N.E.R.D. “Seeing Sounds” Review
In many respects N*E*R*D and The Neptunes share an identity. That being said, The Neptunes have been given a respect that N*E*R*D have not; one of credence, respect and admiration within their field. With Seeing Sounds however N*E*R*D again attempts to deliver a set that equips their brand with the same level of respect. Here are four reactions, four impressions, four takes on N*E*R*D’s Seeing Sounds.
It’s been about four years since their last release, Fly or Die, and N*E*R*D is back with their new record Seeing Sounds. While it goes back and forth from being an occasionally dumbed-down Hip-Hop album, it does return at times with it’s slick hybrid of influences integrated with soul grooves, rock and roll guitars, and moments that show what has made them the sought-out producer team of The Neptunes. What really stands out this time around, are the souled out tracks. “Sooner or Later” is a gorgeous track that spirals into guitar chaos at the end, and “Love Bomb” which reminds one of a trip-hopped Boys II Men song, but in the best way possible. A lot of the tracks on this album go on a little too long for their own good, getting a little overindulgent with the over and over again hooks, sort-of proving that they need to rein it in a little bit. “Everybody Nose (All The Girls Standing In Line for the Bathroom)” has an irritatingly frenetic chorus that defies a full listen without an eye roll. I can’t say that I would actually buy this album, but the tracks that do work, make it a worthwhile listen to pick and choose and flip through while going about your daily business. [Review by guest contributor Jen Paulson]
As with all of N*E*R*D’s achievements, Seeing Sounds is an ambitious one. The album follows in the Neptunes’ tradition of mixing up eclectic arrangements of funk, rock, hip hop, and electronica. Unfortunately in this case, the duo (well, trio, technically) may have overreached themselves. While Sounds contains some fine, polished work, it also brings some ugly cousins to the party. On the good side “Everyone Nose,” the record’s first single is a fast paced hit with machine gun drums and a jazzy baseline. It may take the repetitious chorus on a little too long, but all in all it’s an enjoyable cut. “Love Bomb,” however, is a thoroughly putrid slow jam. The constant “yeah yeahs” and half thought through lyrics (This is the Truman show baby/Cause when they fight who dies is you) are grating and uninspired. While “Sooner or Later,” may succeed where “Love Bomb” fails, sometimes it takes more than one good song to cancel out a bad one. Unfortunately “Time For Some Action,” “Windows,” “Anti-Matter,” and the few other good tracks don’t have quite enough heft to make the rest of Seeing Sounds forgivable. If you are looking for a quality genre-mashing duo this summer, my advice would be to forgo N*E*R*D and stick to my main men Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse. [Jon Behm]
Seeing as how Fly or Die was what it was (a fairly poor album) Seeing Sounds should be considered a triumphant return for N*E*R*D… but… in reality it’s not too distant from its predecessor. Sporadic, over-reaching and inconsistent – Seeing Sounds is exactly what N*E*R*D should be distancing itself from. There are songs that make sense on the album, “Love Bomb” for instance, is guilty of being irritatingly sweet but it still sounds really damn good. Likewise, “Everybody Nose” is a banger worthy of its hype. On the whole, however, the album isn’t – it peaks and it crashes. I’m not sure that Pharrell Williams is comfortable, yet, with knowing what he’s good at when it comes to his own material and not as a producer of someone else’s craft. N*E*R*D is an honest band in that they’re never shying away from music they feel, but they haven’t yet adopted music that is characteristic of their ability. With each album the band has focused on one or two songs that show up on the charts, relenting in the idea that there will be room to experiment because the focus isn’t on the remainder of the album. That being the case, at what point in time does the band decide to make an album worthy of their talents, not just an album that explains their willingness to explore? Unfortunately, with Seeing Sounds, it appears that now is not that time. [Chris DeLine]
If you listened to the best five or six songs from each of N*E*R*D’s three albums, you’d hear some of the most compelling pop music of the new millennium. If you listened to ALL the songs from N*E*R*D’s three albums, however, you’d hear a ridiculous mess. Seeing Sounds is more of the same, but to me, this is one of the group’s greatest redeeming qualities: they take risks. They’re not always successful, but I’ll take Pharrell’s dumbass lyrics and strained falsetto over the latest flavor-of-the-moment indie bland, er, band, any day. This album may lack the out-of-nowhere insanity of their debut and the angsty teenage pathos of Fly or Die, but Seeing Sounds is still definitely worth a listen. N*E*R*D’s weirdo art-pop sensibilities are still there, but there are also a number of more club-oriented tracks that really bang. As producers, the Neptunes haven’t lost a step, though their signature sound might not be as new and refreshing as it once was. While accusations of style over substance might not be far off, I’m willing to give N*E*R*D a pass due to the fact that pop music is so utterly devoid of this kind of style right now. [Kyle "Guante" Myhre]