And the interlude “Bitches Talking” samples Radiohead’s “Optimism” before a woman stops the tape and mocks the music. In “Swim Good,” he says “I’ve got some pretty good beats on this 808,” a reference to the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, a drum machine used by hip-hop artists in the 80s and lionized by Kanye West on his album 808s and Heartbreak. On “Songs for Women” Ocean bemoans how auto-tune and pitch-correction robs music of its emotion, yet soaks his voice in that same technology throughout the album. Nostalgia, ULTRA is framed by the sounds of a cassette player that stops, starts, and rewinds, a meta-commentary on the enduring art of the mixtape. On “Songs for Women,” he cites his childhood musical heroes as Otis Redding, the Isley Brothers, and Marvin Gaye.īeyond his vocal finesse and polish, what distinguishes Ocean from multitudes of musical borrowers is his self-awareness, the sense of irony that lurks beneath his surface earnestness. On Nostalgia, he sings with smoothness and a delivery that recalls R&B stars R.

While Ocean borrows much of his music from white artists, his vocal influences seem more African-American. Furthermore, the album is filled with familiar sound effects. The album closer, “Nature Feels,” reprises the MGMT booty song “Electric Feel” as, well, another booty song. “American Wedding” reworks “Hotel California” as an interfaith parable that includes the original 90-second guitar solo (for better or worse). Before Ocean enters on “There Will Be Tears,” we hear a full minute of the original song by British R&B artist Mr. “Strawberry Swing” updates the Coldplay song from Viva La Vida with lyrics about a childhood romance and visions of a nuclear apocalypse. Ocean not only samples music but also steals melodies, titles, and sometimes whole songs. Nostalgia ULTRA is a collection of slow jams and dance grooves, with achy soul singing and raps over rock harmonies and electronic beats. He’s neither the first nor the last artist to give the music industry a virtual middle finger (or perhaps a –!-, if you speak emoticon). After he signed to Def Jam Records last year and the label sidelined him, Ocean decided in February to post his album on Tumblr for free download.

The 23-year-old Ocean is the oldest member of the LA hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. He’s even nostalgic about Eden, where Adam and Eve discovered the joy of sex. On his infectious debut Nostalgia ULTRA, singer Frank Ocean is ultra-nostalgic for classic cars, mixtapes on cassette, videogames, Kubrick films, and above all, pop music of the last 40 years: from The Eagles to MGMT. Pop culture is a paradox, obsessed with novelty yet often nostalgic for the past.

Frank ocean mixtape nostalgia