak (and some stellar Watch The Throne guest spots), none of them have hit me as hard as “Back.” This is the ODWGKTA crooner firing on all cylinders. A tale of dedication to a lover told in the kind of unique way that lets you know he is singing from the heart. Production by Dapo is about as buttery and heart-string pulling as it gets but wrapped around Ocean’s silky verses it all works so well. Gentlemen, man your mixtape machines! Ladies, watch out for recycled Ocean lines coming from your man! Bedsheets, watch out for increased traffic in 2012.
Brace yourself people, this one is so smooth you may find your feet lose traction and you just slip to the floor. Or if you are a lady, to the bed, where you will most likely be met by a swagged out Frank Ocean. The former Def Jam signee and current smooth operator just released his debut mixtape/album for free and I can’t stop getting down to these jams. “Songs For Women” is a delicately funked piece of introspective R&B that showcases the many talents of a young singer not afraid to show his human side. He gets ladies. He loses them. It hurts. That’s life, and that’s Ocean’s style on his tight debut, Nostalgia, Ultra. I recommend Pitchfork’s review for more on the album itself, and the talented dude behind it all. Also, in a stroke of simple genius, Ocean included all the lyrics in text form in the album zip for those of us that are into that.
But it’s not just Frank Ocean behind this music. You may have heard about LA’s Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All hip-hop collective. Them, their antics, and their ringleader Tyler, have been all over the internet/blogs/TV lately (even here). Ocean’s less aggressive music seems an unlikely member at first glance but looking closer at the groups “collective” vibe and outsider operation it does make sense. Young and talented people without an industry to support them turn to each other to get their music out to the world. And beautifully, it’s working.
“Swim Good” is just another great example of Ocean’s talents in crafting catchy and tender jams that you can’t help but feel. With the backing of some major producers, Ocean also handles some left-field samples on Nostalgia, including “Hotel California,” “Electric Feel,” and Coldplay’s “Strawberry Swing.” They all get the big fat Ocean stamp, emerging as entirely unique pieces. It’s just icing on the cake that Ocean, like all the Odd Future crew, is also such an endearing character. He dropped his album with a simple play on words that rings even truer when you know the backstory Def Jam holding his music back. The guy just wants to make swagged out music. And eat swagged out brunch. I think we can all get down with that.
https://www.theburningear.com/media/2011/03/Frank-Ocean-Nostalgia-Ultra.jpeg403500Brandonhttps://www.theburningear.com/media/2015/03/TBE-Header-Logo-2015-stack1.pngBrandon2011-03-08 02:21:432011-04-10 18:15:42[LP] FRANK OCEAN has mad SONGS FOR getting WOMEN to SWIM between your GOOD linens
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