Channel Orange has
proven to be my constant companion during the last month of this brutal summer,
and with it came a cooling pattern, some rain, and almost a gentle ease into
fall.
While becoming immediately attracted to an album and
obsessing over it immediately is nothing new; remember, it was Japandroids’ Celebration Rock that actually did the
same thing during the early part of the summer. What’s different here is, while
Celebration Rock made me nostalgic
for a younger time, Channel Orange
takes me to it almost immediately.
I’ve tried to understand it, and the best I can come up with
is how it reminds me of Prince’s 1999,
and how that record became a staple of the Summer of 1983. I wasn’t looking for
an R&B artist to become enamored with, but WB records masterfully put
“Little Red Corvette” as the second single. If you’ll recall, the title track
stiffed during the winter of ’82, but it was re-released the summer of ’83
after “Little Red Corvette” and only then took off after 1999 had already gone gold, making what was a very weird new
wave/pop/funk/rock album accessible to Wonder Bread folks like me.
Channel Orange
doesn’t have the benefit of a strategic marketing campaign (unless you count
Ocean’s own public admissions concerning his sexuality as a “campaign”) and the
record is probably less accessible than 1999.
But it’s a record that probably wouldn’t be here without Prince’s lead, and
let’s not forget the Stevie Wonder chord progressions that pop up throughout Channel Orange’s window to the past.
These are major influences to strive for, and there have
been several artists that manage to produce a single or two that manage to get
to the same level of their inspiration, but very few that can submit a full
length which actually does it. Channel
Orange can claim this, and it does so in a way that is strikingly original,
curiously strange, and melodic enough to keep listeners coming back to figure
out what it is that they’re so drawn to.
What I’m drawn to is how spacious Channel Orange feels. There’s so little going on during some
moments that it fools you into taking it for granted. It’s not until repeated
listens before the hooks begin to unravel, and when they do, you’ll be
embarrassed at how you didn’t discover them on the first listen.
Channel Orange is
filled with the wide-eyed optimism of a kid from New Orleans landing into the
very different culture of Orange County, California, going from one extreme
(poverty, violence, Katrina) to another (materialism, priviledge, and natural
beauty.
“Why she the world, when you’ve got the beach?” Ocean asks
in amazement, sensing the people he’s surrounded himself with have absolutely
no idea how good they’ve got it. And more importantly, how little they really
know about true love.
Ocean stays close to mid-tempo grooves throughout the record
and uses his incredible falsetto sparingly. Again, I’m reminded of how Prince
used his falsetto almost exclusively over his first few albums, to the point
where I was wishing more songs featured his natural tone.
It’s just the opposite with Channel Orange; the falsetto is filled with critical emotional
weight, so when it’s used like on the “Or do you not think so far ahead? Cuz
I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout forever” line during “Thinkin’ Bout You,” Ocean
exposes an emotional truth that most men wouldn’t dare to let show. But here it
is, on Ocean’s lead single off of his debut album.
The record’s centerpiece-the ten minute tour de force
“Pyramids” shows the complexity of Ocean’s muse, as it takes listeners on a
variety of different genres.
Channel Orange
will undoubtedly prove to be one of those touchstone records that younger
generations will be remembering for decades to come, in much the same way my
generation still fawns over 1999 or Purple Rain.
And like those records, people will focus on the sexuality
story just like they did with “Darling Nikki” or “Let’s Pretend We’re Married.”
But beyond the superficial naughtiness-which really isn’t that naughty, just
brutally honest-the real story of Channel
Orange is how incredibly original and emotionally potent this record is,
right out of the gate.
Even if it doesn’t remind you of those Prince records, you’d
be hard pressed to find someone who’s idea of R&B music is this broad, this
creative, and this challenging.
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