Listen closely and you may hear the flourishes of returning collaborators Malay and Om’mas Keith. The list, which doesn't distinguish between sample sources and musical collaborators, also brings more questions about the record's composition. The Blond credits were presented as a list in the Boys Don’t Cry magazine, not in the traditional liner notes format like on the visual album, Endless, but poring over them still provides some context for this record. Guest List: Late Icons, A-listers, and … Japanese Rappers?

Not to be forgotten is Channel Orange alum Jeff Ellis. Then there’s producer extraordinaire Mike Dean (who mastered Endless) and Grammy winner Tom Elmhirst, who mixed Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, Adele’s 19 and 25, and Beck’s Morning Phase. Joe Visciano, who has credits on David Bowie’s Blackstar and Jamie xx’s In Colour (both of whom are also credited on Blond), and who has mixed and assisted on records for Adele, Arcade Fire, and Shamir, is also listed as a contributor for this album. Sean Oakley and Jason Lader, who were also credited on The Colour in Anything as recording engineers, are here, too. The legendary Bob Ludwig, who has worked on records for Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, and Nirvana, among many others, had a role on Blond. Guests James Blake and Jonny Greenwood appear to have brought engineers from recent projects with them-Sam Petts-Davies and Matt Mysko, who worked on A Moon Shaped Pool and The Colour in Anything, respectively. A host of experienced engineers from different backgrounds had a hand it making the album what it is. Meet the Crack Team of Engineers That Mixed Blondīlond sounds lush and rich, especially heard next to the comparatively lo-fi Endless. Now that you can finally dive in, here are some things to consider as you listen to Blond. There are shades of Orange in its diverse sonic palette, but it is unique with its own feel and flow.

It's almost all material we've never heard, with a few reworked elements from some songs debuted in Munich a few years back thrown into the mix. A 17-track offering, Blond builds on Ocean’s reputation as a songwriter and auteur of the highest order, enlisting assistance from creatives across the musical spectrum.

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