Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

On a stronger album (like Channel Orange) I'd have dismissed 'Nikes' as a sort of extended intro track/mood setter but here it's one of the standout songs smh



Damn this album has a lot of issues

Album Rating: 2.5

i do not like the song Nikes

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Song ratings:

1. Nikes (3/5) [would have been a bang average tune on Channel Orange, here it's a relative 'banger']

2. Ivy (3/5) [under developed]

3. Pink + White (3/5) [cute, nothing special]

4. SKIT (-1000/5) [fuck this it's not even interesting once]

5. Solo (1.5/5) [the waaah-oooooh-waaaah whinge :,( the matador line is annoying too]

6. Skyline To (4/5) [the most interesting atmosphere on the album]

7. Self Control (3.5/5) [so damn average strum (with chipmunks on backing vox), nice enough outro though]

8. Good Guy (2/5) [????????????]

9. Nights (3/5) [another indistinct strum for backing, you're like a speedin bullet to heaven ay Franky, this is a non song backed up by industrial strength production which is admittedly excellent on this 'song')

10. Solo (reprise) (2.5/5) [at least it's different and the piano is lovely :/ ]

11. Pretty Sweet (2.5/5) [experimental track, doesn't really fit, emotionally or sonically, it's ok]

12. SKIT (-2000/5) [not this shit again]

13. Close to You (2.5/5) [like the most boring song Jai Paul never wrote)



----at this stage of every listen I feel like the album is taking the piss----



14. White Ferrari (3/5) [the minimal approach reaches it's logical conclusion, it's an ok song, but it sums up the album, if this doesn't rock your world then the album probably isn't for you - is this playing to Ocean's strengths? For me, no way]

15. Seigfreid (3/5) [it's that blues backing strum YET AGAIN. Would people have this much patience for another artist doing this? Nice sound fx as ever but another non song, more a mood piece, the Elliott Smith quote is really offensive being used here as far as I'm concerned. The intentions for the album to be a 'grand concept' is revealed for all to see here, but you have to be WAY invested into it to really give a crap, maybe you do? Not me]

16. Godspeed (2/5) [plinky plonky soul experimental warble fest - it's nothing really]

17. Futura Free (3/5) [it's the big pay off...kind of. This does approach a sort of emotional climax to the album - but even here there's some useless trash tagged on after the 6:00 mark]

Album Rating: 4.4

Skyline To higher than Self Control or Nights you're a special one doof

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

It's actually interesting sonically



the outro on Self Control is a highlight on the album but the rest of the song is...well if the outro wasn't there it'd be nothing at all

Album Rating: 4.4

It's also totally uninteresting from a songwriting perspective, unlike say Self Control which puts aside sonic exploration in favour of - y'know - actually being good

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Nights isn't really a song as far as I'm concerned but the production choices are great

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

it's just sort of rambles on as a 'song' - I mean the song writing on the album is quite unconventional you could say if you're being kind, under developed and rambling if you're not. It's one long verse really with a drop and change of style towards the end.



It sounds a million dollars though, and I am starting to think Frank and Bon Iver are probably due to make the exact same album on this trajectory around 2022

Album Rating: 4.4

it's two verses and two choruses actually, which is a song enough for me

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

maybe a pre chorus for a bona fide chorus that never comes - fuck we're grasping for a chorus on this thing xD



the bint on the first skit says 'marijuana' twice - that's a chorus!

Album Rating: 1.0

man can't believe I feel so on the same spot with godamned Doof over here...



Songwriting on this is all over the place.

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Cheers rabid, that's just how I'm feeling it on full listen no. 4

Album Rating: 4.4

idk doof you strike as me the guy who would hear a song, say Winter by Devin Townsend and go "this isn't a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure therefore not music 2/10" so I guess your ratings don't really come as a surprise but damn

Album Rating: 4.4

I miss the old days when rock bands were real and ripped off black blues musician like any self-respecting rock band but things change eh

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Bit of a cheap shot, I mean I have close to 2500 ratings are all the good ones for verse-chorus-verse? I keep saying it's not so much the approach as just the lack of anything particularly affecting/interesting/adventurous on the album.



I think all the easy criticisms of my views on this will fall flat (I don't hate Channel Orange, I don't hate black music, I don't just listen to AC/DC). I mean I preferred the Blood Orange to this, thats similarly following a more structured album and is less traditionally melody focused.

Album Rating: 4.4

I understand your reservations there I was mainly referring to your argument that Nights is not a song which is literally objectively not true and a weird way to try and make your point. It's confusing me that you're faulting this for not being adventurous enough when just a page ago you were complaining about how the songwriting is unconventional. which is it?

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Oh it's unconventional, but unconventional good or unconventional bad was my point. This site in general has a major boner for stuff that's experimental and progressive - as if making strides in music evolution is everything (the irony being less music than ever actually can be now irrespective of complexity/genre mashing).



Unconventional means nothing if the end result is average music. This is a brave album but it doesn't sound adventurous because the overall concept/style falls flat.

Album Rating: 4.4

Alright there's no middle ground here I won't waste any more of your time. give this a listen doof it's the closest thing we have to new National this year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMrdS6SFX-A

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

Cheers Row, Like you said you enjoy this and you are far from alone in that so we'll leave it there



I'll check it out

Album Rating: 5.0

the song writing is fantastic its minimalistic and a fresh take on modern rnb, plain and simple