Tag Archives: Frank Ocean

Reaction to Rolling Stone’s “Top 50 Albums of 2012″

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Rolling Stone Magazine has been the number one source for some of the best music news, analysis, and interviews over the past 2 decades, and have really maintained that status even with the rise of the internet. However, there has been a large outcry based on their recent list they posted to their website, recognizing the Top 50 Albums of 2012. You can check out the list here, but here is my take. I agree with some of the choices (including Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean cracking the top 10), and completely disagree with some of the others. Mind you, I really do not have a very good ear or much taste in Jazz or Soul (which litter this list), so I am not the most omniscient observer, but Rolling Stone is trying to appeal to a younger audience, and I am that 20-something they are looking for, and I feel that my opinions are similar to others.

The first major thing is that there is no criteria listed on what makes it a better album. Is it musicality alone or commercial success as well? Are they being ranked as standalone albums or over an artists body of work? Just some things the magazine should clarify.

First lets start with my notable snubs from this list:

  • Of Monsters and Men - My Head is An Animal - There is absolutely no viable reason that this album is not on this list. In my opinion it’s one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. I really hope that they are not counting it because it was released in 2011 in Europe (although it was released in April in the US, which should be the criteria for an AMERICAN MAGAZINE) otherwise they are committing an extreme atrocity. I am appalled that this album did not even crack the top 50.
  • Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don’t - See explanation below
  • Zedd - Clarity - So I am an EDM fan and this is a website that really is a big fan of EDM music, and it saddens me that Rolling Stone decided not to include a single EDM album. I mean I do understand why they didn’t, since many releases are not studio albums, as well as EDM still not cracking the mainstream just yet.
  • Deadmau5 – >Insert Album Title Here< - Again, I am not surprised that there are no EDM artists that reach this list, but if there was any person that would have been able to do it, it would have been Deadmau5. He really has become a mainstream success, even gracing the cover of Rolling Stone during the summer when the magazine was spotlighting electro music. First it was a really good album and second this is someone that Rolling Stone seems to really like.
  • Ellie Goulding - Halcyon - Ellie Goulding has really made a name for herself with this album and has shown the world that she a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is that of an angel, and her lyrics are also exceptional. I do not understand how this album, which is top 50 in domestic sales for 2012, did not crack this list.

Here are a few of the notable rankings. I really have a lot to say about almost every album, and there may be a few I mention that others might have problems with, but here is my take on a few:

  • #45 – Rick Ross: Rich Forever - So I am a big fan of Rick Ross, and I have no problem with him being on this list. However, I’m a little confused on why it’s Rich Forever which was a MIXTAPE instead of God Forgives, I Don’t which is an ALBUM. I thought that the criteria was it being a released album. If they include mixtapes, then there should definitely be some other additions to this list. Just a little confused.
  • #43 – fun. Some Nights – I totally agree that this is one of the best albums of the year, but based on some of the albums that are listed before them, this seems to be way too low. This album had two of the biggest songs of the year “We Are Young” and “Some Nights” and the album beginning to end is very solid. Again, I may be biased based on my taste in music, but even those not a fan of the pop rock genre can agree that other albums should not have been higher on this list.
  • #39 – Passion Pit: Gossamer - Another album that I think is ranked too low on this list. Passion Pit never ceases to amaze me with their amazing synth and upbeat vocals. They are still very much an indie band however, and I am amazed by the amount of people that have never heard of Passion Pit to this day. But I mean is this album worse than Fiona Apple’s new album (Number 5 on the list)? Absolutely.
  • #31 – Taylor Swift: Red - If they are taking commercial success at all into ranking albums, then this is a ranking far too low. I am really confused considering they listed Speak Now in their top 5 last year, and this one is not that far of a cry from that one.
  • #17 – John Mayer: Born and Raised - I am a huge John Mayer fan. I saw him in Madison Square Garden in 2010 and was blown away by how his sound filled that venue perfectly. Needless to say, I think his most recent album was one of his worst. While Mayer usually has singles playing on the radio for his albums, this one did not have any song that stuck out, and just overall had some real stinkers. This is another artist where I think his reputation may have bolstered him higher than he should have been.
  • #8 – Green Day: Uno - I am a big fan of Green Day, and was one of the people who was most excited about coming back from their long hiatus and giving the fans a triple album. However, they really seemed to bite off more than they can chew by doing a triple album when they haven’t done a single album since American Idiot. If they released 12 songs instead of 36, took those top 12 and made one album, then I might agree with them being on this list. Looking at Uno alone, however, I don’t think this deserves such high praise
  • #2 – Frank Ocean: Channel Orange - This is the one choice that I applaud Rolling Stone for making. I think this album revolutionized R&B and made Frank Ocean a bonafide superstar. Some of the tracks on here are amazing, namely “Pyramids” and “Thinkin About You”, and this is an album that really makes you think and has some lyrics and vocals that are unbelievable.
  • #1 – Bruce Springsteen: Wrecking Ball - Now I am born and raised in New Jersey, and I must admit that there might not be a single artist I respect more than The Boss. After listening to this album, there in my mind is NO WAY this is the best album of the year. This isn’t even better than some of his older albums. Actually, this really is a middle of the road album for Bruce if you are comparing it to the other albums he has put out over the years. To me this reeks of favoritism, considering the fact that Bruce has probably been on a dozen covers for Rolling Stone when the other artists may have never graced the cover. Rolling Stones is showing that they are old and outdated by favoring an artist that is old and outdated.

Now, here is my top 10 albums of the year, and their rankings in Rolling Stone. Some are similar, while most are not

1. Frank Ocean: Channel Orange (2 on Rolling Stones list)

2. Of Monsters and Men: My Head is an Animal (Not on Rolling Stones list)

3. Jack White: Blunderbuss (3 on Rolling Stones list)

4. Fun.: Some Nights (43 on Rolling Stones list)

5. Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City (6 on Rolling Stones List)

6. Mumford & Sons: Babel (11 on Rolling Stones List)

7. Nas: Life is Good (18 on Rolling Stones List)

8. Passion Pit: Gossamer (39 on Rolling Stones List)

9. Taylor Swift: Red (31 on Rolling Stones List)

10. Zedd: Clarity (Not on Rolling Stones List)

Please feel free to comment and leave your own list!

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Greg Fingers’ Top 5 Songs of 2012

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Well it’s that time of year again folks, time to look back at the year in music. All Catch My Bass writers have decided to their own top 5 song list, and I’m gonna start it off. This year was a real transformation for me, moving away from listening to mostly Rock and moving into the R&B and EDM scene. Some are more popular in my mind because of personal responses, but these are my favorites of the year nonetheless:

5. “Take a Walk” – Passion Pit

Gossamer was in my mind one of the best albums of 2012. Passion Pit just evokes such positive emotions with their music and ‘Take a Walk’ is no exception. Just such an upbeat and funky song that reminds me of just good times. Album after album, Passion Pit delivers.

4. “Thinkin’ About you” – Frank Ocean:

Catch My Bass was not the only music blog that has followed the rise of Frank Ocean after releasing his album Channel ORANGE. This is an absolutely beautiful track and one that has gotten into the mainstream, and rightly so. 2012 has been a good year for the R&B scene, mostly because of the prowess of Frank Ocean.

3. “Some Nights” – fun.:

Without sounding like a hipster, I have been on the fun. train for a long, long time, actually seeing their very first show as a band ever in 2008 when they opened up for Jack’s Mannequin and I’m a big fan of Nate Reuss, who also was the lead singer for The Format. They really blew up this year with their album ‘Some Nights’ specifically with this song and the summer smash “We are Young”.

2. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”

This song was arguably the best song on the alternative charts in 2012. Of Monsters and Men absolutely exploded on the scene with their debut album My Hand is an Animal and may have taken the title of best Icelandic band from Sigur Ros. This was an absolute anthem of my summer, and I know I’m not the only one.

1. Dash Berlin feat Jonathon Mendelsohn – “Better Half of Me”

2012 marked a real personal growth for me in my music taste and for me 2012 was really the year of Trance. I was not a big fan before this year, but I absolutely fell in love with the style of music, and “Better Half of Me” had phenomenal vocals and amazing production, with numerous mixes floating around. Seeing this song live along with the live vocals by Mendelsohn really was the top musical moment of 2012 for me and probably my life up to this point. While the other 4 songs on this list are definitely more popular in the mainstream, this one was the best song by far for me.

Frank Ocean: Great Remix and Concert Update

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So I, much like everyone else, was absolutely blown away by Frank Ocean’s debut album Clockwork ORANGE. His voice is so soothing and rich and just something very refreshing. Essentially he has solidified himself as the polar opposite of other OFWGKTA member Tyler, the Creator, and it actually works perfectly. It gives their crew such a large fan base.

However, many people are extremely disappointed by Frank Ocean deciding to cancel his European tour, which included opening up for supergroup Coldplay, something that would definitely solidify him as a important and mainstream popular artist. According to a statement he provided to MTV news, he was not very happy about it:

“Let me start by saying I feel like an asshole right now, but a tough decision had to be made in regard to my schedule over the next months and the casualties of that decision include my appearances at upcoming festivals in Europe and my opening slot on the European leg of the Coldplay world tour. Sorry as fuck, I’ll be back if you’ll have me.”

Although he sites scheduling conflicts, it is rumored that his voice is starting to give out a little bit and needs some time just to recover. In fact, at a festival in Norway he just walked off stage after four songs, with concert officials telling the crowd that he just got sick and lost his voice. Obviously his vocals are important to him and he doesn’t want to go out in front of sold out stadiums and not perform his best. Hopefully he decides to tour soon.

Although you don’t have any live shows for Frank Ocean to give his songs new life, you have a ton of remixes. With such an amazing voice and great production on his tracks, he has had people lining up to remix him. And a great remix has come from Lonsdale Boys Club.

Now, these guys aren’t just remix artists but actually have a lot of original songs. Based out of the UK, they are very popular in their own right, having gone on tour with The Kooks and The Ting Tings. They have the same producer as Gym Class Heroes and are now selling out tours in England when they are headlining.

They give Ocean’s song “Thinkin Bout You” a little bit more of a funky feel, while still profiling those amazing vocals. Definitely a must download.

Download: Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You (Lonsdale Boys Club Remix)”

Frank Ocean – “Sweet LIFE”

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This has been a very interesting past few days for Frank Ocean. He has been slowly popping up in music magazines and blogs as the anticipation for his first album Channel Orange mounts. Then, to make him even more buzz worthy, he publicly said over his Tumblr page that he is bisexual. Now, just 10 days away from his album finally coming out, he released yet another song that is going to be on the album, and it gives a great example of Ocean’s smooth vocals.

The song Sweet LIFE, written and composed by Ocean and Pharrell Williams, is some really upbeat relaxed music, something that is a very far cry from a song that say, OFWGKTA leading man Tyler, The Creator would make. However, this album is really going to be Ocean’s first solo venture. Yes he has written for a lot of stars already and is part of the OFWGTKA family along with Tyler, Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats, as well as others. But this is first shot at being an individual, which is heightened by his admission of being bisexual.

I can’t begin to say how excited I am for this album to come out. Honestly, I think its going to change the R&B game. Like turn it on its head and make the world notice who Frank Ocean is. Radio play, critical acclaim, everything. I really think the sky’s the limit for him.

Download: Frank Ocean – “Sweet LIFE”

BREAKING NEWS: Frank Ocean Comes Out as Bisexual

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In the past hour or so, Frank Ocean posted this e-mail above to his tumblr page. In these obvious heartfelt words, he stated that he has had loving relationships both with men and women. And he is trying to grow as a person by letting the world know. This was hinted at in many of his songs in his new album Channel Orange. A lot of his songs are love songs, such as “Forrest Gump” and “Bad Religion” yet in them he says “him” instead of “her” (as reported by BB1 Extra).

First of all good for him. Obviously this was very hard for him and something that he really struggled with in his life. And being able to come clean on such a matter, especially when you’re a public figure must be very difficult.

Ocean, ghostwriter for the likes of Beyonce and Kanye West, is also a member of OFWGTKA, led by rapper Tyler, The Creator. His album Channel Orange is due out July 17th. There was already a lot of buzz about it, and this can only add to that

Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”

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In the past week, Frank Ocean released a new song for download over his Tumblr account called “Pyramids”. This is the first song Ocean has released that will be on his upcoming album Channel Orange. 

Ocean has been making major splashes recently and his schedule is only going to get busier. He started off his career being a ghost writer (writing songs officially credited to another person) for artists like Justin Bieber and Beyonce. He then became a part of OFWGKTA, which has received much notoriety in the past year or so. He made his biggest mark writing and being featured on a few tracks of Kanye West’s and Jay-Z’s album Watch the Throne.

In the coming months, Frank Ocean is planning on releasing Channel Orange, opening for Coldplay during some their shows in Europe in July and August, and writing with Nas for his 10th studio album, along with other projects with OFWGKTA. Needless to say, this is a name to keep a look out for.

As for the song itself, very smooth (as all of his songs are), with some pretty good synth beats underneath. It also is a long song (about 10 minutes) that tells a story, something Ocean has been known to do. However, it pretty much is split into two different parts. The first part is much slower and smoother than the other one. The second part has a really great beat which could definitely can have more commercial success. If the rest of his album is like this, it should be a hit.