Frank Ocean: "Whip Appeal"

Not a Babyface cover, although the reference is probably not accidental... Frank Ocean has obviously learned a trick or two from 'face's honeyed falsetto. "Whip Appeal" was supposed to be on the deluxe edition of Ocean's Nostalgia, Ultra, which was self-released in February 2011, but apparently Ocean felt like too much time had passed, too many people already had this critically acclaimed, wildly popular album in their hands to attempt a mainstream re-release on a major label. Which is perfectly sensible: in the fickle world of pop music, you're only as big as your last hit, and if Ocean tries to pimp his old shit over on an audience that already owns most of this material, the shitty sales which would likely result could have catastrophic consequences to Ocean's commercial momentum. Best to just get back in the studio, eyes ahead.

Frank Ocean: "Novacane"

A Katrina refugee, Frank Ocean - no relation to Billy - relocated to LA in 2005, later meeting up with and joining the Odd Future crew. In keeping with the atypical lyrical obsessions of that collective, "Novacane" is a suitably trippy rumination on numbed senses, chemically induced or otherwise.


FRANK OCEAN [Novacane] from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.