Endless

I could've sworn I'd watched this before, but apparently not. I'd just listened to the audio a lot, but hadn't really digested all of what it has to offer as a "movie."

All that being said, there isn't a lot to watch. This is a visual album that Frank Ocean put out right before Blond, I think mostly to get out of a pesky contract he was in. And he didn't just throw something lousy together to fulfill an obligation. Endless is actually a very rewarding listen, and has some remarkable sampling and production. The cover that kicks the whole thing off has always been one of my favorite Frank Ocean tracks, too. And the visuals here are interesting, even with the deliberate sparseness, just being people building and deconstructing things in stark black and white. I think right after it was first streamed, Blond suddenly dropped out of nowhere. It was a confusing and exciting time, even if I only remember it vaguely. I also associate Blonde with times beyond 2016 quite strongly, since that album was such a grower. It was great in 2016, but then after a year or two, it was suddenly perfect.

The story behind Endless is more interesting than Endless is as a film, but I like artists gaining the upper hand on record companies. Taylor Swift did it with all her versions, and I've always thought that was cool, even if I don't love her music. And Ocean did it here, and I do like his music, so I'm a bit more invested in it all.

Anyway, good music, interesting visuals, and a cool chapter in Frank Ocean's overall body of work; one that I do hope he continues to build on, one day. I guess it's ultimately up to him, and Blond is a difficult album to follow, but it would be pretty huge if/when he did decide to make that long-awaited follow-up.

Despite a beautiful score which starts off relatively indistinct but grows in scope and emotional magnitude throughout the 50 minute run time Endless is unable to remain entirely captivating throughout due to a stubborn and relatively uninventive approach to the visual element of the picture. It is set in an abandoned warehouse-come-woodshop-come-recording studio and starring numerous copies of Frank using heavy machinery. The direction & cinematography (by Frank) show an aptitude for visual art with a bold, highly contrasted B&W style that does look like it would fit in in the Tate Modern but given it's runtime the commitment to this style and visual theme does drag. Whilst musically it does not hold a torch to ChannelOrange or Blonde (which was released 5 days later and I assume a lot of the tracks were rejects from the double LP) there are some standouts particularly towards the end with the staircase sequence resembling Labyrinth's exceptional Euphoria 2018 score.