Frank Ocean
Channel Orange (Def Jam)
Emily Popli: If I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life, I think I'd pick Channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean. Frank is such a brilliant lyricist and an interesting melody writer, and he collaborated well with Malay to craft the songs. I think the first track I'd heard from it was Super Rich Kids, and I was like, whoa- I need to hear more of this. So one by one, I heard more and more and had a new favorite every couple of months. But the album is so much more than the individual songs, and I wouldn't have had the appreciation I do for it if a friend of mine hadn't pushed me to listen to the album as a whole earlier this year (thanks Johnnie!).
It is truly constructed as one big, beautiful story, with some tracks like "Start," "Not Just Money," etc. that I feel are there to keep our focus on the big picture while providing a creative and smooth transition to the next song. Interwoven throughout are so many raw, vulnerable pieces of music that are gorgeous on their own, but make so much sense in context I find it difficult to listen to any of it anymore without listening to all of it at once.
There are so many collaborations on this record with so many huge names that from the outside, it almost looks like there would be too many cooks in the kitchen. But this team, which includes Pharrell Williams, Andre 3000, John Mayer, Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt (who has one of my favorite slam-poetry-esque rap verses ever in Super Rich Kids) had synergy. The music is so interesting and complex, but they managed to produce it in a way that still feels approachable. Like, you don't know what's coming next, but when you hear it, it makes perfect sense. My favorite track on it still changes from time to time, but for now it's "Bad Religion"--the lyrics feel so relatable and the music will break your heart. I don't think I'd ever get bored listening to Channel ORANGE.
Emily Popli's single "Alight" is out July 25
Photo by Tyler Core
