CD Review: N.E.R.D’s Seeing Sounds

From the jump N.E.R.D’s new CD Seeing Sounds smacks me over the head with nostalgia. The cinematic intro to “Time for Some Action” borrows from the score to the movie “Psycho,” a little trick that Busta Rhymes pulled for the video to “Gimme Some More” almost ten years ago. And then after about a minute this rumbling bass and drum combo stirs up memories of the Dismasters’ “Small Time Hustler” from the recesses of my subconscious. By the time its over I’m still not sure what I’ve listened to, which is how I feel throughout much of this CD.

Chuckling is involuntary during “Everyone Nose” with its chant of “all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom,” but “Windows” sounds like it was trying too hard to be Gnarles Barkley and its cheesy guitar and claps sound more like Toni Basil’s “Mickey” chopped and screwed.

On “Anti Matter” Pharrell exploits the lowered bar of lyricism in hip-hop and has developed into a more than tolerable MC, but N.E.R.D is at their best when they aren’t trying too hard. “Yeah You” has great replay value with a stripped down bass line and saxophone melody meshed with a quirky love/hate message tailor-made for internet age love affairs. “Sooner or Later” is just screaming for a cameo from EPMD or Biz Markie with its use of that vintage Joe Tex “Papa Was Too” drum loop but it remains distinctly N.E.R.D with its soothing piano melody and quirky hook.

Unfortunately, “Happy” and “Kill Joy” are straight fast-forward material and the only thing salvageable from the conceptual mess of “Love Bomb” is the beat that they should have given to Common or one of their regulars. The aptly titled “Laugh About It” is what some listeners will do when they reach the end of this collection depending on how many hallucinogens they’ve ingested to get through it.

Overall, Seeing Sounds has flashes of goodness but feels like the Neptunes put it together with their eyes wide shut.

Hydrosonics-Emmanuel Nyei

Name: Emmanuel Nyei
From: The Sudan
Contact: www.myspace.com/nuelmusic1

1) You were born in the Sudan, how has your culture influenced your creation of music?

My culture influenced my music creation because it was the first type of music i heard. At 6 or 7 years of age, our tribe, every now and then has tribal ceremonies or dances called “Nugara”, where they played bongo drums, ashikos, that can be heard from 3 miles away, and they danced all night long. So I would go home and make my own bongos and ashikos, from animal skin, and try to play that same rhythm.

2)In your profile you say “I learned so much, as far as mixing, mastering, track arrangments to name a few.” What exactly have you learned? Can you provide examples?

Well, when I first started I didnt know much, nothing at all. I didn’t know what mixing, mastering, or anything like that. I just looped many sounds together, played and recorded them, period. But then when I go back to listen and compare my tracks to those of the professionals, I’m like “damn, something doesn’t sound right”. Thats when I learned that tracks have to be broken down, correctly arranged, and mixed properly in order to give a whole “feel” to it.

3) So many people pick up Fruity Loops and just go in. Did you ever stop to read the manuals?

Honestly, I was just so eager to create something that reading the manuals never crossed my mind. I’m more of a “hands-on” learner. I just picked up and taught myself everything I know now. For those who read the manuals, it might be seen as an advantage but, those that didn’t read the manuals establish their own way of creating music.

4) Where do you get your sounds? Do you play any instruments?

The sounds in Fruity Loops was all I used at first. But as time went by, I started realizing that their sounds [don't] really sound professional. Thats when I bought sounds from ebay and downloaded some as well. I dont play any instruments, however, I’ll be attending music classes in college this fall. They teach piano and many other instruments, so maybe by next year I’ll be playing something.

5) Have you recorded any of your songs with artists?

I have worked with some local artists, and some upcoming artists in other states, no one who’s really out there.