indy cd & vinyl

N.E.R.D.—SEEING SOUNDS

The members of N.E.R.D., Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, along with rapping buddy Shay Haley, gained fame as producers for Madonna, Britney Spears, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Kanye West. Seeing Sounds is their third album under the N.E.R.D. moniker, and it finds them splitting the difference (actually, COMBINING the difference) between hip-hop and alt-rock, to great effect. Full of funky bass and drums. rock guitars, and new wave choruses, N.E.R.D. synthesizes sounds in a way few artists are able to accomplish. Opening with cartoon-like theme music and memories of being a kid, the album segues into a great beat on first true song, “Everyone Nose”. A fast rap flow combines with a beautiful piano led-melody and a stunning middle eight. “Windows” is fairly rock-centric, but “Anti-matter is a wonderful rock/hip-hop fusion. “Spaz” ups the ante with a strong drum & bass groove topped by an acoustic guitar loop, a very unusual but effective combination. “Sooner Or Later” starts as a straightforward soul song but concludes with a wild, electric wig-out. “Killjoy” combines a Sugarhill Gang style 80s beat with a punchy rock chorus, all enabled by great percussion effects. In short, Seeing Sounds should appeal to hip-hop heads and alt-rockers alike (at least those who like a little genre-bending in their music).