Blood Orange - Sandra's Smile

The latest from Blood Orange is an indelibly stark melody that fits comfortably among the long list of his other, hauntingly, infectious ballads. The most basic of beats is brought to life by Devonte Hynes's wisp like croons and intonations. He again sounds like Prince at his barest, or a more toned down Silk. The song is structured around Hynes's voice, which seems to glide above the tinkering of John Carpenter-like bells, and guides us through this tale of woe. Since its arrival on the web, I keep revisiting this clip. Its shot in black and white it has a real timeless, nostalgia feel to it. As is always the case with Hynes as Blood Orange, he is both musician and performing artist. Here, he and his cohorts, decked out in serious time-warped-New York-early-90s gear, dance their way down a vacant city block. The moves feel effortless and free-form, though knowing Hynes, one can assume each aspect was fine-tuned and choreographed. As the Pop-ozone continues to mutate and reshape beneath the pink cloud of the Internet, we will repeatedly witness the meteoric rise of outsider artists. Grimes, is the perfect example of bedroom producer, turned Guggenheim curator/ Miley Cyrus compatriot. While we have already seen Blood Orange collaborations of the highest pop pedigree, we have yet to see him touch the sky. With time, there is little doubt that he too will have a Can't Feel My Face moment, straddling the line between familiarity and the future. Check the vid here, and keep a look out for all his other releases!