Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra was not only one of 2011’s best mixtapes, but one of the year’s best albums in general. It was an absolute surprise, too, considering Ocean was best known as a member of the controversial art-rap group, Odd Future. But here was Ultra, a moody, R&B-heavy mix that effectively sampled Coldplay and the Eagles; where people moshed at Odd Future’s shows, they swayed at Ocean’s.
Yesterday on his Tumblr, Ocean released information about his first studio album, Channel Orange, which is set to come out on July 17th (same week as “Breaking Bad” premiere and The Dark Knight Rises), as well as a new song, “Pyramids.” It’s nine minutes long, features a soulful guitar solo from John Mayer (it’s good!), has “Simpsons”-inspired artwork, and can be heard below.
Here’s my official review: I WANT THE ALBUM NOW.
And here are some tour dates:
07/13 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
07/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
07/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
07/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
07/19 – Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
07/20 – Dallas, TX @ Southside Music Hall
07/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
07/23 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
07/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
07/26 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
07/28 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
07/29 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
07/31 – Toronto, ON @ The Guvernment
08/01 – Detroit, MI @ TBA
08/04 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
