N.E.R.D. – Nothing

N.E.R.D.

Star Trak: Nothing

“Nothing/ We learn nothing right?” says Pharrell Williams on “Life As A Fish,” the hip-hop ballad depicting life’s creation (aka seven days according to the Neptunes) off of N.E.R.D.’s fourth studio album Nothing. William’s claim must be argued, upon listening to the album it is evident that we have learned something, not nothing. We have learned that when teamed up with Neptune’s counterpart Chad Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley, a spit-wad of sex driven hip-hop/rock fusion comes flying out of the straw that is Pharrell’s brain.

N.E.R.D., which stands for No-one Ever Really Dies, may be the first ones to bite the dust. Nothing is two years from Seeing Sounds, the band’s most impressive album to date, but where Sounds triumphs on its high-adrenaline, room-filling ruckus rock, Nothing dwindles with its elementary school, amateur rock opera sporadic-ism. Even with a few solid singles and a track produced by French electro demi-gods Daft Punk, Nothing, is not too far of its title.

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Often criticized for his overbearing lyrics about sex or chasing girls, Williams keeps the hump-fest rolling. Take your pick – We’re having a bubble bath/The girls are blowing bubbles/They naked in the field/The smoke comes out the flowers/Mm-hmm, you know the deal – lyrics from “Perfect Defect,” the kind of content a horny 10th grader or KISS would put in a song. How about the line that Williams puts on super repeat in “Party People”- What I need/what I need is that girl there.” Just because he is as handsome as Prince doesn’t mean he can sex up a song like him.

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“Hot-n-Fun,” commands the respect of best song with its catchy Nelly Furtado hook and funky bass line. The only problem lies in the melody, the N.E.R.D. staple groove that clouds the line between bass and stringy synth. Yes, it powers the song but it also powers “Lapdance,” “She Wants To Move” and “Everybody Nose.” I understand the ability of an artist to utilize a common sound but this is overkill.

The song Daft Punk commanded, “Hypnotize U,” is a song void of N.E.R.D. sound. It throbs a combination of space bass and laser shots with a falsetto singing Pharrell. If only the album or a few other songs could harness this sound, the difference would end up in a more enjoyable listen. Not just a regurgitated feel that has gone full circle from N.E.R.D. album-to-album, but a field of untouched music that the Neptunes and Shay could flourish in. If the Neptunes let an outside producer work with them, a whole other level of N.E.R.D could fabricate, at least try something new. It’s better than nothing.

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