There's been so much furor this past week over Frank Ocean's sexual preferences, it's been easy to forget that, oh yeah, the Odd Future crooner's long-awaited, highly anticipated debut album Channel Orange is right at our proverbial doorsteps. Or at least it was until last night—just before taking the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon stage with The Roots and a full string section for his television debut, Ocean announced that the album is available a week early to download from iTunes. (You can also stream the entire thing over on Frank's Tumblr).
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We've been listening all morning, and let me tell you, friends, some serious "whoa" has been spilling out of our mouths. We'll still be talking about Channel Orange this time next year; it's that good. In the meantime, though, check out his heartbreaking performance of album cut "Bad Religion" below.
Hear that little awkward laugh he throws in between the lines? Gives me the shivers. Don't freak out about the rumor-starting pronouns—the song is a devastatingly intimate take on unrequited love, equating one-way affections with faulty dogma ("if it brings me to my knees, it's a bad religion") while wearing its aching heart full and bold on its sleeve. "It's a bad religion to love someone who can never love you," he shivers over the melancholy sweep of violin bows. This is serious stuff, you guys. Really listen to it—the songs on Channel Orange aren't about falling in love with a guy or a girl; they're about you and me and the little moments that make our hearts ache.
What did you guys think of Frank's television debut? Anyone else plan on listening to Channel Orange on a loop for the next seven months or so? Hit up our comments section below.
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