NOCTILUCA October 2016

CULTURE Appleton, Wisconsin October 2016 Volume XXII Issue II Page 9 Frank Ocean’s comeback: A review of ‘Blonde’

By Gabriel Noel

personal stories or not, Ocean proves here that he can write an amazing chorus and hook that use his falsetto voice to bring the house (or cathedral for that matter) down. “Skyline To” heeds way to the end of summer anxiety that all youths realize and resent. Although it may be resented, Frank decides to look at the sentimental side of this argu- ment and makes you feel and know that although it may be ending, that was one heck of a summer. The track experiences an interlude of a synthesizer lead that carries you away into the atmosphere where you can feel the hot rays of the sun for- ever and maybe vacation on a nearby planet. That being said, this track has an other-worldly way of giving the feeling of transcending not many will know or experience. Then, we’re given “Nikes.” A slow, mellowed-out beat that features an auto-tuned Frank doing the polar opposite with his voice. This song breathes the materialistic need all cur- rent teenagers understand; the need for the quality clothing that represents your individu- alism, but also separates and combines yourself with an im- age. He speaks to his audience with confidence knowing they want the Nikes, “but the real ones.” “Ivy” is the bass-lacking love song that will echo in your ears until you’re dancing to it at your wedding reception. “I thought that I was dream- ing when you said you loved me… We’ll never be those kids again.”As the sweet guitar trills wash over you during this

title, is a statement on the cur- rent relationship between elec- tronic media and relationships, except its view comes from right before it was big, mak- ing it feel synonymous with the movie “The Social Network.” Following this dialogue, Frank sings “Close To You,” possibly the most metaphysically hon- est break up song of the current millennia. This short track will break your heart. “White Ferrari” makes the argument that you should never drive alone. Looking backwards at his teenage years, Frank revisits his drives with his unnamed counterpart and the shy unspoken melancholy feeling he loved so much driv- ing that passenger. Anyone who has driven in silence with others in the car, but a com- fortable silence, will easily resonate with this song. Both “Siegfried” and “Godspeed,” meanwhile, are soft ballads fixed with sweet instrumentals and vocals that encompass all of what Blonde is about. You can tell how he came up with the name “Boys Don’t Cry” for his magazine. “Futura Free” closes “Blonde” with an auto-tuned rap and harmonized routine that looks at his rise to his current fame in retrospect, thanking the audience and community that has gotten him to the spot of success he is in now. I think I speak for Frank’s fanbase when I say I am satisfied with this finish to the album and ten min- ute long apology and thanking Frank whole-heartedly deals out to the listener. you doesn’t seem to end well, ever.” This fall, community mem- bers can expect a show chock full of Eastern philosophy, powerful yet humorous dia- logue and the intricate staging and lightning-speed technical work that has won the respect of programs from across the state of Wisconsin. For a “Night to Dismember,” Pi- sciotta said, “Expect a really great time filled with all your favorite scary rooms. There will be plenty of zombies, creepy dolls, and clowns.” With a free, public viewing of the one act in mid-Novem- ber and the haunted house opening its doors Friday, October 28th with $7 admis- sion, students are encouraged to support their theatre peers by attending these events.

After releasing the Gram- power-hitting, sensual love story that was Channel Orange in July of 2012, Ocean snuck out of that auditorium into a public ab- sence that lasted four years in total. Where had he gone? Why? And would we live long enough to see his return? We may still never have the an- swers we were looking for, but after years of teasing a cult fan- base, Mr. Ocean has given us not only a virtuoso album, but a modern visual art project along with an extensive and rare per- sonal magazine. “Blonde” is an ethereal mas- terpiece. No singular man has done the necessary experiment- ing in the R&B and Pop genre like this since the mid-70’s, and Ocean does it with gusto. So it is only necessary that we examine each and every song that makes Ocean’s comeback album the masterpiece it is. Pushing into “Pink + White” is Frank’s homage to a funk bassline that runs through all of our parents’ hearts and a guitar and bongo jam ses- sion happening somewhere deep in the warm Californian foothills. “Be Yourself” has Frank’s mother heeding the warnings that every post-high school student will most likely hear from their parents, wheth- er or not it’s scripted and read to waves of synthesizer in the background or not. “Solo” is an organ-lead viewing of differ- ent stories from different walks of life using the title track’s words as the necessary and comfortable relation between all of them. Whether these are my-winning, changing color, homework assignments are starting to pile on, and the essence of pumpkin spice is inescapable. These tell-tale signs of au- tumn also mean that Hallow- een is fast approaching and even though Appleton North’s haunted house “A Night to Dismember” is on its way, that isn’t the only thing that weighs on the minds of North drama students. October has come, and one act competi- tion season is upon us. This dual commitment happens nearly every year. As theatre alums know, the fall one act production and “A Night to Dismember” are both defining features of the theatre program, the former

Initially titled “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Blonde” is Frank Ocean’s first album after a four-years-long disappearance. Photo by Gabriel Noel

catchy voice to bounce over the material presented to him. Following suit with the rest of the album, a guitar solo cuts through the middle of the song like a knife, giving way to the third and final movement of the track. The final third is noctur- nal, making you feel like you should be cruising in a Honda down an unpopulated street re- flecting on past lives and loves that have not only passed, but now haunt you with sentimen- tality. “Solo Reprise” secures An- dre 3000 of Outkast’s position as the official MC of the year 2016. “Pretty Sweet” feels as if it was the magnum opus of the 90’s noise rock infused fast and awkward EDM club music that is better left in the deep spaces of your abstract step-dads’ CD collection that no one dare vis- it. “Facebook Story,” like its and a less-than-stellar show might cost the state Critic’s Choice title that the program has held for the past seventeen consecutive years. All this and the construction of an entire house are on the shoulders of the theatre program. As drama club officer and junior Margaux Pisciotta can attest, the workload is demanding and requires a certain level of time manage- ment skill. “Honestly, I’m not totally sure (how I man- age), but time management is definitely the key for me,” admitted Pisciotta. “It’s all about making sure you use the time given to you to finish work. Also, I kept my work load manageable for me. Everyone has different work loads that they can handle, and doing too much work for

song, you won’t know whether to fall asleep or paint a vivid mental image of your perfect counterpart. “Self Control” wraps you in its soft chord progression that makes you want to stay for- ever while Frank’s lyrics warn that even though neither of you want to leave, things have to change, times are different, and his powerhouse ballad is not only going to break your heart, but you’re not going to forget it. With an almost five-part self made harmony following a guitar solo that would make any romantic swoon, this track makes you blush in the begin- ning and the end for complete- ly separate reasons. “Good Guy” is the prede- cessor to the extremely poppy “Nights.” “Nights” starts out with a simple guitar lead and beat that leads Frank’s ultra-

The return of One Act and ‘A Night to Dismember’ By Maddy Schilling The leaves outside are

Stage manager and senior Maddy Cuff takes notes during a rehearsal for “The White Snake.” Photo by Rachel Sina

cut down to fit within forty minutes. For “The White Snake,” precision is key, as even a second over forty minutes of performance could stifle North theatre’s journey from the district to the regional to the state competition level,

running its twentieth year at North and the latter its seven- teenth. This year, Lightning theatre will perform its own rendition of Chicago-based playwright Mary Zimmer- man’s “The White Snake,” the same production that inspired the spring straight play, only