Reviews (page 4 of 13)
Exceptional. Stevie Wonder and Childish Gambino in one. Love it. 5
Some great shit there. Also loves the downtempo-sounding tracks.
I know a decent amount about Frank Ocean for having never really listened to him. I first saw him on SNL back in 2012 performing Thinking About You (which is his most well known song to me), I know he’s only had a couple albums that have been super critically acclaimed, and that he’s been outspoken for LGBTQ rights, too. Bottom line: this album was awesome and a great discovery. The tracks are great, with strange and amazing music and Frank’s neo soulful voice. From Wikipedia: “ Noted by writers as musically unconventional, Channel Orange draws on electro-funk, pop-soul, jazz-funk, and psychedelic styles, as well as nonmusical sounds such as film dialogue and ambient noise that function as interludes. Vocally, Ocean uses a free-form flow as well as alternating falsetto and tenor registers throughout the album. His songwriting explores themes of unrequited love, decadence, class, and drugs through the use of surrealistic imagery, conversational devices, and descriptive narratives depicting dark characters. He titled the album as a reference to the neurological phenomenon grapheme–color synesthesia, through which he had perceived the color orange during the summer he first fell in love.” A solid discovery and an album I’ll come back to.
A true tour de force, disparate sounds coming together to form a symphony. All hail Frank.
Tää menee mulla vähän samaan sarjaan kuin Lauryn Hillin ja Kanye Westin debyytit, kun tuntuu, että tajuton määrä lahjakkuutta ja luovuutta purkautuu kerralla. Jollain uudella ja hyvin kiinnostavalla tavalla. Mutta samalla niin vaivatonta, luonnollista ja helposti lähestyttävää. Tykkään todella. Hieman ylipitkä, mikä vähän suututtaa, koska levy on muuten niin timanttinen, mutta jääköön sakottamatta. Eli 4,5 pyöristyen ylös.
Frank Ocean is the GOAT. This album is literally perfect from beginning to end. Definitely one of the greatest album to come out in the 2010s. Should have won AOTY. There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said. “A tornado flew around my room..”
10/10
I was twenty-seven and going through a months-long breakup the summer this album came out. Of course I’m biased. But hot damn this album is good. Nothing like it before, nothing like it since.
ну это вау! стыжусь, что раньше не слушал его и, можно сказать, не был знаком вообще с творчеством в е л и к о л е п н о
Вот они люди современности, которые творят сейчас и ты понимаешь как меняется музыка из-за них. Супер классная музыка, если не следишь за трендами музыки, но еще более классная если понимаешь как этот человек повлиял на все вокруг лучше всего рассказано у брокэн дэнс https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUkDAfsnt2o&ab_channel=%D0%91%D0%A0%D0%9E%D0%9A%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%94%D0%AD%D0%9D%D0%A1
Это что-то очень крутое. Не могу понять почему. С одной стороны, это звучит как Кендрик Ламар, с таким же солнечным и одновременно напряженным калифорнийским вайбом. С другой стороны, заменив вокал на женский, мы получим Taylor Swift/Lorde/Adele/ещё какую-нибудь поп-певицу из середины 2010-х с переживанием проблем через слезливые до жути песни. Влад рекомендует посмотреть видом Коли Редькина с Брокен Дэнс: в целом, про музыкальную составляющую там как раз очень мало. Но про культурный контекст и тексты - вполне всё хорошо разъяснено. Это было кайфово.
Frank Ocean takes you on a drive. You discuss relationships, substance abuse, prostitution, the income gap, trade folktales, and encounter characters. At the end, he invites you inside.
I was actually planning on listening to this album today anyways so I’m glad it came on! This album is my personal favorite of Franks. My favorite thing to pay attention too on this album is the drums, and the different tones of voices he uses throughout the project
ah this is is where the “potato flew around my room” Vine came from “Pyramids” is dope, how have I missed hearing the songs on this album for 11 years Can’t explain the musique concrete interludes, but it by no means ruins the flow of the album. Might be too early a call, but I think this is a fascinating project and a great intro to Frank Ocean (besides the random couple of songs I’d hear on the radio) HL: “Pyramids”, “Thinkin Bout You”, "Super Rich Kids", "Pilot Jones", “Crack Rock”, “Sweet Life”
W frank ocean
Classic. Nostalgic. Amazing.
I love this record. One of the few popular contemporary albums I got really into in my adult life.
Absolutely cracking album packed with bangerz!! By 2012 I had kind of moved away from R&B music more into indie and folk music. Otherwise I would have been all over this though from Frank Ocean!! Also explains why I never got super into Frank Ocean back then. Now I am super into this music though I have more space for different music in my life. I was missing out! There's the obvious hits like Thinkin Bout You and Super Rich Kids, but also other highlights Sierra Leone, and Pyramids. Agh it just has really great relaxing, fucking cool, sexy vibes throughout. Never gets boring, no filler, super inventive but also reliably great. Also covers some really interesting/important topics. Love the more conversational elements. Inspired by the meaning behind the name and album cover with his grapheme colour synthesesia - very interesting! Love the interest from pieces of ambient sound and soundbites from films etc. Very creative! It's got to be a 5 from me - LOVED it!
I have a profound love for this album. Frank’s voice is beautiful, I think Bad Religion and Pink Matter are some of his best tracks vocally and listening to them is like massage therapy for my mind. Sweet Life and Super Rich Kids, and conversely Pilot Jones and Crack Rock, are so unrelatable on the surface for opposing reasons but the evocative picture of misery in excess and having contradictory feelings to what is happening around you reflects a sentiment that I feel permeates younger generations right now. The tragedy of loving someone fruitlessly as referenced in Thinkin Bout You, Bad Religion, and Pink Matter define this album in my memory as the de facto “lonely hours” album of the 2010’s. The way the album pivots during Pyramids from the general depression and loneliness of the first half to heartsick yearning, bargaining, and acceptance through the end speaks to Frank’s skills in crafting not just individual tracks, but in curating an album as an experience. channel ORANGE doesn’t seek to advise you on how to find what you’re looking for in life, but it’s success illustrates that it doesn’t hurt to know you aren’t alone in that search.
Brilliant. So good. 5 stars.
LOVE THIS ALBUM
⭐Thinkin Bout You
Best Frank Ocean album
some of the better stuff this list has introduced me to
Back before he went off the rails
5.0 + I've spent many hours listening to this album, even unpacking it with the help of the excellent Dissect podcast series that examines it track by track. And yet I still find myself struggling to wrap my head around its awesomeness. It shares a rarified space with "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and "DAMN." as a record that truly strips the artist to their very core. Just take a deep breath and press play. And press pause when things feel overwhelming. Then, keep going.
A clear 5 for me at the time of its release. Just very strong songwriting - in particular the back-to-back songs Pyramids-Lost. Now listening to it again, I still like the many highlights of the record, but some other songs have become slightly annoying. Still 5 stars, but just about.
Top 5 album of all time for me
Prachtig album. Frank laat me vaak dromen met zijn muziek ookal gaat de muziek soms over niet veel eigenlijk haha. Stay goated! We zullen wss nog wel een album van hem zien passeren
Well. Now I understand the memes. New album when?!?! I need mooooooore. So good.
already listened to it, very good
I am now officially blown away by how many good albums I've gotten in a row at this point. I'm glad to see this album on this list because I've only ever listened to Blonde from start to finish and always wanted to listen to this even if I've heard most of the songs at some point. This shit was great and makes me sad that he doesn't make music anymore because this album is perfect for smoking weed/just chilling/listening on headphones alone/having sex/driving all at once and can basically fit any vibe that you're looking for. Super rich kids, lost, bad religion, and forest gump are my favs
Frank Ocean. So good.
база
Great album, 4.7
WOOOOOO
Blair. like a rock in the middle of the ocean, albums I know and love are lifesavers and refreshing. Its mostly likely gonna be a 5.
It has some stunningly beautiful moments and a great vibe throughout.
Forrest Gump
Yaaaaaaaassssss
The best kind of channel
Lots of love for this album. It's not something you can listen to at any moment, it requires a certain mood. When that mood is there it's absolute gold. The Andre 3000 verse it the cherry on top
better than I remember
silky voice, real life
Was not expecting this album to be on this list, just due to the amount of garbage on this list. One of the easiest five stars I can give. This album is a defining one as my brother Stevie used to listen to this allllll the time in college. He had a bootleg vinyl that we would rock in our apartment and while driving arong town or back home on the weekends. So many classics on here and songs like Pyramids that just go incredibly hard. I remember singing Crack Rock with him and some of our cousins while we were going to our cousin Taryn's wedding, too. Frank Ocean isn't one of my favorite artists, some of his other albums I am not as big a fan of but when it comes to singular albums, I'd call this one some kind of masterpiece. Songs: Thinkin Bout You, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Bad Religion, Forrest Gump
I knew way more of these songs than I thought I would, and I can't believe they came from his debut album. This continues to sound fresh. Love his style.
A really unique, memorable album that has already proven quite influential
One of my all time favorite albums and a true modern classic.
Best orange album
👍Frank👍
Omg. A ptoato flew around my room
25th October 2022 Listened a couple of times while working in the office upstairs. Tom and Anna came round, tv evening. Soulful rap, achieves that rare thing nowadays of rapping and being soulful and hard.
This album is so good - definitely was trying to remember all the amazing details pointed out in that dissect series
Though I prefer Frank’s next album, Blonde, which is a bit more experimental, I can’t deny the quality of this album. Frank’s voice and song writing are top tier and there are so many classic songs on here. I just want everyone to take a minute to appreciate Earl Sweatshirts poetic wordplay on Super Rich Kids. “Alright, close your eyes to what you can't imagine We are the Xanny-gnashing Caddy-smashing, bratty assy He mad, he snatched his daddy's Jag And used the shit for batting practice Adamant and he thrashing Purchasing crappy grams with half the hand of cash you handed” 🔥🔥🔥
One of the best albums of the 2010s. Channel Orange was one of the first major albums to openly discuss same-sex relationships sounded fantastic at the same time. Thinkin Bout You is beautiful, Super Rich Kids is good commentary, and Pyramids is an absolute epic. Plus this may be the only time we hear John Mayer on this list and he provides two excellent guitar solos (White and Pyramids). Frank Ocean delivered a classic on his debut and it's a shame that his music was never really this focused again.
Oh no! It isn't indie rock or music made in the late 60s/70s! What will we do! All music is ending as we know it! Some of the reviews here are hilarious. Maybe we should have stopped evolving music when the first caveman struck two bones together and called it a xylophone. Banging album, took the trends around the time and distilled it into a coherent masterpiece of modern music.
Amazing soulful, clever song writing and performance - I don’t know how I had passed on Frank Ocean but I sure do regret it. This album is great, end to end, and gets better with every listen.
Taler for sig selv - en moderne klassiker
This album has definitely grown on me hard since I first heard it, I think in large part due to my own expanding musical palette. As a born-and-bred classic rock kid this album just did not work for me years ago. Now, with the experience of listening to a much wider array of genres, I can not only appreciate Frank's excellent songwriting, but how he blends so many disparate sounds into his RnB style. Pure excellence.
Fantastic album, probably one of the most important albums of my musical journey and I would say a front to back masterpiece.
I mean cmon
"Channel Orange" is the debut studio album from Frank Ocean following up his previous year's mixtape album "Nostalgia, Ultra." Frank wanted a song structure change as he didn't wanted to solely rely on mixtapes. He primarily co-wrote and co-produced with Malay but also had collaborations with Om'Mas Keith, Pharrell Williams and Tyler the Creator. Quite the company. That probably also partially explains the vaiety of styles. The music was noted as unconventional for R&B drawing electronic, funk, pop-soul, jazz, pyschedelic, film dialogue and ambient. All those styles are heard. The themes, and this is important for the flow of the album, are unrequited love, decadence, class and drugs. There is an order to the songs as they are pretty much grouped into the thematic categories listed above. The songs within each category are connected with interludes including spoken word or everyday sounds or sometimes go from song to song. This is quite a big but rewarding listen. A lot of times, the story is told in narrative style from different points of view and it's obvious a lot is taken from Frank's personal experience (or is it). The album begins with an interlude of noises including video games and doors opening into the first of the five singles released, "Thinkin' About You." Electronic, funk, a ballad, a slow atmospheric drumbeat, soulful singing. This reminds right away of Stevie Wonder which is heard frequently throughout the album. Frank goes from his tenor to a falsetto and back, another technique heard throughout. The song was originally written for Bridget Kelly and was about Frank's admitted first attraction and love to a 19-year old man. "Sweet Life," is the third single and in the area of the album whose theme is mostly about class and in particular about living and wasting your time on the beach in Southern California. Great keyboards, soul, jazz. No doubt it's influenced by his collaborator Pharrell Williams. The ghost of Stevie Wonder is heard again. "Super Rich Kids," the fifth single continues the class theme with young, wealthy characters and fake lives. Earl Sweatshirts contributes in this more soulful song. The second half of the album starts a more drug-themed focus. The nearly 10-minute epic and second single single "Pyramids" uses the imagery of Cleopatra, pyramids and strip clubs for a love story of a pimp and one of his lovers. Great, great production and maybe the centerpiece of the album. More dance and EDM sounding. Pyschedelic, soulful. Quite a song. "Lost" immediately follows and is my favorite song on the album. A more traditional rock and pop structure. Great synthesizer and vocal chorus and drumbeat. It is about a relationship and mentions his cocaine-smoking girlfriend. Heavy stuff lyrically. This album is quite the achievement. It is not only considered by many as one of the best albums of 2012 but of the 2010's. Getting into this the album is a lot ( a lot here) but days like this makes ths challenge rewarding, especially when you get into and listen to something like this.
one of the GOATS. endlessly listenable.
This is simple. Frank Ocean writes some of hip-hop/ R&B’s sexiest stuff. Two standout all-timers inhabit a total package that brilliant and really quite lovely.
Wheeew I listened to this one about five times in a row and I think it's actually a masterpiece. Like, he makes legitimately artful music without taking himself too seriously. The beats draw you in, the lyrics are thought-provoking, and his voice is like buttah.
I didn't get into Frank Ocean until this past December (2021) because he got a ton of universal hype across indie review websites and I would always be almost insulted when I would see him atop "Best Indie Albums" lists. I would think- "Is this hip hop guy's album really more monumental for indie music than the Strokes "Is This It"?" or I would question "Frank Ocean is more indie than Neutral Milk Hotel?". But then in December I heard one of his tracks covered live and I was like "oh man is THIS Frank Ocean? The time has come." Frank Ocean is the Fucking Shit with a capital F and S, and Channel Orange is a masterpiece. To me he has that one magical thing about his voice that he could sing literally anything and it would sound beautiful, hip, emotional, contemplative, and cool. His persona only adds to it- he rarely gives interviews and keeps a bit behind the curtain, he's so cool that he performs on SNL and his guitarist in the back - in the dark - is John Mayer, he even announced his sexuality via his personal Tumblr by just saying "4 Summer ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too." (It's a beautiful short thank you note that you should check out if you haven't and are a fan. I love how frank he is about it in an environment where being gay or bisexual isn't so widely accepted)... he's just a cool guy. "Thinkin Bout You", "Super Rich Kids", and "Lost" are modern classics! This is an album where I would love to have had a rating system out of 100 instead of out of 5. To me it's hard to say that this album is only a 4/5 because that's an 80/100. It's also not a 5/5 or 100/100 like a few others on this list are, but I think that it's closer to being a 5/5 than it is a 4/5 so I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Love this one. There are actually more killer tracks than I remember (Thinking Bout You, Lost & Super Rich Kids are my top 3, but there are 8 or 9 very decent songs here). Even the weaker or interlude-y tracks contribute to the bigger picture though. There's this kinda modern, minimal, slightly spacey thing going on that takes me to some specific place and time it's hard to describe (probably southern California, near future; somewhere affluent and hi-tech but slightly unsettling nonetheless?) 4.5
king
goated. absolute classic. one of my favorite albums of all time by my favorite artist of all time. 0 flaws.
Byrjar á autotune í Thinkin' bout you (mest spilaða laginu) og ég verð fyrir vonbrigðum, en svo lagast það og platan reynist svona líka góð. Mjög gaman að hlusta og ég mun gera það oftar.
4/03/2022 Today's Album: "Channel Orange" by Frank Ocean - This album is dense, extremely well executed, and packed with a ton of instrumental personality, so it definitely took a few days and a handful of listens to really "get" it. This album is phenomenal. These are really expressive and rich R&B tracks that cover a veriety of subject matters with suprising levels of nuance and with tons of layers of meaning in every line. From a surface level listen, you're met with likeable tracks that fuze pop and R&B with fantastic production and suprisingly listenable heavy sub-bass. Frank's vocals are fantastic on every track, the choruses are quickly learnable and given the hundreds of listens on each track, Frank is obviously a big heavy hitter in the pop scene. Going into the tracklist, there are a lot of times where the themes of drugs, past relationships, racism, systematic inequality, etc. that are all over most albums in this genre and the broader hip hop and rap scenes show up, but in a way that is very interesting to the listener. For instance, the first song of the album, Thinkin' Bout You explores the regret of past relationships by asking their first love if they still think about them, but his lyricism makes it hard to determine if this is an ongoing relationship or one that has already ended, adding to the message. The track Fertilizer is a short poppy interlude with only one line of lyrics, but the meaning of it is one of a partner feeling like they must continue with a relationship despite them being treated like shit. The name Fertilizer is also a play on words, implying the only connection in this relationship is when Frank and his partner have love- less sex (Fertilizing Her). The song Sierra Leone covers seemingly all of the emotions surrounding an unplaned pregnancy, with Frank having to come to turns with his immaturity and grow up to raise a child, the financial and familial struggle of dealing with an unplanned child, and even the relationship Frank has with being a father given how his father left him when he was young. The track Super Rich Kids is not only a fantastic sounding song, but it covers the troubles of young wealth and all of the mental, interpersonal, and legal issues related to someone having vast amounts of wealth when they are young. Pilot Jones and Crack Rock both cover the issues related to drugs and homelessness in America in great depth, with the former being from the perspective of Frank dealing with a parter that is dealing/addicted to drugs. The 10 minute track Pyramids is a great examination into the tarnished identity of black women as they were stolen from their home continent and were bastardized by the west. The first part is about the capturing and exploitation of black woman slaves right from the African Population and the second part is about the modern day black woman and how many have been reduced down to hookers and strippers. This track also sounds phenomenal from start to finish and features some amazing instrumental moments. Lost covers the drug industry further, this time with Frank taking the perspective of a man forcing a woman to mule drugs by putting them inside of her Double D sized breasts. It sounds immature and cliche upon first listen, but after understanding the premise it is a story of a young woman who is unable to escape a world of drug trafficing that she is already too far deep within. Monks is Frank examining his fame, but through discribing a drug fueled sexual encounter he had with a handful of groupies from one of his shows. One of the heaviest hitters, Bad Religion, compares a romantic relationship to a religion, as Frank finds this partner he once worshiped gone from him now. Like many tracks on this album, he describes these past relationships in an absolutely heartbreaking way, shedding light to the parts of a relationship that most dont think about. Pink Matter is a beautiful track that uses relationships and specifically a woman's womb to contemplate desire, fantasy, and even existentialism. It is an example of another pattern of this album, where Frank seems to be simply singing a love song, but there are several deeper meanings underneath simply talking about vaginas or boobs. Forest Gump is a light-hearted track from the perspective of Jenny from Forest Gump, being a metaphor for Frank's first love, who he later admitted was male and the final track End ends the album in a similar way it started, with background chatter and noise as Frank is musically switching through memories like TV channels. From an instrumental and musical standpoint, there are some moments that feel a little underdeveloped on this LP, but the diversity of sounds and melodies alongside solid instrumentals and lyricism that are so layered it can take hundreds of listens to fully comprehend make this album just fantastic from start to end. Themes of first loves, past toxic relationships, drugs, pregnancy, status, wealth, and power are all brilliantly meditated on under the guise of an R&B pop album and I really just cannot emphasize how well it is pulled off. This album is getting me really excited to check out Ocean's other music and about 80 percent of the tracks here are going to find their way into my library. Listen to this one if you like R&B, pop, heavy bass, great vocals, smart lyrics, or any/all of the above. Score: 9.5/10 Smart, Beautiful, Excellent. Highlights: Thinkin Bout You, Fertilizer, Super Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Pyramids, Lost, White, Monks, Bad Religion, Pink Matter, Forest Gump.
What a please to be assigned this album today. This was something I had on repeat back when it was released. Every track is a banger!
Oooo boy now this is a certified classic. Ocean has clearly already established the mainstays of his discography by this point, with the evocative yet sensitive lyrics and achingly beautiful vocals that underpin each song. "Pyramids" is just plain epic. I love this album!!!
Hooked right out of the gate. The hits are massive, drums sound great throughout.
Damn this is good
Catch AF
A great album that seems to keep momentum all the way through. Forrest Gump is one of my favorite songs of the past decade. Pyramids is a 9 minute journey.
This is one of my favorite albums. Almost being 10 years old, it still holds up. By far one of the best albums of this century.
Este álbum me sorprendió mucho, ya que no soy muy fan del R&B, pero me encontré escuchándolo como unas tres veces. No creo que algún otro álbum del género llegue a tener esta calificación por mi. Hay algo respecto de los arreglos musicales que lo hace diferente. No es sólo rap y no me pareció tedioso, además el uso de sonidos ambientales como el Play Station del intro le dio una textura especial. No le presté demasiada atención a la letra, pero después de leer el artículo de Wikipedia creo que debería. Mis canciones favoritas fueron “Pyramids” y “Super Rich Kids”.
The album is just a great vibe. Easy listening and suited to so many occasions.
This is one of my favourite albums, to the point where I was listening to tracks from it earlier today before this glorious website assigned me Channel Orange. If you want Channel Orange to be deep, it can be. You can sort the songs into pairs, consider Mr Ocean's exploration of his sexual identity and his telling of stories from different corners of society, both as a slice of life and a metaphor of his own experience. Or you can just take every song on their own, feeling sad or loved-up or defiant or introspective as the feeling takes you. "Bad Religion" stands as a glorious cornerstone of the album and ever fails to make my eyes leak. And best of all - this isn't even Frank Ocean's best work.
I liked this way more than I thought I would
One of the best albums of the last 20 years
this album is very good I like it I think it is his best
Love this album
Ekstremetelt å jazzaktig
Legendary
Huge album, I love basically everything about it but for some reason I just can’t bring myself to give it a perfect score, I think because I want it to be more cohesive than it is. 9/10
Really good, would relisten. Couldn't always make out the lyrics but sounded nice anyway. 9
9/10. This was pretty good. He has a nice voice. Beginning of Super Rich Kids had me worried because it sounded like Benny and the Jets for a moment.
Life-changing. 10
played this once way back but as background noise BUT NOWWWW DAMNNNN BOYYYYYYYYY THIS IS GOOD ASS SHIT MMMMMMMMM
This album is brilliant
Not a bad track. Feels like an unfolding story. Stripped back. Almost perfect.
Great album. 0 bad songs and really high highs. Favorite song: Pyramids
Already love... RnB GOAT, unequivocally
5000000/5 love u frank
Great album
BOMB ASF ALWAYS
One of the top albums of the 2010's and up there in my top 20 of all time.
This is such an amazing album. I'm glad this gave me the reminder to listen through again.
Obviously great
This will always be a great album. Would be a nice one to have on vinyl.
Smooth af. Actually put me in a better mood.
A classic
Gold.
Great
Good!
Classic - Thinkin About You, Sweet Life, Pyramids and Bad Religion are my favorites, but every non-interlude track is great.
Megan get back to work
Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl? ✅
okay so here’s the deal. I have previously liked some songs on this album so naturally I was excited to listen. Mr. Ocean’s voice is so beautiful and I enjoyed the theme of the album with the little radio static interludes to tie the songs together. HOWEVER, compared to the other albums I have given 5 stars on this journey so far, I was lowkey thinking this album is NOwhere close to how good other albums are. Some of the lyrics were so trashy that I understood why older generations are disappointed in us. I think in a biased scope of mind this album is good but in the music analyst mode and in terms of other albums on this list this one really does not hold up. It shall be a 3.5 for me.
Well, I was all set to get on here and leave a mediocre review, but after reading that unhinged post blaming this album for the downfall of western civilization, I just had to give it another chance
Start & Fertilizer very unnecessary in the Album, beautifully songs, great as background music especially in summer, calming, love the messages in the lyrics, high, love his voice, comforting to listen to in the background
I feel this is probably actually about a 3 for me, but nostalgia is pushing it to a 4...
i liked it, first time listening to frank ocean
Highlights: Crack Rock, Bad Religion, Sierra Leone -> Super Rich Kids sequence
Channel Orange is an incredibly iconic album that was difficult for me to categorize. It's really personal and emotionally raw regarding its feel. But genre-wise, it is an album that blends R&B, soul, funk, and psychedelic music into something I haven't really heard before. What starts as a slow-burning mellow sound with themes of vanity and excess, gradually builds to one of the most honest and ambitious albums I've heard. "Start" is a short instrumental intro. I don't have much to say about it, but it sets the mood nicely. "Thinkin Bout You" I was skeptical about at first tbh. My first thought was literally the Vine "a potato flew around my room" before I realized the Vine was referencing this song. On relisten it resonated w me more, especially as I connected it to my own experiences with relationships. "Do you think about me still?" is my fav lyric. 7/10. "Fertilizer" is a short but kinda funny interlude. The "I'll take bullshit if that's all you got" made me laugh. 3/10. "Sierra Leone" is emotional and sounds heavenly in parts. The bass is incredible. But it's too short, and the topic didn't rlly land with me all that much. As I listened closer to the lyrics, I realized it's about a version of Ocean facing unwanted/unexpected fatherhood. 4/10. "Sweet Life" has an amazing bass line and I love it, the lyrics are pretty cutting too. It critiques wealth and privilege, which I appreciate. But for me, the lyrics just didn't hit hard enough. I could see this rated higher by others but for me: 5/10. "Not Just Money" is a conversational interlude that hits hard honestly. A mom explains to her kid that money isn't just "money": it's happiness, it's the difference between a house and the street. It reminded me of my own family's financial instability growing up. So honestly it's short but rlly powerful to those who find it relatable. "Super Rich Kids" was one of the first songs that really grabbed me. The storytelling is great, reminds me of Kendrick although more metaphorical, also the Earl Sweatshirt verse is awesome, and the song is actually bumpin. Added to my playlist. 8/10. "Pilot Jones" has some amazing lyrics about addiction and codependency. But musically it meanders (at least for me). I think the lack of a rlly strong hook made it feel a bit aimless to me. 4/10. "Crack Rock" is one of my favorites. The beat is crazyy (not to mention him again but yea its something I could hear Kendrick using) and the lyrics are great criticism of the police surveillance state in lower income neighborhoods plagued by addiction. ACAB. The topic of addiction is handled with the weight it deserves. As I researched a bit abt the song, I found out Ocean's grandfather struggled with addiction, which gave the song even more depth. 8-9/10. "Pyramids" is the album's masterpiece. That beat shift (from Daft Punk synth to a groovy guitar second half) is awesomeeee. The symbolism, the complexity, the lyrics and poetry. It's the best song on the album and one I'll be coming back to for sure. 10/10. "Lost" is bouncy and catchy but carries some real heft. It tells a story about addiction and exploitation that hits really hard. Less epic than "Pyramids" but still really good. 9/10. "White" is a chill instrumental interlude. Nice background music. "Monks" is super funky and relatable. I grew up Buddhist, so the stark contrast of mosh pits and Buddhist monks was awesome to hear. Not as tight as "Pyramids" or "Lost," but good for the playlist. 7/10. "Bad Religion" is incredibly emotional, almost brought me to tears at work. It's devastating. As I listened, I found out Ocean wrote this about his first love, a man he met when he was 19. The line "I could never make him love me" hit especially hard. 9/10. "Pink Matter" is romantic and thought provoking. André 3000's verse is great as always. It reminded me of coming back to my girlfriend after a long day, that warm, familiar feeling. The Majin Buu lyrics is also super funny. Could even be considered one of the earliest mainstream albums to reference anime (tbf Kanye did it a few years earlier, and Wu Tang all the way back in the 90s). 8-9/10. "Forrest Gump" I haven't seen Forrest Gump and from what I've heard I probably wouldn't like it anyway, so this one didn't hit for me. 4-5/10. "End" is actually a pretty cool and atmospheric end to the album. Interlude quality, not playlist material for me, but well-made. Channel Orange is a slow burn that took me a few listens to really appreciate. The first half felt distant at first, but by the end I had warmed up to the R&B sound in a way I wasn't expecting. Songs like "Pyramids," "Crack Rock," and "Lost" really show off Frank Ocean's lyrics, musical genius, and ability for deep vulnerability on the mic. Rating: 8.5/10
Starts silence that gradually eases into an almost mystical technology start is so interesting. Thinkin About You is a summer song in the way that humidity acts on you. Summer allows for you to think longer about things such as relationships, but it leaves a sticky feeling on your skin. Thinkin about you is a reflection on how we'll never know how the ex people in our life felt. Fertilizer is a nice comic relief and has a really happy instrumental, and interestingly it echoes the start of the album. Sierra Leone echoing conversation creates a storytelling effect that’s hard to replicate ; how Sierra Leone shifts into a representation of love for his hometown is a unique comparison. When you hear about hometowns you usually hear about wanting to run away , while Sierra Leone skies serve as a representation of home he feels who Ike having sex with his girlfriend. In the album you also hear about the metamorphosis he undergoes as he acts as an irresponsible teenager to a mature older man. Sweet Life is a surprising call to action and a call out of the wealthy. He describes a sheltered life that the wealthy live in , one that hones in on the fruits of their vine. One of the most poignant lines of the song is “ So why see the world, when you can see the beach?” Showing that the direct people of the song are sheltered away. Not Just Money switches the perspective of money , showing the heartache that money can cause while also simultaneously the stability it can lead to. Super rich kids talk about the carelessness of kids when they have economic resources to be careless. Though he highlights how the kids will never be fulfilled because there are some things that money can just not buy. Pilot Jones talks about the youthfulness of love and first love while comparing it to drugs. Crack Rock also discusses drugs but it shifts it to an empathetic understanding of a crack addict ; while also describing the effects of the crack addicts addiction on other people. Pyramids immediately shift into a whole different universe and have a more disconnected feeling. The song feels so hypnotizing as Ocean details the fall from grace of two doomed lovers , Marc Antony and Cleopatra into a modern couple. With pyramids the common motif is throughout it. Lost details a drug dealer always needing his girlfriend , his drug mule, to complete one last deal. And it’s a really beautiful song. White is a little instrumental track that is another song called the same things. Monks has such vivid imagery that really captivates you the whole song and I just really love this song. Bad religion talks about the almost worship that comes from loving another person unrequited. Pink Matter is a great song that laments his love for another person that turns blue as the song goes on. Frank Ocean talks about having sex with her by fully immersing himself in her, and by doing so he commits a worship towards her . Forest Gump pays reference to the film and crosses film to the feeling of first love. It creates a really beautiful portrait of devotion from a distance. End closes the album by cross referencing and creating a beautiful tapestry of different styles of art. The lyrics “ Our daughters and our sons are staples of the sun” is really magnetic. This album was a really great listen and definitely a staple of modern music. Favs Monks Pink Matter Bad Religon Forest Gump
I don't think I've really heard an R&B album quite like this one before. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the sound and the longer I listened, the more I enjoyed it.
sierra leon is a bizzare song but like frank ocean is a vibe
A little long, but a lot to really like here. Pyramids and Sweet Life were standout tracks
ermano q buen album
I liked it
Creo que es un álbum bastante completo, las transiciones entre las canciones son muy fluidas y sonoramente es muy variado.
Nothing like some chit chat before the music starts. This feels like an album that's going to be full of these Odd Future guys being....odd in brief interludes and some found sound. Frank Ocean is the D'Angelo of Alternative R&B. I bet Frank Ocean must idolize Stevie Wonder. More talking. And I bet Steve Lacy idolizes Frank Ocean. The difference between the style and the content of Crack Rock is about as disparate as two things can get. His voice and Musiq Soulchild's are virtually indistinguishable. Pink Matter is amazing. I love Andre 3000.
Absolutely seamless genre transcendence and experimentation. A massive artistic statement commanding attention and firmly giving a voice to the feelings, both good and bad, surrounding the early 2010s. "Thinkin' 'Bout You" begins things with a gorgeous pop synth/r&b fusion opening, "Super Rich Kids" is a wonderfully smooth rap soul track with a fantastic feature from a young Earl Sweatshirt. "Pyramids" is INSANE. How have I never heard this before? Great lyrical concept, fantastic synthesizers, and John Mayer's greatest guitar performance ever! "Lost" has a super catchy Daft Punk-esque chorus. Not every song works, but it's aged extremely well. Great album.
nice
I'm gonna come across ignorant here I think, which is okay. I have never listened to a Frank Ocean album despite really loving Earl and Tyler. I've gotten about 3 songs into Blonde before tapping out before. And this is the stupid part, this just sounds like Kevin Abstract to me. I understand now, of course, that Kevin was just biting this entirely, but that's my frame of reference so I'm really thrown off, mainly because I really like what Kevin has done and I don't know Frank's catalogue. Anyways, this album is really great. It has a lot of variety and fun sound collages and all the performances are tight. I just can't quit the nagging of like I could be listening to Arizona Baby instead right now which is weird. Very strong 4. Also wow, reading the second top review, that's insane. This is nowhere near the degradation of music. Let music evolve yadda yah, I hate the dumbass boomers on this site.
Thinking Bout You Super Rich Kids Pyramids Lost
I can get ‘Lost’ in this album.
Started off a bit Sandy but gradually got better and better - lots of sexy metaphors
this like a 3.7 but frank gets the roundup
This album is very relaxing to me. I quite like it. Great singing, smooth instrumentals, good production. The lyrics are thoughtful, though I don’t understand what Majin Buu from DBZ has to do with the rest of “Pink Matter”, but the repeated passionate delivery of the word “pleasure” on that track is my favorite moment on the album, so I can forgive that. 4/5
dare i say... this might have a bit of a sequencing problem. but the songwriting is some of the best of the century so it's kinda moot. somehow "Crack Rock" was my entry point into this great artist and it's still my favorite song on this album
I feel like I to listen to listen album multiple times back in the day before I liked it… and then I loved it. Solid 4.3 for that Frank ocean magic.
A high school classic. Never mad to give this one a relisten
A modernized soul, funk, pop, rap with tunesmith-iness. Quite good, shades of Stevie Wonder. I like the synths. 4.
I liked this recording a lot. Combines elements of Soul and Rap.
Pretty soulful
great vocal work in both registers. the instrumental choices are all pretty good but the arranging is sometimes lacking, and the lyrics are inconsistent. mixing is quite good though
It’s a near perfect album. As fresh today as when it landed.
always loved that one, that voice is just honey
Mom music type who
I just love this guy’s voice, man. Feels as summertime fresh as the first time I heard it my sophomore year of college. Stevie Wonder through a fishbowl. In love with the earl sweatshirt feature — the king of assonance. Felt like it overstayed its welcome in the back half after Pyramids, but still a great record I’ll always come back to. And ends strong with Forrest Gump, such a sweet sweet song.
Wish it were a little more consistent in the first half but Pyramids and Thinkin Bout You have been among my favorites since they came out
This was some pretty interesting more modern rap. Not exactly my cup of tea but not bad.
Mycket bra! Älskar hans röst. Thinkin bout you är underbar och Pyramids fantastisk. Monks gillar jag också. Ett bra album!
Wasn't really my cup of tea when it came out, but I kinda like it now?
I like lost, good change from the other songs we have been getting.
Frank Ocean is an artist I’ve wanted to dive deeper into. Since my favourite podcast Dissect did a season on his earlier discography. I tried listening to the season a while back. Not really knowing what his music sounded like and couldn’t get into it at the time. I’m mostly just not into the pop genre. But after listening to the Channel Orange intentionally, I’ll have to go back and revisit that season. Maybe listening to the albums before diving into the podcast season. I found Channel Orange
I really liked this album. I feel like I'll need a couple listens through to truly appreciate it. But, I can tell it's a really well put together album
A potato flew around my room before you cameeee Beautiful voice Frank, surprised to see so many hateful reviews here.... Like get a grip. Loved the PS2 intro SFX at the start. 8/10
I really liked this album when it came out. It was a breath of fresh air. You need to scratch the surface a bit. But it pays you back for repeat listens. I personally love the mix of casual rap and arpeggio vocals. You can hear the Prince and Andre 3000 influences through the music. Cool, confident and a new voice for a changing generation. Pyramids of one of the great songs...of all time, in my humble opinion.
Literal art Lyrics speak to the soul Really good chill kinda music Got its lows and highs
I don’t know much of Frank’s discography, but Thinkin Bout You will always be a classic. This album was solid.
4 stars😛 beliebt af aber ist auch einfach gut
I remember liking this more in high school. It's still a good album and Pyramids remains fantastic but this time around it didn't hit as hard. 3.5/5
Classic! And classy! Lovely Melodies 😍
Este ha sido uno de mis albums favoritos, porque tiene unas de mis canciones favoritas de toda la vida, siempre me ha gustado Frank Ocean, me gusta la atomosfera sentimentalista que crea en cada canciones, hay canciones que te hacen sentir mucho, y habla desde su experiencia desde una manera muy existencialista y me gusta como experimenta con diversos géneros, principalmente el fondo de los instrumentos y como juega con su voz, a veces es muy incomoda y muy forzada, pero la da mucha personalidad, creo que es un album muy bueno, que lleva su tiempo escucharlo, con bastantes detalles, me gustaría disfrutarlo mas pero lo he escuchado demasiado
Iconic album with iconic songs
Would give it a 4.5 if I could. The first album that I considered giving a 5
One of those artists I’ve hear about nonstop but don’t have a clue what he sounds like. Perfect excuse to listen given this list and I’m glad I did; such a cool vibe! Will defo check out Blonde at some point as well
It’s been a while since I’ve played this in full. This album was a huge part of my life when it came out. First year of college, plenty of free time, smoking, drinking, playing PlayStation and cards. Great times. We must have played this album nearly 100 times. Like most classics, it holds up very well. I had forgotten what an incredible song Bad Religion is. Powerful and heart breaking.
Whilst I genuinely could not have expected otherwise about this album being in the list considering it is such a lush, interesting, intimate R&B record which of itself does great to represent a generation that is yet underrepresented in this list, it is one of the records that have made me happiest seing it assigned. 9/10 [KEEP]
Reminds me of being a young teenager. I like Crack Rock and Pyramids. “Skin like bronze and hair like cashmere”
One of my first albums ever, pink matter is perfect.
Fantastic album throughout. Perfect for a rusty hangover.
A member of Odd Future I remember hearing and downloading the mixtape and was excited to hear what the album would be like. As I listened his phrasing is like a slam poet or rapper on many songs. The album is really good. His stories fit for the time and area he grew up in. As kid growing in LA I’m sure he felt like many of the lyrics in Super Rich Kids. Also understanding the story being told in Pyramid. He was so good. Even the opening song Thinkin’ About You with the flow just worked. Frank Ocean had his moment. Hopefully one day he will find that desire to write and sing again.
Frank Ocean trying to bait me with that PS1 boot sound and the Street Fighter 2 theme, but this album was pretty good regardless
can i be FRANK with you for a sec? 4.5/5
Abit long but love the production
beautiful i love you frank
A Potato Flew Around My Room 1001 Albums Generator 283 (5/4/2026) Really great neo-soul/RnB. I have so much nostalgia for some of the songs here, especially thinkin Bout You and Super Rich Kids, but I've never given the whole album a listen. It's not as consistent as Blonde, but it's still really good. Around Super Rich Kids, the album catches its stride and doesn't let go. That trip hop on Crack Rock was a nice surprise. The production is consistently sparse, but still spacey and interesting. The interludes don't do much for the album, and it would be better without them. But come on. It's Channel Orange. Listen to Pyramids man. 4.5/5, rounded down to 4 because it's not as generational as Blonde. Favs: Super Rich Kids Pyramids Lost Least Fav (not including interludes): Bad Religion
good album fun. pyramids. peak. but some songs alright 🤷♂️
I was curious about this one, I've been meaning to check Frank Ocean out, as I like a lot of the guys from Odd Future he's associated with, even if he is more R&B/Soul than them. This still isn't my go to style of music, but I definitely enjoyed his "alt R&B" more than a lot of the other examples of the R&B genre I've gotten on this list so far "Thinkin Bout You" "Super RIch Kids" "Lost" and "Monks" were standouts for me here
It's a shame he hasn't released a new album in 10 years. He's a very talented vocalist and lyricist. I think I prefer Blonde, but still a great album. 4/5.
Thinking Bout You - 4.5/5 Sierra Leone - 4/5 Sweet Life - 5/5 Super Rich Kids - 4.5/5 Pilot Jones - 3.5/5 Crack Rock - 4/5 Pyramids - 5/5 Lost - 4.5/5 White - 3.5/5 Monks - 4/5 Bad Religion - 4/5 Pink Matter - 4.5/5 Forrest Gump - 4/5 To the guy who said that this album spawned on SoundCloud rap? I think he got lost in the genres. I had heard of Frank Ocean before, but I, like the narrow-minded reviewer, thought he was more rap. This album is definitely more on the R&B side, and there are so many good songs on here. I think I'm more upset about the number of narrow-minded people who think sparked the downfall of civilization. Go defenestrate yourself if you think that. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Thinkin Bout You, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pyramids, Lost, Pink Matter
missing this guy
beauty in simplicity
wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did
4/5. I’ve always been a bit of an outsider to Frank Ocean. I knew he was one of the most respected/acclaimed modern soul/R&B artists and I knew that it’s been forever since his last album (Blonde will be 10 years old later this year), but I’ve never actually fully dove into an album of his until now. And I get the hype, this album was really good. Some fantastic production here which goes well with Franks vocals which are also great. The highlight for me has to be the nearly 10 minute centerpiece of the album “Pyramids.” This is definitely one I see myself returning to.
this is such a jam that i total slept on. still sounds real fresh
la verdad gran album. me soreprendio, nunca habia escuchado frank ocean (nose porque) pero me GUSTO.
coolllll
potato flew around my room
El álbum más horny que escuché en mí vida, Frank Ocean estaba demasiado caliente cuándo lo hizo, y que tenga estas temáticas sumado a el amor y la búsqueda de pertenencia el autodescubrimiento lo hacen muy bueno, con letras bastante buenas en algunos momentos y otras medio goofy, un punto muy sólido es la producción y las bases que son muy chill y pegadizas.
Chill, cool
sounds like hanging around the wrong crowd and loving every second of the steep decline that comes with it. miss being 16. good album
Not quite my bag but impeccably produced and full of very catchy songs. I can now see why this was such a big deal back when it was released.
There's a decent amount of fluff on this but when it hits, it really hits. I still think it's one of the better Alt R&B albums of the 2010's. Light 8/10
First time listening to Frank. A few throw away songs and I hated the skits but every thing else was a fun ride. Soul, R&B, a little hip-hop all blended together.
Such a GREAT album, from beginning to end. Highly recommend if you are not familiar with Frank Ocean.
So many terrible takes in the reviews about any album that's newer or by African Americans.
C'était cool ! Alors, je ne connais vraiment pas le genre, donc je ne saurais pas comment en parler, mais j'ai trouvé que Frank Ocean a un vrai charisme quand il chante (le côté très poli en studio très typique de l'époque me dérange un peu, mais c'est loin d'être le pire). Musicalement, c'est relativement simple, mais souvent très entraînant. Les samples utilisés dans les interludes viennent rythmer un peu plus l'album. C'est pas mon truc et je ne reviendrai sûrement jamais dessus, mais je dois admettre que c'était quand même très bien et je pense que mettre moins de 4 serait injuste.
Did this album aged well? That’s the question
Never really understood the hype, but now when i have listened to the whole album i get it.
Frank Ocean is an artist I assumed I'd like, but have never listened to before. I was glad for this to come up today so it gave me a chance to find out if I was correct. I was hooked from the very beginning of the album. I wasn't sure exactly what musical style this would be, and it turned out to be a variety of them and all exceptionally produced and performed. I loved his vocals, and the lyrics were provocative throughout. Standout songs were Thinkin Bout You, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Lost, Pyramids, and Pink Matter. There was not a song I'd skip on this album. After taking a week long break due to being out of town, I've listened to three very strong and very different records the past few days (MC Solaar and Moby Grape came before today). I hope this streak continues.
sgood
Can't believe I missed this album for so many years. Feels like a proto "Because The Internet." Crack rock, crack rock!
Frank Ocean has a very unique sound, and in this album he’s starting to get his footing.
I really enjoyed listening to this all day today. I'd only 'really' heard Thinking About You before now, and the intended studio experience was a lot of fun, for both the song and the album it sits on. On a conceptual level I really appreciate the way the project turns and uses alternate sounds, from the aptly titled Start and End tracks, to the short song divisions that don't even deserve to be called skits. I also really appreciate the use of color as emotion, something about as abstract as sound as emotion, and the album pulls them both off really well. It's not exactly an unskippable effort, but everything is well thought out, and there's complex layers. This must be a really fun one to keep dissecting. When you strip it down, there's only a handful of songs on it that I really want to listen to, so putting the album on frequently feels less likely for me. Just puts into perspective how music works, despite understanding the artist's intentions. 4.2/5
I really really love just about every song on Channel Orange individually, and when I look through the track listing I cannot point to any one song that I don't like. Seriously, everything on here is incredibly catchy, or captivating, or thought provoking, often all at once. But when listening through the album as a whole, I can't shake the feeling that the experience as a whole falls a bit short, like the whole is somehow lesser than the sum of its parts. I'm unsure what it is specifically though that makes me feel this way, as I said I can't point out any one song specifically that falls short. It may be the length of the record, it sits just short of an hour and features 17 different tracks. Or it may be that of those 17 tracks, there are 3 separate intermissions, and two dedicated intro/outro tracks, that put together just drag the album on a bit too long. I'm not 100% certain, but for whatever reason while the tracks themselves are all fantastic in a vacuum (to the point that I struggle to parse one specific favourite), within the context of the album it doesn't quite come together for full marks. I'll definitely be revisiting it some more. Fav Track: 11 - Lost Best Three Track Run: 13, 14, 15
This album is just perfect and yet I wasn't expecting it to be on this list. All the songs work as a love letter to sexuality, freedom and religion.
Nicely produced album with a few cool songs
My 200th album of this project begins with the PlayStation 1 startup sound. I feel like that's a good sign. There's very few sounds in the world that evoke excitement like the PS1 splash screen jingle. It's inbuilt in me like a deep Pavlovian conditioned response. So it's a clever move by Frank Ocean to tap into that nostalgic vibe at the very start of the album. This type of R&B isn't really my thing. That's the big mountain this album has to climb to win me over. There's no real reason behind it, besides growing up with grunge, Britpop, alt rock and a bit of electronica as the main soundtrack of my youth. Soul and R&B weren't really a part of that. But that's the whole point of this project, right? Broaden my musical horizons by listening to albums outside of my usual circle of taste, with an open mind, to hopefully discover a more diverse selection of music as a result. I mean, it gets difficult when I have to listen to some nonsense like Kid Rock, but after 200 albums in a row, I can safely say I'm much more of a fan of jazz, hip-hop and funk than before. I've discovered new artists I had never heard of, and am now a big fan of (Jane Weaver, Minutemen and Joanna Newsom to name but a few). And, I've discovered that I'm much bigger fans of artists that I already knew, like Brain Eno and Black Sabbath. While I've liked a few of the big-hitters of soul that have come up, like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Shuggie Otis, soul is still a genre that I don't fully, fully gel with. And it's relevant that I mentioned those three in particular, as I can hear their influence all through “channel Orange”. The use of real instrumentation rather than samples, coupled with the 60s equipment that they used, really brings a retro vibe to everything. The first time I listened to this through, I wasn't blown away. But on a second listen, it began to click. The first half of the album really grew on me. “Thinkin Bout You” is a great tune, with down-tempo dark tones and a great vocal performance. “Super Rich Kids” is catchy as hell, dealing with spoilt elites with a sarcastic tone. “Pilot Jones” is hypnotic with its reversed electronic textures and simple upbeat melody. “Crack Rock” has a Hammond organ and fantastic drum beat building up a really great chorus. Using bright, positive melodies to sing about crack addicts is pretty dark humour. The skits and sound effects that break up the tracks on the album add atmosphere and interesting moments. I loved when old hip-hop albums used to do this, and this feels like a throwback to that. I felt my attention waning on the second half of the album though. I really loved “Lost” and “Bad Religion”, but the rest of the tracks from “Pyramids” on was starting to lose me a bit. For an album that's almost an hour long, it kept me engaged a lot more than it didn't though. Frank Ocean did a lot with this album. For me, it’s definitely an album that sold me on what soul and R&B can do. So, after 200 days of this project, my musical taste is still growing, and I'm discovering more and more artists that I wouldn't have stopped to listen to properly myself. Frank Ocean is one of them.
There’s just something about Frank Ocean’s songwriting and delivery that separates him from almost every other artist. Favourite Songs: Thinkin Bout You, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Lost. Least Favourite Songs: Pilot Jones, Forrest Gump.
J’aime pas spécialement le RnB mais c’était sympa à écouter
I understand the concept of this album being like scrolling through TV channels but the more I think on it the more I realize just how messy and inconsistent it makes the project. There are undeniable classics like Pyramids and Lost, but then there are all the interludes shoved into the beginning and lots of ups and downs in quality in the back half of the project. It's full of excellent music with a so-so execution.
I was pleasantly surprised by this album, there were a few songs on it that I would likely add to my rotation.
Nothing like some chit chat before the music starts. This feels like an album that's going to be full of these Odd Future guys being....odd in brief interludes and some found sound. Frank Ocean is the D'Angelo of Alternative R&B. I bet Frank Ocean must idolize Stevie Wonder. More talking. And I bet Steve Lacy idolizes Frank Ocean. The difference between the style and the content of Crack Rock is about as disparate as two things can get. His voice and Musiq Soulchild's are virtually indistinguishable. Pink Matter is amazing. I love Andre 3000.
Liked: Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pyramids, Bad Religion, Pink Matter Added: Bad Religion
Nothing else sounds like it. Ocean mixes up all kinds of styles & genres on here, but it’s cohesive in the way you might experience a trip through his mind. Gorgeous flows and a wistful, introspective mood - and a deep sadness that comes out in arresting ways. Crack rock. Great late-night album to get high and just ride with. Many haters giving one star sound fucking dumb or racist or both. Fix your hearts or die. Channel Orange.
loved
i think frank ocean is popular for good reason because he really is great. ones that stood out to me were Sierra Leone, pilot Jones, crack rock, monks, and pink matter. i absolutely adore pyramids i think it’s so great and frank ocean has this superpower of making long songs and making it so engaging all throughout and you’re never bored which is rare for me at least. also super rich kids always makes me think of gossip girl lol. all round super cool album; i love playing frank ocean in summer.
Lots of fun sounds here. I love his voice and think I could listen to him sing the phone book.
I remember when this album came out and topped every single year end best of list. I was confused then and still am to a degree. The album is undeniably good, but I just don’t find it transcendent. I think some of the slower more jazzy tracks are just too mellow for me. I particularly think the first five tracks on the album are some of the weakest. The highs (“super rich kids” “bad religion”) are transcendent.
Listens to that a bunch back in 2016 but then forgot about it
I mean, it’s just objectively a dynamic album with so many good songs. His artistry makes each song engaging in its own way
It's a quality lounge album - would work with a comfy couch, a book, and a whiskey. Sweet life is a standout. Super Rich Kids is a bop - A+ beat and rhymes. Lost is great! Pink Matter - A+ Andre 3000 appearance.
Was already A personal favorite. I wouldn’t say a perfect 5/5 but definitely up there.
I liked this a lot - it's musically inventive, but Lost and Rich Kids in particular still have great tunes. I certainly don't think it's a harbinger of the end of society like the second-highest rated review does.
Um daqueles artistas que bancam muito o próprio hype, o disco é criativo e muito vivo, músicas como "Sweet Life" e "Pink Matter" se destacam DEMAIS. Uma escolha mais eletronica do que estou acostumado, poucas faixas pulavéis e as 17 canções terminam antes de uma hora, uma obra coesa!
Start - 3/5 Thinkin Bout You - 3/5 Fertilizer - 3.5/5 Sierra Leone - 3/5 Sweet Life - 4/5 Not Just Money - 2.5/5 Super Rich Kids - 4/5 Pilot Jones - 4/5 Crack Rock - 4/5 Pyramids - 4/5 Lost - 5/5 White - 3/5 Monks - 3/5 Bad Religion - 4.5/5 Pink Matter - 3/5 Forrest Gump - 4/5 End - 2.5/5
Innovative, beautiful without doing too much. Minus points for pyramids
Had such a good time listening to this. A couple songs weren’t as elite but still a great album
Big news for the bisexuals
Great album. Frank manages to both create a coherent sound while testing the limits of it by experimenting with is flow, vocals and tempo. It holds the themes of love, drugs and social inheritence as its main themes, and while getting into interesting discussions it never really say anything conclusive.
I remember this album and Frank Ocean being huuuuuuge at the time of this release. But it kind of passed me by. I enjoyed it, its cool, theres some great stuff going on underneath the lyrics and the lyrics themselves are great, really well crafted and tell the story clearly. It’s quite out on it’s own in terms of what was out at the time i think, and stands up to task with that. 4.2/5.0 Best Song: Pyramids
i've had this cd for 13 years and tell me why this is the first time i'm hearing the hidden track 💔💔💔💔💔
Listened before, awesome album
Great album love frank ocean i consistantly listen to him
Admittedly, I read some of the reviews before listening to this one. I teach high school and many of my students are Frank Ocean fans, but I'd never really given him the time of day. One song in and I don't see how you can rate this album 1 star. "Thinkin Bout You" is enough of an R&B gem to keep this out of absolute trash territory. "Fertilizer" sounded like it was going somewhere and then abruptly cut off, so I don't know what's up with that. The rest of the album was pretty solid as well. "Super Rich Kids" is catchy, "Pyramids" is a journey. Overall I thought this was a great R&B album. R&B might not be your thing, and that's OK, but maybe try to appreciate this album for what it's trying to do because it does it well.
Might be a 5 but I'll give it a 4 for now
Frank Ocean has completely totally and utterly consumed some of my friends. Having listened, I definitely enjoyed it, but my life is unchanged.
Came into this with high expectations. While I haven't listened to Frank, I have listened to and enjoy what I would consider his contemporaries. And it kinda lived up the hype? There was a lot I really liked and vibed with and times where it just kinda went through me like air. Sometimes even in the same song, like Pyramids. Might have to put in on during a depression stage cause this sounds like depression music. 8/10, this review makes this album sound like it was meh but overall I really did enjoy it. Could easily get to 9 or 10 later, this seems like the type of album that rewards a relistening.
Pues... muy bueno
run Forrest run
this was really good i missed my indie rock
3 star album. The extra star is for Thinkin Bout You.
love this album
Ik ga deze review later aanpassen maar ik wilde alvast de nieuwe zien
chillax
J’avais jamais écouté mais je connaissais de nom. Au début pas fan puis on s’y fait, il fait un peu trop le mec mais je vais définitivement réécouter, c'était de mieux en mieux pendant l'album. Vraiment à la limite du 5 mais pour le début ça perd un peu. Gros flashbacks de Joji
It’s a much better album than I thought. Well done Frank, well done
Of all the 'modern' LPs listed on here, this is the one which has appealed the most so far. Frank has a beautiful voice, the production is modern without being repetitive, and Super Rich Kids (despite annoying lyrics) is fantastically catchy. Hints of Stevie Wonder and MJ in places. Just shy of a 5 because, annoyingly, SRK is SUCH a standout that most other tracks feel a little weak in comparison, but it's very very close. A deep, fascinating listen
9/10
I'm pretty sure I've heard all the tracks on this album, but possibly not in order, start-to-finish. I like this more than I'd expect I would. It's not my typical thing, but good nonetheless. Also, because this phrase isn't showing up on the page which lists the reviews: "A potato flew around my room"
Pyramids to Pink Matter is probably the most impressive string of consecutive songs ive ever heard.
Välproducerad rnb men inte nydanande. Svag fyra
Frank! Oceannnn!!! Incredible album with highs and lows and variety of emotions that make him vulnerable in his lyrics. Outstanding album.
Vibe
Fav- sweet life 4/5
Don’t finish but I liked what I listened to
Album très sympa d’un artiste que je ne connaissais pas
Can't say it's really in my bag all that much - as I'm not much into the R&B sounds. But I do really like the compositions, the moods and soundscapes. Very well made album and the songs are excellent.
Why yes I did enjoy this very much thank you
The songs in this album were good, but the album as a whole was better. This is an example of the strong correlation that I’m noticing between the quality of an album and its genre, and rap/hip hop seems to be a genre with many artists who care about their albums. This album specifically was more “rap” than “hip hop” in my opinion, and wasn’t as energetic as other rap albums. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it was actually a really nice aspect of the album.
A few real bangers on there. Like it a lot
Outstanding. More like a jazz album than R & B. Kept me fully engaged throughout
um clássico moderno. particularmente, foi o álbum que me mostrou que o R&B podia ser LEGAL, não aquela coisa brega tipo Usher, Ne-Yo, etc. muito legal reouvir de ponta a ponta, mais de uma década depois, mas não senti AQUELA coisa que eu senti em 2013
Really good album, with a few top tier tracks
surprisingly good compared to my expectations
4.5 egentligen
A nice listen. I think I'd even seek it out sometimes. Glad I got an R&B album that I enjoyed more right after the (for me) less enjoyable Ctrl by SZA.
I have listened to this before and loved it it is phenomenal and was on my Spotify tops honestly such a good listen still not my favorite album but definitely one my top 20s would give this multiple more listens. im writing this listening to channel orange I used to think it said Chanel as in the brand. was shocked to find out it was channel as in tv channel. But definitely would listen to again and I would give this a 7 out of 10 love this.
The main word I can add is sonorous. The voice is incredible, and the musicality is also excellent, but the lyrics just don't quite make sense when wet against it. And then it develops. By the time it gets to Pyramids it's slightly doolally but engaging before becoming something you actually want to listen to.
Blonde er et album jeg har hørt ganske mye på til tross for at jeg ambivalent til det. De første tre låtene er moderne mesterverk. Og så rakner det litt. Mange telefonsamtaler og mye retningsløs R&B hoper seg sammen til flere små irratajonsmomenter. Men det sterkeste på den skiva er til gjengjeld låter jeg mener i stor grad klarer å løsrive seg fra kulturell stagnering. Channel Orange har jeg sikkert begynt på flere ganger før, men jeg kan umulig ha kommet veldig langt. Som egentlig er litt rart, for den har mange av de samme kvalitetene som Blonde — både på godt & vondt. Det er introspektivt & nostalgisk. Skiva åpner med en interlude av lydeffekter, deriblant oppstarts-jinglen til PSOne. Dette er 2012, samtidig med at Vaporwave begynte å ta sine første steg ut ifra undergrunnen. Så kommer Thinkin Bout You, et av skivas sterkeste spor, og demonstrerer hva Ocean kan. Overdådige strenger inn i en progressjon av ambient synth pads, low passed trommer som står på terskelen av trap, og en imponerende vokal-prestasjon. Men så får vi en fake commecial i form av Fertilzer, og selv om jeg kan like ambisjonen av å spoofe radio, er selv en radio spoof litt for likt å høre på en radio-reklame. Og det er slike innfall som stadig trekker skiva litt ned. Pyramids må være noe av det gjeveste innen moderne dance som lyttemusikk. Tror The Weeknd har basert hele karrieren sin på den låta. Likevel synes jeg det gode overveier det som er mindre bra. Den andre skiva fra 2010s som faktisk fortjener å bli inkludert. Frank Ocean må være en av de som har dratt hardest for å få pop-musikken opp ifra millenniumssumpen.
Det lover bra når lyden av PS1 får åpne plata, og "Thinkin Bout You" er spennende. Jeg kjenner den kun fra Matthew E. White og Flo Morrissey sin flotte coverversjon. Etter denne syns jeg plata er litt ujevn. Mye som følge av ulike skits, og det føles som plata ikke får kommet i gang helt. Vi får enda en topp med "Super Rich Kids", og liket at beaten på "Crack Rock" er "Little Miss Lover" av Hendrix opp av dage, men det er ikke før "Pyramids" at plata virkelig starter. Jeg merka ikke at den var nesten ti minutter engang. Så deilig det må være å være DJ å kunne sette på den og ha dansegulvet underholdt i ti min. Etter dette kommer låtene som perler på en snor. "Lost" setter seg på hjernen med det minimalistiske synthriffet sitt. "Bad Religion" høres ut som en forvrengt 70-tallsballade, og det er dritfett, og jeg er jo svak for orgel. Overrasket over å høre fløytisten André 3000 rappe på "Pink MAtter", men det funker bra. Jeg fikk nok ikke helt med meg Frank Ocean-hypen da denne plata kom, og ikke da Blond kom heller. Men jeg tenker i alle fall at hypen er delvis berettiget, og igjen er det oppstramming jeg ønsker meg, men Ocean var nære toppkarakter.
This was a soundtrack to my high school years, which of course, were spent in beautiful southern california. Why see the world when you’ve got the beach! Frank Ocean is incredible and I am so pleased to have this trip down nostalgia lane
An instant classic, and joins the annals of smash debut albums. Shame he hasn't put out anything in a decade.
Sort of ashamed this is my first time listening to this album. I remember it blowing up when I was in college. Thinkin bout you is so beautiful. Feel like some of it gets a tad repetitive which knocks it down to a 5
Going by my own taste in music this is a 3, but I'mgiving a 4 in recognition that the guy knows what he's doing: The songs are bare and spacious yet don't fill empty, every element is carrying a lot on its back successfully. To me this is a sign of a good musician. The reward of the sparse mix is a very clean sound with a distinct sense of space. Yeah, I don't particularly like R&B and this album is no exception. But I do like a good sounding mix, and this one is exemplary.
Not my most favourite genre, but there were some catchy tunes. Innovative mixes and melodies.
really good stuff. modern classic dare i say? sort of formative for my generation I think
This was a good listen and saw Frank Ocean headline Bonnaroo for the 'channel Orange' tour. This actually has generational bangers and influence. I'd known Frank Ocean since the Odd Future days and this is a brilliant album. He acts like he's scrolling through radio stations as the song switches and has some intros/outros/setups that are very creative. Reminded me of Marvin Gaye and think this greatly influenced Anderson Paak's vocal cadence. Frank was the first person in the hip hop community to be bisexual/gay and broke a lot of ground for acceptability in the genre. This album is legendary for the generation and really enjoyed it.
4 stars for an amazing album that isn't my taste
8/10 Best songs: Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Lost A rather melancholic album about youth and the Black experience - or, at least, a very specific portion of it. In general I find the album quite strong (the Crack Rock-Pyramids-Lost stretch is great) but most of the songs are a little too slow for me - feeling kind of like background music.
“Thinkin Bout You” is good, I might add it to my liked songs. “Lost” has a very nice intro, maybe also getting added to my liked songs.
really good, didn't think it was my jam, but its good listening. Nothing really stuck though, kind of background-y
7.0/10 Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Listened through a few times and can see myself listening again if the mood is right.
Save:13
Familiar with the album. Bit of an overhyped album that I've never clicked with. 3.5/5. Raising to 4.
I love frank ocean
Fire but I don’t love every song in it Pyramids and monks carries album for me
better than blonde low key
already listen to it, lov u frank, please come back
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a perfect album, but it is certainly stellar. I hadn’t listened to this album in full in about a decade. “Lost” was our song when we first started dating and it was great to hear again and bring me the nostalgia and a feeling of youth. Would definitely listen again.
YAH
Modern classic album This has never been an album that I listened to on repeat despite understanding the love and importance for it. The more I listen to this the more I am compelled to sing praises, the tracks keep getting better, and if not better than what has already played it is so interesting that my heart flutter faster. really like crack rock and pink matter.
zo nostalgisch
Upon relistening to this album again, for the umpteenth time yet almost a decade since last time, I found myself underwhelmed compared to the internal mythology I'd constructed around it. Revisiting to the most influential music of 10-15 years ago for this project always ends up in some disappointment - we're almost one generation removed from these albums, which upon release revolutionized music in one way or another, and their long shadows end up giving the sound on these tracks a worn-out feel. In 2026, the flavour of Frank Ocean's soft R&B delivery dominates top 40 charts and has become the de facto sound for the constant flood of over-produced one-hit-wonder TikTok-viral Drake wannabes. In this context, Channel Orange feels less 'fresh off the tree' and is stuck languishing in this gunky genericism that will need another decade or two to wash off. It sucks because this and Blonde were the soundtrack of my earliest years of adulthood. Sitting around in undermaintained university dormrooms, broke and optimistic, blasting Tame Impala and Frank Ocean while chatting about girls and drinking cheap booze. So many of these lyrics are still tattooed across my heart from those halcyon days - Lost, Super Rich Kids, Pyramids, Sweet Life - and yet now looking back, it feels less nostalgic and more adolescent and juvenile. Perhaps there's a bitterness in that melancholy for a youth wasted, that Channel Orange has that maudlin quality of unearthing a lost optimism. Part of this must be deliberate, right? Between the bright vintage pianos and voyeuristic samples the album invokes this abstract, out-of-time and out-of-place poetic sadness. The album is saturated with this sepia-toned attachment to lost loves and a sentimental yearning for summers passed. In Welsh they have this term calle 'Hiraeth', a homesickness for a place to which you cannot return, or perhaps never was: a fitting enough word to describe Channel Orange I think. or maybe I'm just pretentiously projecting. Ocean is a sensitive loverboy caught up too much in his own head. It's somewhat of a story album, best listened to in its original sequence, but has a good selection of singles that still rightly see radio play. fav tracks: Lost, Super Rich Kids, Pyramids, Sweet Life
This record started slow as fuck for me, at which point I was worried I'd have to write a pissy little "sorry for not getting it" style review. Thankfully, at the three track run of 'Crack Rock', 'Pyramids', and 'Lost', everything fell into place, and the album stayed strong from there. Getting John Mayer on to do a 30 second interlude is funny
For anyone that was in high school in 2012 when this record was released, this is probably one of the most recognizable albums released during those years. Frank Ocean has a unique psychadelic, R&B sound that meshes excellently with a late summer night and a joint. The album has some of the most recognizable and unique songs and beats of any album. There are moments where I find myself sining along and others where I just vibe to the feeling of the song. Going into listening I expected to give this a 5 but I ended up going with a 4 because I feel like there some fat on the album and a few moments that lull. Its rare that an album would get 5s if it had multiple skips, as I think this album does. This album would probably also go in the Hall of Fame of most polarizing based on the other reviews haha.
Här brottas jag med blandade känslor. Det här är ju så klart väldigt bra. På årsbästalistan 2012 placerade jag FO på 10e plats. Så här i efterhand borde han hamnat längre upp (detta trots god konkurrens ). Beatsen liksom FOs stämma suger tag i en utan att det någonsin känns krystat. Soundet har definitivt stått emot tidens tand. Något som absolut inte är en självklarhet för liknande musik. Antagligen är förklaringen så enkel att det handlar om ett genuint väl genomfört hantverk. FO är helt enkelt väldigt bra på det han gör. MEN, och detta är ett synnerligen allvarligt men. Pyramids! Hur kan en så fin låt förstöras av denna historielöshet. ”Working at the pyramid tonight”. Vad är detta? Det byggdes fan i mig inga pyramider på Kleoptras tid. Tillbaka till skolbänken. Gör om och gör rätt!
01) Start - / 02) Thinkin Bout You - 10,0 03) Fertilizer - / 04) Sierra Leone - 8,0 05) Sweet Life - 8,5 06) Not Just Money - / 07) Super Rich Kids - 8,5 08) Pilot Jones - 8,0 09) Crack Rock - 8,0 10) Pyramids - 10,0 11) Lost - 10,0 12) White - 8,0 13) Monks - 8,5 14) Bad Religion - 9,0 15) Pink Matter - 8,0 16) Forrest Gump - 9,0 17) End - 7,0 TOTAL: 8,61 (86/100) Current ranking: 119/778
Ok
only 4 stars because blond is better
arancione caldo di quando hai la febbre che t’illumina la testa come una lampadina. prima di addormentarti, imbottita di paracetamolo e acqua di sirmione (alla fievole luce della tua stessa testa) ascolti il cambiare dei canali dei pensieri irrazionali che ti accompagnano nella veglia e fanno da sottofondo alla tossetta. e se ti addormenti è solo per poco.. e per il verso di andré 3000 su pink matter ti risvegli sempre. e preghi all’altarino di una notte nel chill. non è il vero rilassamento, è la registrazione di svarioni notturni riprodotti a rallentatore sul mangiacassette (da tenere vicino all’orecchio come un segreto).
all the songs are a bop, felt like a cheater bc i’ve listened to this album before :)