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X

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you loooove him

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a certain energy today… they look so good lethal preshow heart eyes tour ditl all but confirmed maybe life is worth living

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guys i’m calling it now they already filmed a tour ditl video.. they’re being weird about it in both the tysons pre shows

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could someone please put me in a .zip file? I think it would be really cozy in there

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Since that clip is circulating I just want to share my favorite Dan lie, which is the vyou where he got asked how often he visits Phil’s apartment and he said hardly ever despite recording the answer from Phil’s bed

he actually wasn't lying! he was just specifically answering how often he takes the trip to phil's flat in order to visit him, and because he spent all his time there and didn't go to his classes the answer was, in fact, hardly ever

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i have seen frank live/met him multiple times so i can’t feel too bad though. also i randomly saw mikey way play bass with waterparks (i think it was them???) at leeds fest 2016 so ive technically seen HALF of mcr….. maybe thats all i was destined to see….

even though i’m 24 and realistically haven’t been into mcr for like 7 years i hope everyone seeing them has a horrible time because the 15 year old me who used to watch life on the murder scene weekly and cry over it can’t see this tour cos it’s just in america

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even though i’m 24 and realistically haven’t been into mcr for like 7 years i hope everyone seeing them has a horrible time because the 15 year old me who used to watch life on the murder scene weekly and cry over it can’t see this tour cos it’s just in america

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Frank Ocean- Blonde

helloooooo and welcome to the first episode of the 2016 edition of kate @zinphandel rating and reviewing dans howell’s favourite albums of the year! today we are reviewing frank oceans blond!

Initial Thoughts?

guys!!!!!!! i’m SO excited to get into this episode. i LOVE blond. like i don’t think u understand how much i LOVE this album. like this is probably my favourite album of all time. i have listened to it at least once a week for the past 8ish years like….. this album means so much to me you don’t even understand. I have a tattoo for my favourite song from this album! i have a shitty bootleg vinyl of this album! i wrote essays in my undergrad uni degree about this album! i know the story of the album so well! i can’t WAIT to share this album with you all especially if somehow you have never listened to it before!!

Is this a first time full album listen through?

nope! i’ve heard it maybe more than i’ve heard any album in my life, i know it like the back of my hand, however, i love an excuse to listen through again.

Listen through:

(gonna do this a little differently than usual and just talk through the tracks otherwise this would be 10,000 word essay about how much i adore this album and no one needs to read that lol) (oops this is accidentally still far too long)

•even on song 1 this album is off to an incredible start, and sets up the more uptempo first half of the album perfectly. ‘nikes’ is the perfect opening track. the pitched up vocals transcend and make this track ethereal and otherworldly. it sets up the themes of the albums so perfectly (consumerism, duality, black masculinity etc)

• track 2 is ‘ivy’ which i know is a fan favourite BUT FOR ME because the rest of the album is so strong this towards the bottom of my track ranking (it’s still a 10 though). a beautiful emotional song about the highs and lows of your first love

•track 3 ‘pink + white’ is ethereal, its sounds like a being in warm bubble bath whilst transcending to heaven. the BEYONCÉ BACKING VOCALS. im literally rising to another plane of existence listening to this track.

4. okay interludes can be annoying but ‘be yourself’ is iconic. it’s an actual voice message from frank oceans auntie- i can recite this word for word. sluggish! lazy! stupid! and unconcerned! runs through my head whenever i accidentally get a little bit too high.

5. ‘solo’ is probably the most classic pop r&b track on the album which i’m not usually the biggest fan of but this song is both so fun and so gorgeous. the name solo and how it’s used throughout the song is fun example of the duality of the album, as it can be interpreted as being ‘solo’ or ‘so low’ v fun detail!

• ‘Skyline to’ is gorgeous. not my favourite on the album buts frank’s voice is just ethereal on this. ‘that’s a pretty fuckin fast year flew by’ hits every time. beautiful

• we are into the BIG HITTERS of the album. ‘self control’ is a perfect r&b ballad. the lyrics on this are some of the best on the album ‘wish we’d grown up on the same advice’ is one of my favourites. also a cheeky yung lean feature! shivers down my spine every single time i hear this. just beyond good.

•’good guy’ is a lonely raw track, with just frank oceans voice and the piano. the rawness translates in the lyrics as well. such a great edition to the album. it’s just a step above an interlude, but sets up the next song so well

• AHHH (apologies guys this next point might be very long)

• track 9 is ‘nights’, which is probably my favourite song of all time. nights is SO incredible; in my opinion the best song on the album like it gives me goosebumps everytime.

•it exemplifies the theme of duality which is present within the album more than any other song within the album, as at 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the song (also exactly 30 minutes into the hour long album) the beat switches. (i love this moment so much i have it tattooed lol) this beat switch, from the uptempo guitar based first half, into the darker, slower second half. (the most unreal moment. it’s so ethereal) this half is also reflected in the album as whole, as the second half of this album follows the pattern of being the darker, more somber counterpart of the first 30 minutes. the theme of duality is also seen in the album title (blond/blonde), the themes of masculinity and femininity, bisexuality, how each song on each half of the album has an equal counterpart. (plus a version of solo on each side)Also, the dual album drops (blonde and endless) (that is an essay for another time how frank FINESSED the fuck out of def jam) Nights demonstrates this duality better than any song, and is an absolute GOAT song. if you listen to anything off this album please let it be this

• and after the GOAT song we get a feature from one of my GOATs (andre 3000) on ‘solo reprise’ this is the only song that frank doesn’t sing on but it’s so worth it for an andre feature. the solo/so low duality comes into play again with the themes of this song. i fucking love this one!

• ‘pretty sweet’ may be one of the strangest but best moments on the album, the change of pace is so abrupt and unexpected and chaotic. but when the beat drops???? just next level stuff

• ‘A Facebook Story’ is my least favourite interlude, and usually a skip for me tbh, but it works perfectly when listening to the album all the way through

•’close to you’ interpolates a stevie wonder cover of ‘close to you’. it’s one of my favourites and definitely an underrated track on the album. it’s fun and weird and so pretty

•’white ferrari’ is another big hitter. absolutely crushing and heartbreaking and hits so hard. it’s a glorious perfect ballad about death and love and foreverness. a high point of the album FOR SURE, the last verse literally kills me every time i listen. 10/10

• next track! “siegfried’ is haunting, raw and heartbreaking, the strings halfway through are OTHERWORLDLY. so gorgeous.

•’Godspeed’ feels like a gospel hymn, with the organ in the background, a gospel singer in the outro, religious imagery and references throughout and yung lean (hello again). it feels like a beautiful send off for the album, as it is the penultimate track

•final track guys! ‘Futura free’ is the perfect closing track. like nights, it also features 2 halves, with a silent interlude in the middle where futura free ends and the interview begins’ the song is looooooong (9:24) because of this, however it’s clearly intentional as it makes the album the perfect 1hr length.

• the first half closes out the album perfectly, and wraps up the themes presented throughout. the interview in the second half is so sad to listen to now, as ryan, franks little brother who is being interviewed passed away a couple of years ago.

•it is also also a ‘light year’ long (9:24 is 9.4 minutes and a light year is 9.4 trillion kilometres) (the final line of the album is ‘how far is a light year’)

Favourite song(s)?

nights, self control, white ferrari, siegfried, pretty sweet

Least favourite song?

facebook story (cheating cos it’s an interlude but i don’t have a least favourite song!)

Would i listen again?

obviously. i’ve listened to it again since i started writing this review yesterday. it’s always in my rotation and always in my spotify wrapped

Do i recommend?

pleaseeeee PLEASEEEEEEE for the love of god listen to this album if you haven’t before. it’s life changing of course i recommend.

What would I rank it out of 10?

10/10. perfect album

WELL. that was a long one sorry guys. so glad this topped dans albums of year list, like i SO get it. 2016 closeted dan clearly related to the themes of this album so much. i’m so glad he’s happy now :). anyway! see you tomorrow for the next one 🫡🫡 love u <3

read my 2015 reviews here

read the rest of the my 2016 reviews here

listen to the playlist of highlights from dans favourite albums here

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they're so cute I'm gonna throw up

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November 12, 2009: “lmao half of those are probably my face xD”

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If I ask nicely who will rb this telling me what is the last song u listened to 🥺

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need pussy from a girl that is dan howell

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giffing my m&g:

dan removing phil's cat ears for him <3 (video version)

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this just popped up in my recommended and it was a fun watch. very funny. lots of relatable noises

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I had an idea and it wouldn’t leave me alone.