Seeing Sounds
N.E.R.D.
Seeing Sounds
(Interscope Records)
By Cheryl Leong
Friendly Advice : Only staunch N.E.R.D. fans need consider.
What does it mean to see sounds, you say? Apparently, while working on their third studio album, N.E.R.D. caught a documentary on "Synesthesia," a neurological condition where people experience sounds as colors/objects in their minds. Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and long-time buddy Shay Haley, collectively known as N.E.R.D., were then inspired to create music you could envision as a live show. N.E.R.D. was formed in 2001, and has since been making great (some say, futile) attempts in the fusion of rock music with hip-hop and R&B.
The follow-up to 2004's Fly or Die, is packed with their signature cross-genre blend of experimental sounds. With the most eclectic grooves and cuts of the year yet, it sure makes for a unique, abstract listen. On the flipside though, the album is terribly uneven. The first half kicks in with a punch: groovy, rocking tracks you'll want to turn up in the car. Multiple beat and rhythmic changes take it to a whole new level. Pity this nifty freshness couldn't be maintained throughout. The second half of the album makes me want to change CD altogether.
What makes it worse, is the overwhelming lack of lyrical quality. To say that writing lyrics is not the strongest suit of Pharrell Williams, is putting it very nicely. The atrocious lyrics detract from what might otherwise have been a slightly-more-than-okay album, musically. The lyrics are shallow and banal, and grow tiresome after a few tracks. There are only so few times you can listen to an album where the lyrics are largely only about sex. And even then, they're obnoxious and mostly to suggest that the N.E.R.D. boys are just plain horny.
Of course, there are glorious moments where you can see the obvious genius behind the Grammy-winning super-producing duo, The Neptunes (Williams and Hugo). The opening, "Intro/Time for Some Action," starts off with a little childhood whimsy, before taking it to a head-bobbing bassline. Their carrier single, "Everyone Nose," waxes lyrical on substance abuse. A worthy subject matter, if not for the fact that the objection is less of a socially conscious nature, than that a girl with her nose up in cocaine isn't going to fancy getting jiggy with Pharrell. If you can clear the cringe-worthy lyrics, the magnetic hook of the track is strangely attractive.
So far so good. "Spaz" sweeps the award for stupidest lyrics ("I'm a little teapot"? Hello…), but the complex rhythms try to make up for it. "Yeah You" is a smooth '70s soul number, with a jazzy saxophone flavor. Throw in a fizzy shake of something like the maracas and well done! "Sooner or Later" is sophisticated, with a simple, endearing melody. But too much of a good thing spoils all, at an unending six minutes over.
Here's where it all heads downhill. N.E.R.D. goes the way of Weezer and '80s pop rock in "Happy." Not the best choice ever made, guys. "Love Bomb" likes to think of itself as a political commentary, but its thoughtlessly thrown out metaphors are a convoluted mess. Not even the mellow, piano jazz can save this one. "You Know What" is reminiscent of a John Legend-esque groove, very danceable in the Mambo way. Could things be looking up again? Not quite, I'm afraid. The final track (thank God!), "Laugh About It," is typical N.E.R.D. funk to end off.
All, in all, I'd wager that you probably wouldn't be able to sit through the entire album at one go. I know I didn't. Nobody would be hard-pressed to call me a N.E.R.D. fan anytime soon.
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