THE 10 BEST ALBUMS
1. Frank Ocean, Blonde
Frank Ocean has become pop music’s leading ascetic, a less-is-more devotee who’d rather let his melodies do all the talking. Released after four years of increasingly interminable when-will-it-drop hype, Blonde finds Ocean leaving behind the rich arrangements and narratives of 2012’s Channel Orange in favor of radical simplicity: little percussion, unobtrusive guest stars, lyrics that are both stunning and opaque. “Nights” is a multipart suite—like Ocean’s previous “Pyramids”—given an acid bath and stripped to spare parts. “Solo” and
