What We’re Not Listening To: Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean performing, Oyafestivalen 2012

Credit: NRKP3

Frank Ocean performing, Oyafestivalen 2012

Shannon Durazo

Boys don’t cry. A t-shirt slogan, a great song by “ The Cure,” and supposedly a Frank Ocean album. But, as of right now, Frank Ocean’s much anticipated sophomore project is slipping more and more into the category of folklore. It has been three years since Ocean (real name Christopher Breux) has made any music. And this means no singles, no songwriting collaborations, no performances, nothing. It’s fair to say the R&B community has entered a near-state of emergency over Ocean’s lack of content. Which is understandable, seeing that his debut, “Channel Orange,” is arguably one of the best R&B albums of the decade/the century. That album pushes soul music to another level, both in style and creativity. Its combination of jaw-dropping falsetto vocals, unique instrumentals, and provocative lyrics is enough to make any music fan’s head spin. Standout tracks included “Pyramids” ft. John Mayer, “Pink Matter” feat. Andre 3000, “Super Rich Kids” feat. Earl Sweatshirt, and of course the album’s iconic first single, “Thinking About You.” After a year of collective awe over the album died down, listeners immediately craved more content from the reclusive artist. Now, three years later, this craving has turned into a rabid frenzy. Part of this is caused by the frustration fans are feeling towards Ocean, who announced in late May that the album would drop “sometime in July,” but has still failed to appear nearly three months later. Nevertheless, the music community continues to hold a collective breath over the album’s release, and only time will tell of whether the end result will be a sigh of relief or of despair.