Endless
by Frank Ocean
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Aug 19, 2016
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 261 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 242 out of 261
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 261
  3. Negative: 14 out of 261

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SeanR2003
    Jun 3, 2022
    9
    While certainly good by itself, it doesn't live up to Channel Orange or Blonde's reputation. Nevertheless this is a standout album from start to end and puts mainstream pop artists to shame
  2. All_ButTrU4
    Nov 24, 2021
    7
    The content never for a second slips weak. The perfect break of silence-- the patience and smoothness washes away any idea that Frank Ocean has died out. There was a reason he took so long to release a new full piece of work, and the reason speaks more of the dedication and perfection that Frank Ocean puts in his music and in this case, his film. The music and video is not only Endless,The content never for a second slips weak. The perfect break of silence-- the patience and smoothness washes away any idea that Frank Ocean has died out. There was a reason he took so long to release a new full piece of work, and the reason speaks more of the dedication and perfection that Frank Ocean puts in his music and in this case, his film. The music and video is not only Endless, it's also timeless. A modern marvel of work… Expand
  3. leumassregor
    May 24, 2021
    8
    For an "unmastered" or "b-side" album, this is incredible.

    Frank Ocean has some of the most incredible vocals on here that he's ever had on any of his albums. His belting in Higgs is guaranteed to make you tear up a bit, and his falsetto on At Your Best will give you chills. Some songs will obviously sound a bit unmastered or messy but they are definitely still listenable. This just    For an "unmastered" or "b-side" album, this is incredible.

    Frank Ocean has some of the most incredible vocals on here that he's ever had on any of his albums. His belting in Higgs is guaranteed to make you tear up a bit, and his falsetto on At Your Best will give you chills.

    Some songs will obviously sound a bit unmastered or messy but they are definitely still listenable. This just proves how great of an artist Frank really is!    … Expand
  4. Xellophone
    Oct 25, 2019
    7
    Even though this album was made just to screw the Def Jam up, still sounds good
  5. fifi3
    Jul 28, 2019
    7
    The sounds are as beautiful as ever, although this album feels a tad bit more cobbled together than most of his. For an album that feels like a B-side, it's really good.
  6. PretentiousGeek
    Apr 15, 2019
    10
    Somewhat controversially, I used to prefer this record to Blonde. Sure, Blonde is slightly more commercially viable and got much more overall praise, but there's never an off moment on Endless. The tracks bleed into each other with such flow and sense of pacing, and while it sure does result in his most self-indulgent work, it's also feels like what he wanted to make. Record label dealsSomewhat controversially, I used to prefer this record to Blonde. Sure, Blonde is slightly more commercially viable and got much more overall praise, but there's never an off moment on Endless. The tracks bleed into each other with such flow and sense of pacing, and while it sure does result in his most self-indulgent work, it's also feels like what he wanted to make. Record label deals aside, he did not skimp on quality for a moment, and Blake's gorgeous synth work with Greenwood's swelling strings (both in the orchestral and guitar sense) bring the best of Blake's and Radiohead's discography together to create an experience that is truly beautiful. Sure, this may go down to as the Amnesiac to Blonde's Kid A, but that is simply unfair to all four records. They (Amnesiac aside) all hold a little place in my heart next to The Suburbs and The Colour In Anything as sonic masterpieces.

    Favourite tracks: At Your Best (You Are Love), Comme des Garçons (+ Xenons, if your tracks are listed that way), U-N-I-T-Y, Florida, Higgs, Device Control    … Expand
  7. hornysoul
    Oct 11, 2018
    8
    "Endless" é um álbum audiovisual muito bom, com as típicas mensagens profundas presentes nas letras, mas ainda assim não consegue ser melhor do que o álbum anterior (e o seguinte, também). Em geral, é um trabalho com um certo brilho, repleto de momentos prazenteiros.
  8. Xarithus
    Apr 30, 2018
    10
    Although this album wasn't released traditionally, it still contains some of Oceans best songs, like "Wither" and "Higgs", that contain powerful songwriting and some of his best vocal performances. Looking away from the visuals, it's one of his best and most experimental works.
  9. ToiletBoy
    Dec 25, 2017
    10
    This is an album that is very weird to recommend. It's like a long, sad, gorgeous, reverb-drenched dream, From The AMAZING Isley Brothers cover all the way to the wacked-out dance/house outro. I **** love every second of this album. It's the perfect music to just lay with your eyes closed and think about long lost loves. Most would put it at the bottom of their Frank Ocean discographyThis is an album that is very weird to recommend. It's like a long, sad, gorgeous, reverb-drenched dream, From The AMAZING Isley Brothers cover all the way to the wacked-out dance/house outro. I **** love every second of this album. It's the perfect music to just lay with your eyes closed and think about long lost loves. Most would put it at the bottom of their Frank Ocean discography list, I would put it at the very top. Which is why it's weird to recommend, I love this with every atom in my body, but you may not.… Expand
  10. ultimatemusic
    Jun 6, 2017
    7
    After years of patiently (or impatiently) waiting, this album has dropped and certainly disappoint. I get there are a lot of instrumentals which are conveyed and could well possibly be interludes, but I think visually, and listening to it as one big piece, it makes sense, and listening to them piece by piece can sound a little messy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the album isAfter years of patiently (or impatiently) waiting, this album has dropped and certainly disappoint. I get there are a lot of instrumentals which are conveyed and could well possibly be interludes, but I think visually, and listening to it as one big piece, it makes sense, and listening to them piece by piece can sound a little messy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the album is clearly not just for audio only, or maybe even visually, because I do believe we are witnessing a new form of art. A lot of people presume art to be just visual only, so I love the fact that Frank’s gone ahead and chnaged the game a little by making a physical visual and audio representation as an art piece.

    The whole thing in general comes together perfectly, and could go down as one of the most perfected album in history because the whole thing is just sublime. Was 4 years worth the wait? Absolutely. Frank Ocean proving once again why he is so respected in terms of the music industry, and why he is so respected by the general public. He puts every emotion into every song, and THAT is music. Stunning.    … Expand
  11. beflygelt
    Aug 26, 2016
    10
    highly underrated as "throwaways" or "b-sides"!! This is a gorgeous record, not far behind Blonde in quality. And it actually goes into a quite a different direction, with heavy, modern electronic beats, more hip-hop influence (there's also traces of trap), Frank raps, sings, speaks, and does it all with ease and perfection. It's impressive how he manages to masters both the minimalist,highly underrated as "throwaways" or "b-sides"!! This is a gorgeous record, not far behind Blonde in quality. And it actually goes into a quite a different direction, with heavy, modern electronic beats, more hip-hop influence (there's also traces of trap), Frank raps, sings, speaks, and does it all with ease and perfection. It's impressive how he manages to masters both the minimalist, more singer//songwriter kind of style on Blonde and this beat-heavy direction so perfectly. Definitely one of the best albums of the year. And very undeservedly dismissed and overlooked

    (I don't count the German techno song Device Control as part of the Frank Ocean album)    … Expand
  12. jesseurbancsik
    Aug 26, 2016
    8
    Even though this isn't as good as Blond, it still is an amazing piece of work! I hope he releases the tracks separately soon because I will buy it! Great atmospheric music.
  13. jusesuxx
    Aug 23, 2016
    10
    This is pretty flawless to be un unmastered album, what a genius Frank is. . . .
  14. LeftyBrad
    Aug 23, 2016
    8
    It's insane how Frank Ocean can release an unmastered album that is playing in the background of him building a staircase and still sound this beautiful. Endless is a fantastic project released just a day before Blonde. Hopefully in the future a full CDQ version of Endless will be released, but at this point in time, it is a spectacular project.
  15. rolli
    Aug 23, 2016
    1
    Hype = Praise
    The lyrics and artwork may be good but I can't hear why any musician or reviewer can really stand up and say that this is an outstanding good album.
    At first I thought "Is it a joke"
    17 ideas which have not been finished would be my positive summary.
  16. barrk
    Aug 22, 2016
    10
    pnd selling 50k and his fans celebrate, frank shows up and shows them what a true musician does

    frank is saving us from the snore fest r&b artists canada has been pumping out, clogging the radio waves with nondescript monotone songs as they mumble about depressed they are because the 5th girl they fk'd that week didn't want to wear their shirt
  17. RadioheadLuv17
    Aug 22, 2016
    7
    Its hard to digest as a whole- its only an album in the loosest sense- but its highs (the opener At Your Best and the esoteric ballad Rushes) are subtle and reflective, and will stick with you long after the albums minimalist visuals, spacious soundscapes and bizarre rollout have faded from memory.
  18. Victor2202
    Aug 22, 2016
    10
    MARAVILHOSO!
    aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  19. AlejandroLuque
    Aug 21, 2016
    10
    Es un proyecto audivisual muy bien elaborado, lleno de excitantes y nuevos sonidos ademas lleno de talento de los artistas que trabajaron con el, es una experiencia sumamente agradable para los oidos, Frank se tomo su tiempo y realmente valio la pena, es el mejor proyecto Audiovisual desde Lemonade de Beyoncé.
  20. thebassline
    Aug 19, 2016
    7
    Lots of great song ideas here but ultimately feels more like a collection of B-Sides to the actual album which is supposedly on the way. This album reminds me a lot of Blake's "The Colour in Anything" in a lot of ways. It's sprawling and, at times, messy. But all the ideas on here cohere into breathtaking songs, and there are a ton of good moments on here. Although as much I thought thisLots of great song ideas here but ultimately feels more like a collection of B-Sides to the actual album which is supposedly on the way. This album reminds me a lot of Blake's "The Colour in Anything" in a lot of ways. It's sprawling and, at times, messy. But all the ideas on here cohere into breathtaking songs, and there are a ton of good moments on here. Although as much I thought this was an interesting release, I sincerely hope this isn't what I've been waiting four years for and that Boys Don't Cry really is a whole separate album.… Collapse
  21. cole_nubson
    Aug 19, 2016
    10
    The content never for a second slips weak. The perfect break of silence-- the patience and smoothness washes away any idea that Frank Ocean has died out. There was a reason he took so long to release a new full piece of work, and the reason speaks more of the dedication and perfection that Frank Ocean puts in his music and in this case, his film. The music and video is not only Endless,The content never for a second slips weak. The perfect break of silence-- the patience and smoothness washes away any idea that Frank Ocean has died out. There was a reason he took so long to release a new full piece of work, and the reason speaks more of the dedication and perfection that Frank Ocean puts in his music and in this case, his film. The music and video is not only Endless, it's also timeless. A modern marvel of work.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Most Discussed Album of 2016
35
#35 Most Shared Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Uncut
    Sep 23, 2016
    80
    The Mood is subdued but cavalier, more of a mixtape. [Nov 2016, p.24]
  2. Q Magazine
    Sep 23, 2016
    80
    These records might not eclipse Channel Orange, but they have their own mercurial gleam, mapping the spaces between people, reaching for a hazy intimacy that almost feels real. [Nov 2016, p.112]
  3. Under The Radar
    Sep 16, 2016
    40
    When the workers step into another room, suit up, and begin spray painting the boxes, the music takes on a more soothing, droning, electronic quality with distinctly ripping synths and chirping, muted background vocals. In short: the music finally becomes strong enough to make these unimaginably boring visuals watchable. Sadly that beautifully soundtracked spray painting sequence ends all too soon.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »