Lyric: And tonight I’ll hold you close, close enough to bruise, hope a garden grows where we danced this afternoon
Song: Frank Ocean – Wither
Album: Endless (2016)
Background: Frank Ocean’s release of Endless was a moment fans dreaded might never happen. The prolonged release had fans sitting through the late hours of the night observing Ocean watch paint dry through a mysterious internet live stream. The grand reveal of Ocean’s strange show-stopping reappearance, Endless turned out to be a visual album and Frank’s first release 2012’s channel ORANGE. It was then immediately followed by the release of Blonde , which was released independently in the wake of Endless fulfilling Ocean’s contract with Def Jam.
In terms of the visual aspect of Endless, it was dull to say the least, as viewers essentially watched Frank Ocean build a spiral staircase with his bare hands. However, the soundtrack is where the album became exciting. The music provides compelling insight into the process Ocean went through to release both of his 2016 albums. Though it does not have the thematic nor sonic cohesion of Blonde, Endless ultimately provides some of Ocean’s rawest and most jarringly beautiful work to date.
