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“No One Ever Really Dies”, otherwise know as N.E.R.D have unleashed there third album upon the music world this month entitled “Seeing Sounds”. Pharrell Williams has been quoted as saying that “"We didn't care about genres; we're not doing this for the money," and together with fellow band members Chad Hugo, Shay Haley proved that without the pressures of commercial success you are able to produce a fresh and innovative sound.
We are invited to start seeing sounds in the first track “Time for Some Action” which opens with Pharell speaking over a carnival atmosphere, before moving into the more familiar slick drums beats and synced guitars that N.E.R.D are known for. The album then effortlessly moves through 12 exceedingly well crafted tracks, having been produced by the Neptune’s (The Neptune’s consisting of two members who happen to be Pharrell and Chad Hugo) which ensures that all of the creative decisions have come directly from within the members of the band. One of the surprising highlights of the album is the jazz feel to “Yeah You”. “Happy” derives influence from David Bowie in his electronic days, while “Sooner or Later” give a blunt foresight into a relationship that is about to fail.
There is no doubt that this is the Pharrell Williams show, and you cannot argue his talent and influence on today’s music. The list of artists that he has collaborated with is basically a list of the current top 40, from Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Kanye West to The Hives, Snoop Dog and most recently Madonna. He is credited with writing all twelve songs on this album, ten of those songs he penned single handedly.
What make’s N.E.R.D, and more specifically Pharrell, stand out is that they are able to create such a diverse range of sounds. Pharrell’s most recent collaborative work on Madonna’s latest offering “Hard Candy” is radio friendly, ensured to sell a few million copies and will make sure that the dollars keeps rolling in, however on seeing sounds his creative flair is uninhibited by outside influences and you can really get an inside into what he feels, what influences him and where he intends to go with future projects.
This is a fantastic eclectic collection of songs, each track has a distinct individual sound, each track has its own individual feel and it is reassuring to know that in twenty years when we look back and realize what an incredible influence he has had on music that we were able to experience it first hand.
Interview by Andrew Short |
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