The weirdness, diversity, spastic changes and fearlessness is back in N*E*R*D’s newest album “Nothing.”
Pharrell and Chad Hugo’s side project N*E*R*D (No One Ever Really Dies) makes a strong comeback from its last album “Seeing Sounds” with “Nothing.” The cover art of the album has an image of Pharrell wearing a soldier’s helmet with red, white and blue feathers on the side.
In an interview with Pharrell on television show “A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus,” Pharrell explains that the soldier’s helmet represents the war and the feathers represent the peace.
“Nothing” did not lose the known sound of N*E*R*D. Instead, N*E*R*D adds a more serious tone in this album and in their lyrics. Especially in their inspirational song “Victory,” which, by the end of the song Pharrell is chanting “Don’t be afraid…The limit is the Sky…You can win if try.” The song exudes the inspirational tone N*E*R*D fearlessly aims.
“Hypnotize U,” on the other hand, has deep funkadelic mood to it that sounds like the futuristic age of disco. In “Nothing,” the title track, N*E*R*D goes from a smooth jazz tune in “Perfect Defect” to a song driven by the lead guitar with bongos in the background in “Nothing on You.” with an incredible catchy dialogue skit right in the middle of the song.
All it takes is a simple beat at the bongos in the background at the same time, and N*E*R*D has heads bobbing.
The band is one of the few bands that can mix rock, rap, country and techno into to its own separate, unclassified genre. When you listen to this feel good album, remember to please “free your mind,” listen and enjoy.
Key Tracks: Perfect Defect, Sacred Temple, Nothing on You