Dissect

We dissect the last three tracks from Frank Ocean's Channel Orange before drawing some overall conclusions about the album as a whole. Then we take a look at the events during the 4 years between Channel Orange and Frank's next albums Endless and Blonde. Listen to Dissect on Spotify for early access to episodes and exclusive bonus episodes.

We dissect "Bad Religion" by Frank Ocean, a harrowing ballad expressing the torment of unrequited love.

We conclude our two part analysis of Frank Ocean’s contemporary masterwork "Pyramids."

We dissect Frank Ocean’s 10-minute masterwork “Pyramids” from Channel Orange. Part 1 of 2.

Our serialized examination of Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE continues with “Super Rich Kids”, a tragic rumination on the effects of wealth disguised as a party anthem. Follow @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Our serialized examination of the music of Frank Ocean continues with a look at the cultural impact of Frank’s open letter that revealed his sexuality days before the release of Channel Orange. Then we dissect Ocean’s biggest hit to date “Thinking About You.” Follow @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Season 3 of Dissect is dedicated entirely to the music of Frank Ocean. Today we begin with Ocean’s upbringing in New Orleans and his move to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina. We’ll then break down his landmark 2011 mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra. Dissect is a Spotify Original Podcast. Follow @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Today, we conclude our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West. After a recap of the album’s narrative and themes, we’ll discuss those mysterious applause that conclude the album. We’ll talk about fame, art’s ability to inspire action in our lives, and hear Dissect listeners’ thoughts on Kanye West in a montage of listener submitted audio clips. It’s been a beautiful, life-changing season. Thank you, everyone. Purchase My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on iTunes. Support Dissect at Patreon.com/Dissect Follow Dissect @dissectpodcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.   Links to sources noted at

We continue our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with the album’s final tracks “Lost in the World” and “Who Will Survive in America?” “Lost in the World” is a cathartic embrace of letting go, an anthem of ambiguity that finds Kanye reconciling the conflicting duality presented throughout the album. You can support Dissect at Patreon.com/dissect

Our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West continues with the penultimate track “Blame Game”. “Blame Game” finds Kanye attempting to decipher who’s at fault for his crumbling relationship and rapidly deteriorating life. Of course, we’ll also answer that timeless question: What exactly did Yeezy teach us? Support Dissect on Patreon.com/dissect

Our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy continues with “Hell of a Life”. Coming off the heels of the album’s emotional centerpiece “Runaway”, the explicit, porn-filled fantasy that is “Hell of a Life” couldn’t seem more thematically distant. But strangely, “Hell of a Life” is in many ways a journey toward self-acceptance. Kanye exposes the darkest recesses of his imagination, an honest assessment of his most private thoughts. And the more honest Kanye is about himself, the more alienated and shunned from the world he becomes. Listen to “Hell of a Life” on Apple Music.

Dissect needs YOUR voice! We’re featuring listener submitted audio clips on our upcoming Season 2 finale episode. Find submission instructions on our Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (@dissectpodcast). It’s really easy. In lieu of a new episode today, we’re sharing an interview Cole did with the It’s All Dead podcast. They discuss the origins of Dissect, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, concept albums, empathy, and more. Dissect will be back with a new episode next week. Thanks for your patience. Support Dissect at Patreon.com/dissect

We continue our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West with Part 2 of our “Runaway” double-episode. After an examination of Pusha T’s “we need more douchebag” verse, we discover how the instrumental outro reorchestrates the song’s first six minutes with just cellos and piano. We make a slight detour to talk Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Greek Mythology, Order, Chaos, and more — all to better understand why we find Kanye’s wordless concluding solo so moving. Finally, we look at Runaway’s premiere at the 2010 VMAs, a career-defining moment for a victorious Kanye West. Listen to “Runaway” on Apple Podcasts. Support Dissect at Patreon.com/Dissect. Photo: DON

Our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West continues with a Part 1 of our double episode on the album’s nine-minute emotional centerpiece “Runaway“. According to Runaway’s co-producer Emile Haynie, Kanye conceptualized “Runaway” in just four minutes. We dissect the iconic opening piano line, examining its conscious use of overtones and rhythmic deception. After deconstructing the song’s beat, we turn to its lyrics and Kanye’s

Our serialized examination of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West continues with fan favorite “Devil in a New Dress.” “Devil in a New Dress” is an impressionistic glimpse into Kanye’s failed relationship with a woman he names his “sin-sation.” The song is built on dichotomy: love and lust, heaven and hell, authenticity and deception. We’ll hear this thematically in the song’s lyrics, but also tonally in the song’s unresolved, contrasting chord structure. At the conclusion of our episode, we’ll display how the song’s abrupt ending sets up the album’s next track “Runaway.” Things take an unexpected turn we realize how inexorably linked the two tracks are both thematically and tonally.