MUSIC REVIEW: Nostalgia,Ultra by Frank Ocean

0 Saturday March 26 2011 Written by flyprints
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The Nostalgia/Ultra mix tape by Frank Ocean (no relation to Billy) is going to be a nightmare for the itunes genre classification. Crossing indie, hip hop, electronica/pop with a little bit of R n B, it has something for everyone.

No stranger to the music scene, the singer was part of hip hop collective Odd Future. Now rumoured to be working with Beyonce on her new album he seems to be making waves in the industry no pun intended.

http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/beyonce/news/263176-beyonce-new-album-frank-ocean

The mix tape feels self aware and almost cinematic. It’s at its best when the songs follow a narrative like Novacane which describes a life of excess not complete without sex and drugs. Or my personal favourite Love Crimes, sampling Nicole Kidman’s monologue from the film “Eyes Wide Shut” directed by Stanley Kubrick. It’s the repetitive chorus and hypnotic beat that really entertain, reminiscent of Kelis’s Kaleidoscope album.

However “Nature Feels” an R n B take on MGMT’s “Electric Feel” misses the mark and ends up sounding like a young man’s wet dream.

You get the impression Ocean knows his hip hop background, race and fondness for autotune will draw unfair comparisons with the likes of Drake (although Ocean is the better singer.) He even references him and Trey Songz on “Songs for Women”, a cautious tale about the perils of seducing women through music. But Frank Ocean seems to be influenced more by other artists. It’s crammed with samples from indie/rock pop outfits like Coldplay on “Strawberry Swings”, The Eagles on “American Wedding” and Mr Hudson “There Will Be Tears”. On a skit he even references Radiohead and Jodeci in the same sentence.

Within the first few seconds of the mix tape Ocean already sets the tone with the sound of a cassette player changing. It brings home the title, that feeling of nostalgia for things long gone. Ultimately this mix tape stands out because of the writing and art of storytelling in each song.