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CULTURE
Appleton, Wisconsin October 2016 Volume XXII
Issue II Page 9
Frank Ocean’s comeback: A review of ‘Blonde’
After releasing the Gram-
my-winning,
power-hitting,
sensual love story that was
Channel Orange in July of
2012, Ocean snuck out of that
auditorium into a public ab-
sence that lasted four years
in total. Where had he gone?
Why? And would we live long
enough to see his return? We
may still never have the an-
swers we were looking for, but
after years of teasing a cult fan-
base, Mr. Ocean has given us
not only a virtuoso album, but a
modern visual art project along
with an extensive and rare per-
sonal magazine.
“Blonde” is an ethereal mas-
terpiece. No singular man has
done the necessary experiment-
ing in the R&B and Pop genre
like this since the mid-70’s,
and Ocean does it with gusto.
So it is only necessary that we
examine each and every song
that makes Ocean’s comeback
album the masterpiece it is.
Pushing into “Pink +
White” is Frank’s homage to a
funk bassline that runs through
all of our parents’ hearts and
a guitar and bongo jam ses-
sion happening somewhere
deep in the warm Californian
foothills. “Be Yourself” has
Frank’s mother heeding the
warnings that every post-high
school student will most likely
hear from their parents, wheth-
er or not it’s scripted and read
to waves of synthesizer in the
background or not. “Solo” is an
organ-lead viewing of differ-
ent stories from different walks
of life using the title track’s
words as the necessary and
comfortable relation between
all of them. Whether these are
personal stories or not, Ocean
proves here that he can write an
amazing chorus and hook that
use his falsetto voice to bring
the house (or cathedral for that
matter) down.
“Skyline To” heeds way to
the end of summer anxiety that
all youths realize and resent.
Although it may be resented,
Frank decides to look at the
sentimental side of this argu-
ment and makes you feel and
know that although it may be
ending, that was one heck of a
summer. The track experiences
an interlude of a synthesizer
lead that carries you away into
the atmosphere where you can
feel the hot rays of the sun for-
ever and maybe vacation on a
nearby planet. That being said,
this track has an other-worldly
way of giving the feeling of
transcending not many will
know or experience.
Then, we’re given “Nikes.”
A slow, mellowed-out beat that
features an auto-tuned Frank
doing the polar opposite with
his voice. This song breathes
the materialistic need all cur-
rent teenagers understand; the
need for the quality clothing
that represents your individu-
alism, but also separates and
combines yourself with an im-
age. He speaks to his audience
with confidence knowing they
want the Nikes, “but the real
ones.”
“Ivy” is the bass-lacking
love song that will echo in your
ears until you’re dancing to
it at your wedding reception.
“I thought that I was dream-
ing when you said you loved
me… We’ll never be those
kids again.”As the sweet guitar
trills wash over you during this
song, you won’t know whether
to fall asleep or paint a vivid
mental image of your perfect
counterpart.
“Self Control” wraps you in
its soft chord progression that
makes you want to stay for-
ever while Frank’s lyrics warn
that even though neither of you
want to leave, things have to
change, times are different, and
his powerhouse ballad is not
only going to break your heart,
but you’re not going to forget
it. With an almost five-part
self made harmony following
a guitar solo that would make
any romantic swoon, this track
makes you blush in the begin-
ning and the end for complete-
ly separate reasons.
“Good Guy” is the prede-
cessor to the extremely poppy
“Nights.” “Nights” starts out
with a simple guitar lead and
beat that leads Frank’s ultra-
catchy voice to bounce over
the material presented to him.
Following suit with the rest of
the album, a guitar solo cuts
through the middle of the song
like a knife, giving way to the
third and final movement of the
track. The final third is noctur-
nal, making you feel like you
should be cruising in a Honda
down an unpopulated street re-
flecting on past lives and loves
that have not only passed, but
now haunt you with sentimen-
tality.
“Solo Reprise” secures An-
dre 3000 of Outkast’s position
as the official MC of the year
2016. “Pretty Sweet” feels as if
it was the magnum opus of the
90’s noise rock infused fast and
awkward EDM club music that
is better left in the deep spaces
of your abstract step-dads’ CD
collection that no one dare vis-
it. “Facebook Story,” like its
title, is a statement on the cur-
rent relationship between elec-
tronic media and relationships,
except its view comes from
right before it was big, mak-
ing it feel synonymous with the
movie “The Social Network.”
Following this dialogue, Frank
sings “Close To You,” possibly
the most metaphysically hon-
est break up song of the current
millennia. This short track will
break your heart.
“White Ferrari” makes
the argument that you should
never drive alone. Looking
backwards at his teenage years,
Frank revisits his drives with
his unnamed counterpart and
the shy unspoken melancholy
feeling he loved so much driv-
ing that passenger. Anyone
who has driven in silence with
others in the car, but a com-
fortable silence, will easily
resonate with this song. Both
“Siegfried” and “Godspeed,”
meanwhile, are soft ballads
fixed with sweet instrumentals
and vocals that encompass all
of what Blonde is about. You
can tell how he came up with
the name “Boys Don’t Cry” for
his magazine.
“Futura Free” closes
“Blonde” with an auto-tuned
rap and harmonized routine that
looks at his rise to his current
fame in retrospect, thanking
the audience and community
that has gotten him to the spot
of success he is in now. I think I
speak for Frank’s fanbase when
I say I am satisfied with this
finish to the album and ten min-
ute long apology and thanking
Frank whole-heartedly deals
out to the listener.
By Gabriel Noel
The return of One Act and ‘A Night to Dismember’
By Maddy Schilling
The leaves outside are
changing color, homework
assignments are starting to
pile on, and the essence of
pumpkin spice is inescapable.
These tell-tale signs of au-
tumn also mean that Hallow-
een is fast approaching and
even though Appleton North’s
haunted house “A Night to
Dismember” is on its way,
that isn’t the only thing that
weighs on the minds of North
drama students. October has
come, and one act competi-
tion season is upon us.
This dual commitment
happens nearly every year.
As theatre alums know, the
fall one act production and
“A Night to Dismember” are
both defining features of the
theatre program, the former
running its twentieth year at
North and the latter its seven-
teenth. This year, Lightning
theatre will perform its own
rendition of Chicago-based
playwright Mary Zimmer-
man’s “The White Snake,” the
same production that inspired
the spring straight play, only
cut down to fit within forty
minutes.
For “The White Snake,”
precision is key, as even a
second over forty minutes
of performance could stifle
North theatre’s journey from
the district to the regional to
the state competition level,
and a less-than-stellar show
might cost the state Critic’s
Choice title that the program
has held for the past seventeen
consecutive years. All this and
the construction of an entire
house are on the shoulders of
the theatre program.
As drama club officer and
junior Margaux Pisciotta
can attest, the workload is
demanding and requires a
certain level of time manage-
ment skill. “Honestly, I’m
not totally sure (how I man-
age), but time management
is definitely the key for me,”
admitted Pisciotta. “It’s all
about making sure you use
the time given to you to finish
work. Also, I kept my work
load manageable for me.
Everyone has different work
loads that they can handle,
and doing too much work for
you doesn’t seem to end well,
ever.”
This fall, community mem-
bers can expect a show chock
full of Eastern philosophy,
powerful yet humorous dia-
logue and the intricate staging
and lightning-speed technical
work that has won the respect
of programs from across the
state of Wisconsin. For a
“Night to Dismember,” Pi-
sciotta said, “Expect a really
great time filled with all your
favorite scary rooms. There
will be plenty of zombies,
creepy dolls, and clowns.”
With a free, public viewing
of the one act in mid-Novem-
ber and the haunted house
opening its doors Friday,
October 28th with $7 admis-
sion, students are encouraged
to support their theatre peers
by attending these events.
Stage manager and senior Maddy Cuff takes notes during a
rehearsal for “The White Snake.”
Photo by Rachel Sina
Initially titled “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Blonde” is Frank Ocean’s first
album after a four-years-long disappearance.
Photo by Gabriel
Noel