Synesthesia:
The term synesthesia (Greek: syn = at the same time, aesthesia = perception)
indicates the simultaneous, involuntary perception of different, unrelated
sensory impressions and is therefore also referred to as a blending of the senses.
(cited from Synesthesia, a Neurological Phenomenon, Hendrik M. Emrich, Janina Neufeld, and Ch Christopher Sinke)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gEExrPaAbPNZVBZfZdNCdrOHsjxq2V-K/view
Frank Ocean & Synesthesia
Channel Orange
by Frank Ocean
The album is all about the complications that Ocean feels about his first love, and he renders such complications in colors. Given that Ocean confesses that he has synesthesia (sound-to-color), it’s a decision that feels both delightfully strange and makes perfect sense. When Frank first fell in love, he said, everything felt orange. It’s this about Channel Orange that sets it apart from any other album released by him: it’s an inside-voices classic.
Through the lens of color, conceptual moods are visualized and the audience tends to feel empathetic by drawing connections between the vibe and stuff related to this specific color. On the album cover, the orange hues and the distorted image can evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia, like looking at an old, slightly faded photograph. The colors gradually transition from deep, burnt oranges to brighter, sun-kissed shades, mirroring the album’s journey of emotions. Take one of the songs, “Bad Religion”, as an instance, Ocean’s raw and emotional delivery here could be likened to a downpour of rain against a windowpane. The synesthetic experience might involve cool, steel-gray streaks of rain mixed with intense, fiery reds of passion.
Overall, the album is a synesthetic journey that spans a wide spectrum of colors and textures, mirroring the album’s exploration of love, identity, and self-discovery. It’s a masterpiece of sonic storytelling that invites listeners to experience a rich tapestry of emotions and sensations.