The first half is a model of listenable excellence, but the tracks after “Nights” take more time to get into. The second half of the album is the side that gets talked about less. It matches up so well it’s like warm butter over warmer toast. Ocean’s verse at the end of the track is beautifully paired with that harsh vocal distortion and the spacious keyboards. The song “Seigfried” is a dense track that reveals new sounds and instruments each time I listen to it. That turn into a magnificent blend of synthetic and organic is all over this album. I cannot get enough of those swooping synths that have the right amount of glare on them. A minute and 30 seconds in, the song goes from a braggadocious ballad to a truly epic flight across a skyline. There has never been any question about this, even when the album was only a couple of days old. The legendary track “Nights” is testament to this. That’s refreshing for an album in this day and age: Everything in this album is there for a very specific reason, and everything works well where it is. I don’t think “Nikes” works without the tone-shift. However, I’m confident in saying that I am wrong about this. I always thought of the tone-shifting as a way for Ocean to poke fun at the public’s rampant desire for new music at the point of the album’s release. They match the instrumental melody perfectly, Ocean’s voice sounds great and the payoff when Ocean turns the tone-shifting off is immense. I do not know why people do not like the tone-shifted vocals. Everything about this track is melodious to me. I should start with my major complaint surrounding Ocean’s listeners: Some people don’t like the opening track “Nikes.” I don’t understand how this is possible. I thought it would be cool to review this album around two years after its release as a way to sum up some thoughts I’ve had since my first review of it, and as a way to look at just how influential “Blonde” has already been. Not only is this album creative, but it’s one of those rare albums that captures the exact feeling of a moment and preserves it in amber while setting the precedent for others to follow. In fact, many people haven’t listened to this album, but everyone is aware of its influence. Could I ever give this album anything less than five stars? Is there anyone at this school who can honestly say that they haven’t listened to this album? The answer to the first question is a resounding no, while the answer to the second is, obviously, yes.
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