brittanybf
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To the fine people who introduced me to Wale...his new and I believe his first video, directed by Rik Cordero, same dude who just did Nas' recent video. You think Wale is gonna get big soon?
N.E.R.D.'s third album Seeing Sounds fails to take me on any kind of Star Trak-sponsored, space-tastic journey. I had a feeling it wouldn’t fly from the moment I first heard their single "Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom)," a song comprised of messy, grating layers of sounds, repetitious yelling of the aforementioned parenthesized phrase, and high-pitched falsettos of "Look at'choo! Look at'choo!"
The outer-space-loving group has touched down to Earth before, but in more pleasing forms than this genre-blending mash of a headache. N.E.R.D. still offer some catchy songs, but more often, just when I started to like a song, it mutated into some kind of icky, intergalactic robot on LSD. (Should I run from the robot? Should I chill with it and cave to robotic peer pressure?) In other words, the songs don't pan out how I wish they would.
Take "Sooner or Later," a song that starts off with a soulfully delicious hook. Pharrell's off-key crooning over piano and a light beat isn't bad enough to ruin the song. However, it's the hook that's the best part ("Sooner or later it all comes crashing down"). The track runs to nearly seven minutes in length. By the last two minutes guitar and drums kick in and Pharrell stops crooning and starts yelling, "It's ov-er! Leav-ing!" over and over and over. It's a painfully long ending.
Remember "She Wants to Move" off their previous album? What happened to that version of N.E.R.D.? At least they sounded like they wanted to put something good out then. Now, more garish electronic sounds and more rapping over rock guitar riffs (puke!) make them sound like they're trying to fit as many noises in as they can, while only coming across as hollow and unnecessary. If one hasn’t heard N.E.R.D. before, then maybe this could be considered a good album, but this isn't new. We know their gag (talented hip hop producers who like women, spaceships and skateboards), and by now it's wearing as thin as Pharrell's voice sounds.
My preferred songs on Seeing Sounds, because they aren't so jarring, include "Anti Matter," and "Yeah You," both of which stick to trademark, N.E.R.D.-sounding hip-hop, and "You Know What," which presents a discoed-out N.E.R.D.
N.E.R.D. always offer up something different, something nobody's doing, but it seems more and more hit or miss, and this isn't a case of them being before their time, either. Seeing Sounds is worth a few listens, but nothing that would make it into my regular rotation.
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N.E.R.D are from the city I live next to, so they get my hometown love. Obviously, they' weren't gonna be on such a big level if the Neptunes didn't blow up. I think a lot of the problem of evaluating the band rests on the fact that In Search Of... was so lauded, but it created the wrong place for reviewers to start from. ISO was the Neptunes producing, Pharrell singing, and the back-up from Spymob. So, they decided to play their own instruments. Fly or Die was cool when I was a sophomore in high school, but there were unneeded collaborations. Seeing Sounds seems like the album they wanted to make. Is it the best thing this year? No, not really. Hell, it's probably not the best this month (Wolf Parade's calling). It is what is, fun, enjoyable, something to pump in your car on the way to the beach. Also, I'm really disappointed in the last line I wrote.
Earlier today I saw ReadyToGo's post which featured the song "Little Boxes," now the theme song of Weeds. I had a good think and realized this is the song that is most often stuck in my head. With every episode the theme is reinterpreted by contemporary acts, but I love her voice so much that I prefer the original. So here's to having it stuck in my head.
The song is by Malvina Reynolds, a woman who got her doctorate at UC Berkeley and started her music career when she was in her late 40s.
Performing another song, "No Hole in My Head"
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I recently watch every episode of Weeds (yea, I'm hooked now) and the first thing I said when I started watching was "This is the best theme song ever!" It's nice to see something else by Malvina. Thanks :)
Good post, brittany.
Anyone who has the confidence to start their "music career" in their 40's is A-OK with me!
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Rik Cordero rules. He's been directing some of the best dancehall videos for years. I'm thrilled to see he's working with artists that are generating more attention to his work.
Hmmm – interesting, you know Rap & hip Hop is a interesting beast. I remember when I first heard the classic Grandmaster Flash track ‘The Message’… I was hooked... I mean good street beat poetry & social commentary with a beat/rhythm you could dance to and simple hooky melody, what's not to like? The rest is history but apart from a few gems Rap & Hip-Hop soon lost me because it quickly degenerated to “my gun is bigger than yours” translation (look how big my dick is) and “it’s all about the ‘bling” translation (if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em).
But every now and then a rapper came up with a track that hinted at some kind soul and evolution. More often than not it came from artists who dared to cross genres like; the brilliant Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy… “Television The Drug Of Nation” is possible the most poignant, intelligent and musically satisfying track the Rap genre has ever spawned.
Sometimes the gems came from unexpected sources… for instance DMX did nothing for me I didn’t like his style and his messages bored me senseless until I heard “Who We Be”, I still have no desire to hear more DMX and the little I have heard does nothing for me but that track connected.
Yes Rap and Hip Hop has always been more “miss” than “hit” for me…
So what about this Wale dude… well I watched this video… it displays some intelligence, I like the message and purple is a special colour in my world… but a few minutes after I heard it… I had forgotten it… it just doesn’t satisfy me on a musical level and lacks the melodic hooks.
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