Released: 2018

Genres: Experimental Hip-Hop, R&B, Art Pop, Neo-Soul

The Musiquarium’s Endless Review Score: 10 out of 10

In 2016, after four years of eager anticipation for a new album, Frank Ocean dropped the unconventional Endless, a visual album exclusive to Apple Music, with music that soundtracks footage of Ocean woodworking on a staircase. The album was used as a means of ending his Def Jam contract, with its unconventional and confusing release acting as a “fuck you” to his now ex-label. The next day, he self-released Blonde, his proper sophomore album, though Endless is just as important and just as great of an album.

Endless was eventually given a limited physical release in 2018, and considering that most music sites use that year as the official release date for this version of the album, it will be categorized under such.

More than half of Endless consists of short songs under two minutes-long, but this allows for an album where each song flows into the next, making for an entire experience rather than just individual tracks, though there are still some conventional songs, like the glorious opener, At Your Best (You Are Love), U-N-I-T-Y and Slide on Me.

Frank Ocean sounds magnificent here, and while he doesn’t quite have the range of a Michael Jackson, he certainly has the artistry and soul. As for the production, this is pure ear candy, with plenty of ambience, colourful timbres, and pleasant tones that will flood your headphones with sonic sugar. There’s dramatic pianos on Alabama, gentle guitars on Slide on Me and Higgs, and some of the tastiest synthesizers and drums you’ll ever hear, everywhere else — everything sounds real good. From the first note of the album, up until the end of Mitsubishi Sony, Endless is absolute bliss.

Like nostalgia,ULTRA., Endless isn’t an easily-accessible album (it’s not on streaming and the physical copies are quite rare), which means that there are countless people out there missing out on one of the best albums of the year, but if you can manage to access it, your life will be all the better for it.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Frank Ocean on Discogs.

Back to the 2018 Album Guide or the Frank Ocean Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard