Frank Ocean

Odd Future–affiliated crooner Frank Ocean recently followed a momentous 2011—during which he guested on Tyler, the Creator's Goblin and Watch the Throne, and issued the outstanding mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra—with a candid Tumblr entry detailing a thorny episode of homosexual love in his past. While it's tempting to use the revelation as a skeleton key that might unlock every last secret on Ocean's new debut LP, the sprawling, sometimes frustrating, often fascinating Channel Orange, it's best to do away with the psychological baggage and simply revel in the album's lush, head-spinning eclecticism. The same goes for tonight's high-profile gig, only Ocean's second solo performance in NYC.