Frank Ocean - Pink + White
Frank Ocean ( born October 28, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, photographer, and visual artist. Recognized for his idiosyncratic musical style, introspective and elliptical songwriting, and wide vocal range.
Firstly his music video to Pink + White, we can view generic music video conventions being displayed through use of fast speed shot types , specifically of the main character as well as shots of scenery, Frank ocean manages to maintain his 'alternative' and more 'sad' atmosphere through the casting of shadows on fields which we as the reader would expect to be sunny, again showing his rejection of a mainstream music video. Intertextuality is implicitly shown by the recreation of shots that are famous to the popular UBO show 'Euphoria' not only is this fitting to Ocean's vibe but also to his young audience. The use of low camera shots, dark environments and the reoccurring theme of natural beauty of women and the planet helps to reflect the naturalist approach his lyrics take.
Brent Faiyaz- Dead Man Walking
It’s become almost cliché to refer to one’s music drop as a movie. Yet there are genuinely times when a composition, whether it is an album or even more impressively a single song, is cinematic. The first sound of Brent Faiyaz’s new single “Dead Man Walking” is a shrill sliding synth. From the title and the initial tone, you feel transported to those 70’s Scorsese films as a character is walking down a lonely street about to meet their demise. As the plucked string instrument arrives, it feels like raindrops falling on the already mist-filled sonic environment.
Brent enters onto the track vocally with a clear intention of completing the mission of setting the scene. He sings one line, “drop the roof and let the smoke clear,” and just lets it sit for a minute. You take in a potential double meaning here. He could directly be referencing a car releasing the smoke after a hot box. However, with the already established film idea, he could also be paralleling someone’s head being blown off, making the “Dead Man Walking” fate become realized. The target on Brent in the cover art confirms this possibility.
As Brent’s first verse begins, “Dead Man Walking” seems to refer to a reckless lifestyle Brent has now made his signature. He describes a carefree night of debauchery on the Vegas strip as he sings, “Dice rollin’ on the Las Vegas strip tonight. Slip that on, and we might miss the fight.” It’s just him and his muse who he has brought on this particular trip. A sort of Bonnie and Clyde problematic relationship ensues. In the hook, Brent displays his full intention to exist purely off of impulse as life is fleeting. He sings, “Spend, what you wanna. Be who you wanna be. A young stunner. ‘Til I D-I-E.”
Tyler the creator- Earfquake
Tyler, the creator, has shared a new video for “EARFQUAKE,” from his just-released album IGOR. The video stars Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”) and involves Tyler performing in a blonde wig on a television set that slowly catches fire. We can see Tyler's originality seep through the performance aspect of this music video, his character portrays of a more 'alternative' style and there is little reference to much mainstream music, styles sets or props. The video is set to be more a comedic sketch but directed in such a way it seems realistic that this would be a show on television, and this is where it can be said that the host and set is intertextuality to both The Ellen Show and Saturday Night Live, we are led to believe that this is so through the diegetic dialogue at the start aswell as the stage set up and camera equipment.
The mise en scene is sculpted in a way to show this surrealist approach due to the set being too 'perfect' to be real and this further hints at the intertextuality. This is all relevant to Tyler as he enjoys being an institute for originality and disputing mainstream conventions, not only this but his fans are known for being almost obsessed with Tyler's mannerisms and product so therefore it is expected for them to decode this video to get this final message that Tyler is again, disputing the norms of such a curated industry.
