Nostalgia, Ultra

nostalgia, Ultra
Mixtape by Frank Ocean
Released	February 18, 2011
Recorded	2010–11
Genre	R&B
Length	42:06
Label	Self-released
Producer	Tricky Stewart, Midi Mafia, Bei Maejor
Frank Ocean chronology
Nostalgia, Ultra (2011) Nostalgia, Lite (2011)

nostalgia, Ultra is the debut mixtape and EP by American artist Frank Ocean of OFWGKTA. The mixtape was self-released February 18, 2011 via Ocean's personal blog. In May 2011, Def Jam announced its plans to release tracks from the mixtape as an EP on July 26, 2011.^[1]

Background

After Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown of New Orleans, Ocean moved to Los Angeles to pursue a recording career. There, he landed songwriting gigs for established artists and recording contract with Def Jam, where he went ignored. In protest, Ocean joined the rap collective OFWGKTA and self-released Nostalgia, Ultra without any formal promotion.^[2] Ocean sings lyrics he penned over songs by Radiohead, Coldplay, MGMT, Mr. Hudson and The Eagles. Ocean, when uploading the album to iTunes, labeled it as "Bluegrass" and "Death Metal", out of arbitrariness: "I don't want to seem like I have a cause against genres, or maybe I do... Bluegrass is swag. Bluegrass is all the way swag."^[3]

In his own words, Ocean describes the album as "Nostalgic. It's a longing for the past. That's what this record felt like."^[3] The lyrical content, according to Ocean, relates to heartbreak and other familiar tropes of interpersonal relationships: "I wasn't trying to make a record that people could relate to. I was just trying to make a record with the shit that I wanted to express. The shit that I wanted to get off my chest. [...] A lot of this record is influenced by one relationship, but I don't owe that whole project to one situation. It doesn't matter what the details of it are."^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	(84%)[4]
The A.V. Club	(B)[5]
Robert Christgau	(A)[6]
The Fader	(favorable)[7]
The Miscellany News	(favorable)[8]
The New York Times	(favorable)[9]
NPR	(favorable)[2]
No Ripcord	(7/10)[10]
Pitchfork Media	(7.8/10)[11]
The Village Voice	(favorable)[12]

nostalgia, Ultra received positive reviews from music critics.^[13] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on five reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[13] AbsolutePunk gave it an 84% rating and complimented Ocean's "sensual R&B" style, while calling his beats "unique, well-executed originals."^[4] Steven Hyden of The A.V. Club gave the album a B rating and called it "dark, playful, a little tasteless, and absolutely riveting".^[5] Connor O'Neill of The Miscellany News called the album "quite a convincing argument to stick around and hear what Ocean puts together after he gets out of bed," stating "he's using the primary means of R&B decadence; however, by funneling it through his diverse and diverging palette, Ocean literalizes both his nostalgic impulses and the odd future of which he is a part."^[8] The Village Voice's Sean Fennessey also praises Ocean, saying "on Ultra, but he's an intuitive r&b stylist, with a firm sense of song structure."^[12] Sam Hockley-Smith of The Fader commented that "It is a straight up R&B album, and while there are a couple uneven moments, the highs (“Swim Good,” “Song For Women,” “We All Try,” “Dust”) are really high [...] Frank Ocean would probably be (OFWGKTA)'s less open- hearted Kenna—a more cynical, but still simultaneously wide-eyed version."^[7]

Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A rating and stated "His romantic laments are models of texture, respect, and profound loss, their beats subtle, seductive, weird, and seized like time whether he's deploying 'songs for women' that are soon trumped by Drake's, not feeling a porn-moonlighting dental student and her 'novacaine,' or annulling a courthouse wedding solemnized just before his bride turned in her term paper on hijab."^[6] Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal commented that "There are distinct elements of Drake's melancholic paranoia and The-Dream's high melodrama, too. But there's also a heady surreality surrounding Nostalgia, Ultra that makes it unique."^[11] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described it as "slick and intuitive [...] full of astral soul that owes debts to Terence Trent D’Arby, Pharrell Williams, even Drake", adding that "[Ocean] sings casually but precisely, stretching out syllables as if he’s forgetting to let them go."^[9] NPR's Andrew Noz commented that "It's his songwriting, smart and subtle, that sets Ocean far apart from that pack", adding that "The finest moments of Nostalgia, Ultra orbit the same soul-baring and minutiae-obsessed space as Marvin Gaye's breakup opus Here, My Dear or any number of Prince's more idiosyncratic ballads".^[2] No Ripcord's Charlie Jebb wrote that "Nostalgia, Ultra has more than enough good stuff to establish Ocean as an artist to watch," calling it "[an] R&B record with crossover potential without sacrificing soul that creates a complete picture of its author, warts and all."^[10]

Singles

"Novacane" was officially released as the first single off of Nostalgia, Lite on May 31, 2011.^[1] "Novacane" first charted on the US Billboard R&B chart on May 11, 2011 at number 65.^[14] The subsequent week, it rose to number 58.^[15] In its third week, the single rose to number 52. In its fourth week, it rose to number 48.^[15] A music video for "Novacane" was released on June 16.^[16]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"StreetFighter"		0:22
2.	"Strawberry Swing"	Chris Martin	3:55
3.	"Novacane"	Tricky Stewart	5:03
4.	"We All Try"		2:52
5.	"Bitches Talkin' (Metal Gear Solid)"	Thom Yorke	0:22
6.	"Songs 4 Women"	Happy Perez	4:13
7.	"LoveCrimes"	Kip Collins	4:00
8.	"GoldenEye"		0:18
9.	"There Will Be Tears"	Mr Hudson	3:15
10.	"Swim Good"	Midi Mafia	4:17
11.	"Dust"	Bei Maejor	2:31
12.	"American Wedding"	James Fauntleroy	7:01
13.	"Soul Calibur"		0:18
14.	"Nature Feels"	MGMT	3:14

Nostalgia, Lite

Nostalgia, Lite
EP by Frank Ocean
Released	TBA
Recorded	2010–11
Genre	R&B
Label	Def Jam
Producer	Tricky Stewart
Frank Ocean chronology
Nostalgia, Ultra (2011) Nostalgia, Lite (2011)
Singles from Nostalgia, Lite
"Novacane" Released: May 31, 2011 "Swim Good" Released: August 16, 2011[17]

On May 19, 2011 Ocean's record label Def Jam announced its plans to release an EP containing tracks from nostalgia, Ultra.^[18] "Novacane" was released as the first single. Ocean announced that the re-release will be titled Nostalgia, Lite and is expected to feature seven tracks.^[19] The EP was originally scheduled to be released on July 26, 2011,^[20] however, Ocean noted on his official Tumblr page on July 24, 2011 that Nostalgia, Lite would no longer be released on July 26.^[21]

Charts

Song	Chart (2011)	Peak position
"Novacane"	US Billboard Hot 100	82
	US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[15]	17
"Swim Good"	US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[15]	70

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Frank Ocean’s ‘Nostalgia, Ultra’ Will Be Re-Released - BlackBook". Blackbookmag.com. http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/frank-ocean-nostalgia-ultra-re-release-itunes/25899. Retrieved 2011-05-20. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Noz, Andrew (April 21, 2011). "Frank Ocean: Smart And Subtle R&B Songwriting". NPR. http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135514908/frank-ocean-smart-and-subtle-r-b-songwriting?ps=cprs. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Baker, Ernest (MAR 18, 2011). "In His Own Words: Who is Frank Ocean?". Complex Magazine. http://www.complex.com/music/2011/03/who-is-frank-ocean. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Holly HoX! (February 28, 2011). Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra - Album Review - AbsolutePunk.net. AbsolutePunk. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
5. ^ ^{a b} Hyden, Steven (March 15, 2011). Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra | Music | Music Review | The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
6. ^ ^{a b} Christgau, Robert (June 14, 2011). Frank Ocean/Blaqstarr. MSN Music. Microsoft. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra Album « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2011-02-25. http://www.thefader.com/2011/02/25/frank-oceans-nostalgia-ultra-album/. Retrieved 2011-04-28. 
8. ^ ^{a b} O'Neill, Connor (April 20, 2011). "Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra self-released". The Miscellany News. http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1579/frank-ocean-s-i-nostalgia-ultra-i-self-released-1.2548408. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Caramanica, Jon (March 11, 2011). Releases From Frank Ocean, Aaron Lewis, Etana and Sky Ferreira - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
10. ^ ^{a b} Jebb, Charlie (March 31, 2011). Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra - Music Review - No Ripcord. No Ripcord. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
11. ^ ^{a b} Dombal, Ryan (March 4, 2011). Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra.. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
12. ^ ^{a b} Fennessey, Sean (March 23, 2011). "Love vs. Money: The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and R&B's Future Shock". The Village Voice. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2011/03/the_weeknd_frank_ocean.php. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Nostalgia, Ultra. Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
14. ^ Markman, Rob (2011-04-29). "Nas Calls Odd Future's Frank Ocean 'New, Fresh' - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664025/nas-frank-ocean-odd-future.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-05-20. 
15. ^ ^{a b c d} "Novacane-Frank Ocean". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
16. ^ "VIDEO: Frank Ocean – Novacane". Adwiin-Music.com. 2011-06-17. http://adwiin-music.com/2011/06/17/video-frank-ocean-novacane/. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
17. ^ "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Urban". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. 2011-08-16. http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=08/16/2011&Format=5. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
18. ^ "Def Jam To Rerelease Frank Ocean's 'Nostaliga, Ultra'". The Source. http://www.thesource.com/blog/post/66144/Def-Jam-To-Rerelease-Frank-Ocean's-'Nostaliga,-Ultra'-?thesource-prod=0rsckmvoqv0nblobdjufug70k1. Retrieved 2011-05-20. 
19. ^ "FRANK OCEAN PREPS ‘LITE’ VERSION OF ‘NOSTALGIA, ULTRA’". http://www.rap-up.com/2011/06/18/frank-ocean-preps-lite-version-of-nostalgia-ultra/. 
20. ^ » by Danielle Canada May 19, 2011, 15:16pm. "Frank Ocean To Release “Nostalgia, Ultra” Mixtape In Stores « Hip-Hop Wired: Keeping You Informed With The Latest on Hip-Hop Culture, Rappers, Hip Hop News, Rap and Entertainment News, Black Politics, Video Vixens, Music Reviews and Urban Lifestyle…". Hiphopwired.com. http://hiphopwired.com/2011/05/19/frank-ocean-to-release-%E2%80%9Cnostalgia-ultra%E2%80%9D-mixtape-in-stores/. Retrieved 2011-05-20. 
21. ^ "is nostalgia LITE still dropping 7/26 ? & ily - frank ocean". Frankocean.tumblr.com. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/8079765446/is-nostalgia-lite-still-dropping-7-26-ily. Retrieved 2011-08-22.