Instead of trying to parse all of that (and more) in the space of a few paragraphs, it may be better to let the track speak for itself. It has to be said, it’s become something of a clich to reference that headline-grabbing Tumblr post when writing about Frank Ocean. “Pyramids” has so much going on that it’s overwhelming for a short-form write-up like this: the Michael Jackson lilt in Ocean’s delivery during the early section, the structural metamorphosis from thumping single into a restrained dissolve, its toying with Top 40 lyrical conventions, the extended and evolving titular metaphor, the layers of instrumentation. Frank Ocean may well never release that almost mythical second album of his so here’s Mark Conroy to wax lyrical on the 10-minute masterpiece that is ‘Pyramids’. While all of that is well and good, in the end it’s all beside the point because this track is its own star. He’s written songs for vocalists ranging from Justin Bieber to John Legend, is an associate of the trailblazing Odd Future collective, has thrown down a set at Coachella, and appeared on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne album last year. Remember the first time you heard “Bombs Over Baghdad” and thought, “Whoa–what is this?” That’s how “Pyramids” feels: the unmistakeable sound of boundaries being redefined, of genres being pushed around.įor a twenty-four year old, Frank Ocean already has a ridiculous resumé. While no longer the most cutting-edge in terms of contemporary r&b relevancy, Pyramids set the stage for what could be done with the genre and. As of today, I have yet to hear anything from the artist that has trumped this early release, though I desperately hope he keeps at it. A 10 minute song with a beat switch made of an electric guitar comparing a pimp to Cleopatra could easily be a rock song made in the second half of the past century. Pyramids is undoubtedly Frank Ocean’s magnum opus. Get DJ recommendations for harmonic mixing.
Tags: Boyfriend 0 comments Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Popular Posts. Also see Camelot, duration, release date, label, popularity, energy, danceability, and happiness. Frank Ocean - Pyramids (and other songs from channel ORANGE, Vimeo. The choreography for music video was done by Team DQ, who have worked with 4minute, MBLAQ, Rain and Japanese artists AKB48 and Sakura Inoue. Each spin of “Pyramids” moves my thinking more toward the latter option but either way, one can’t help but feel that the sound here is the sound of the future. Frank Ocean - Pyramids (Second half, live at SNL, YouTube). Kelly or if he’s into something more insidious, exploding those conventions in an undercover operation.
Now, many listens later, it’s still difficult to pinpoint whether Ocean is celebrating slow-jam forerunners like R. The first time I listened to Frank Ocean‘s nearly ten-minute suite–the first taste of his upcoming Channel Orange debut LP–I was intrigued the second time, I was sold on its genius. Is “Pyramids” an affirmation of contemporary R&B or a complete refutation of it?
0 kommentar(er)
