It is safe to say that Frank Ocean's sophomore album is one of the most anticipated musical releases of our time. Rumours of a follow-up to 2011's 'Channel ORANGE' have been floating around for almost four years, with cryptic Tumblr and Instagram posts proliferating the web of mystery that has shrouded Ocean and his music over the years. 

After innumerable rumours, umpteen memes and Twitter jokes, and two consecutive rumoured July release dates, 'Blonde, has finally surfaced, quenching everyone's thirst for more Frank Ocean music. With so much discussion and delay, the New Orleans rapper has a lot of expectations to live up to, to the point that one feels somewhat nervous when pressing the 'play' button to listen to the album.

However, it is safe to say that there was no need for such nerves, as Ocean surpasses expectations with this album. Simply put, 'Blonde' is beautiful. It is musically complex and exciting, to the point that it is wonderfully overwhelming, with tracks such as 'Skyline To' and 'Pretty Sweet' best exemplifying this intensity. One of the most marvellous features of the album is that it showcases a brand of hip-hop that is unique to Frank Ocean - no element is predictable, the riffs and beats are addictive, the harmonies are tight, and a range of musical genres are blended flawlessly, including rap, indie, soul and gospel. 

Frank Ocean certainly doesn't slack on the lyrics of 'Blonde' either, with content that critiques and reveals a lot about the society of today. Race, consumerism, relationships, the internet - there are few aspects of life in 2016 that Ocean's lyrics don't touch on.

The lyrics of 'Nikes' are particularly insightful, including Ocean paying tribute to the murdered Trayvon Martin and critiquing decadent materialism, and the recounting of social media's role in modern relationships in the spoken-word track 'Facebook Story' also hits hard. 'Seigfried' is an especially stirring track for young listeners, due to the repeated lines of "I'm not brave" and "Maybe I should settle", demonstrating that Ocean is definitely in touch with millennial fears.

The guest appearances are another successful aspect of 'Blonde' - Yung Lean, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar are just a few of the names that appear on the album, earning Ocean even more 'cool points' with the Instagram generation. What makes such cameos so successful though is the fact that they are subtle contributions and do not overshadow the man himself, with Beyonce's beautiful yet understated vocals on 'Pink + White' being a particular highlight. 

The earlier statement of 'wonderfully overwhelming' seems to be the best way to describe Ocean's latest offerings - there is so much to process and digest, but doing so is a brilliant musical experience. The years of mystery shrouding the album, the release of the visual album 'Endless' the day before 'Blonde', the musical content like no other; all of these aspects harmoniously come together to make 'Blonde' an intense rollercoaster of an album, but one that is so impossibly beautiful that no one wants it to stop. 

Words Sophie Clark

@sophclark97

www.frankocean.tumblr.com

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With a mixed bag of talent on offer for all, the UK's widely popular (and arguably more commercial) festival is back for another year. Split between two sites in Essex and Staffordshire, festival-goers and music fans have commented on the decline in quality of the event in previous years. However, there's plenty of festivals to choose from and this could finally be the year V Festival prove everyone wrong.

 

This year's couldn't be more different, which adds just the right amount of variety to the fest. Superstar Beyoncé picks up where she left off after that Glastonbury performance back in 2011. For those who weren't at Worthy Farm, V is offering you another opportunity to catch the hits played out in all of their glory. American rock band Kings of Leon will take over the remaining headline slot. Expect current single Supersoaker, everyone's favourite KoL tune Sex on Fire and if we're lucky new material from the band's upcoming sixth studio album Mechanical Bull, due for release September 23rd.

 

Also on the Virgin Media Stage, you can catch unmissable performances across the weekend from Northern Irish indie rock trio Two Door Cinema Club, one Scottish four-piece who haven't been around in a while but we'll always reserve a soft spot for them,The Fratellis and one of the biggest guitar bands in the UK - The Vaccines. To save a repeat of last September's popularity contest between Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines, when their albums were released on the same day sending the album chart into meltdown, the bands are billed to perform on different days. There's no real rivalry though, and even if there was it would be nothing compared to that of Oasis vs. Blur in 1995 at the heart of Britpop.

 

Offering an alternative scene, the 4Music stage is the place to chill for all you indie darlings out there. Beady Eye were expected to fill one headline slot, however news broke on August 08th that they decided to pull out of the festival, to allow guitarist Gem Archer to focus on his recovery after suffering a head trauma. The Courteeners may not be adored by the masses, however they have a huge following on social networking sites. We can only hope their set will raise awareness of their talent and allow them to receive the recognition they deserve. Brit Award winner Tom Odell was slated by NME for the release of his debut album Long Way Down, now it's his chance to shine and show the crowds that the reviewers don't always get it right.

 

The Arena Stage is handy if you're looking to shy away from the blistering sun for a bit. It also helps that there are some stellar artists billed to play this stage throughout the weekend. Make sure you catch B-Town Britpop band Ocean Colour Scene during their headline slot. South London singer-songwriter Jessie Ware is also worth a watch if you're about. Word is finally spreading about her sound and here at Rock Revolver, we've backed her since the beginning.

 

If you're looking to discover raw talent and the stars of tomorrow, look no further than the Futures Stage. A few X Factor contestants are thrown into the mix, but if they don't tickle your fancies, Liverpool band James Skelly & The Intenders should not be missed as they show the rest of the line-up how it's done properly.

 

As someone who's attended V Festival in previous years, it can be confirmed that if you only like a select genre of music (such as the alternative scene), then perhaps this is not the right choice of festival for you. Whilst there is decent music to be found here, it must be noted that V has a tendency to attract people who might only go to get pissed in a field instead of being there for the music. This can be a shame as there are people who wait to see certain bands for years, only to have their experience dampened by other people. This does happen at most festivals and nothing can be done about it, so grab a beer or two and enjoy the music anyway.

 

 

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