Although a little later than many had expected, we woke this Friday to learn of the Endless, which is actually not Frank Ocean‘s new album. In fact, according to Rolling Stone, this project is a precursor to his much anticipated Boys Don’t Cry LP (which will not actually be the title after all).
Following in the footsteps of Beyonce, this brother released a visual album preview of sorts on his lifestream last night. Although this was the point, the actual video leaves a lot to be desired as it appears to be a random camera set up in a manufacturing facility of some kind. From our first listen, the project has a lot of atmospheric production, sparse and emotive lyrics and will certainly satiate his hungry fans until the weekend release of the full LP. One highlight we can note is the cover of the Isley Brother’s At Your Best (You Are Love). It would have been nice if a more obscure or less covered tune would have been chosen but we will save full judgement once we hear the project in full. The “Novacane” singer sure knows how to build a buzz and present himself like an enigmatic star. We love this and look forward to the full project.
Endless Track List
1. “Device Control”
2. “Alabama”
3. “U-N-I-T-Y”
4. “Commes Des Garcons”
5. “Wither”
6. “In Here Somewhere”
7. “Sideways”
8. “Deathwish (ASR)”
9. “Rushes To”
10. “At Your Best (You Are Love)”
11. “Mine”
12. Ambience 001: “In a Certain Way”
13. Ambience 002: “Honeybaby”
14. “Hublots”
15. “Slide on Me”
16. “Florida”
17. “Rushes”
18. “Higgs”
More from Rolling Stone:
Endless features an array of diverse musicians, including Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, James Blake, Jazmine Sullivan, British R&B vocalist Sampha and producer Arca. The album also includes violins, double basses, violas and cellos from London Contemporary Orchestra, which was conducted by Robert Ames.
Fans have anxiously followed the enigmatic musician’s online presence after the New York Times reported earlier this month that his sophomore album, then titled Boys Don’t Cry, would be released that week. Instead, fans were treated to the launch of what appeared to be a black-and-white livestream, where Ocean built boxes and previewed instrumental tracks.