The Cold Cut

N.E.R.D.- Anti Matter (Link 2)
NERD- Spaz (Link 2)
NERD- You Know What (Link 2)

N.E.R.D.'s 'Seeing Sounds' is surprisingly simple to review. In short, this is an album that almost (it's annoyingly close) realises their potential. That being said, their potential is a modern classic, so the results are still brilliant.

If we are honest with each other, N.E.R.D. have never equaled the sum of their parts. The Neptunes (also known as Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) are held in high esteem, and thought to be some of the most influential producers of the modern age. And yet, whilst their studio work fizzles and cracks with creative thought, Pharrell and Chad (joined by Shay Haley) as N.E.R.D. can't quite seem to keep their own boat fully afloat. Until now... whilst previous output has been fairly pedestrian- limited to a few choice singles with some passable filler- 'Seeing Sounds' is the best of the bunch, by a long, long way.

Lead single 'Everybody Nose' was a good choice, although the content (girl's lining up bathrooms/coke) would have made more of an impact if the meaning was instantly clearer to the average Joe. The video is the missing link, with some rough looking girls wiping their noses, whilst N.E.R.D. move around with energy. Could it be any clearer? 'Spaz' is the album stand-out. Williams' lyrics are direct, for a change, and actually mean something, accompanied by a catchy chorus. A promising prospect, and this song is not alone on the album, where Williams puts his updated lyrical tilt to good use- all his time with CRS has been seriously beneficial, and it's obvious that copious notes have been taken from Lupe and Mr. West. Therein lies the key to NERD progressing further.

The music itself is largely flawless, and given the comprehensive 'Glow In The Dark Tour', I'm sure they will be able to reproduce it live, note for note (any comments on that tour would be appreciated). In terms of beats and backing, 'Seeing Sounds' is privy to the best production of the year, with numerous breakdowns, some experimental instrumental sections and original beats and samples. Pharrell struggles with his vocals (which should have been left to Shay), with songs such as 'Happy' forcing him to overuse his falsetto. If N.E.R.D. have a weakness, Williams' vocals are it. They are lucky that they can overcome this small issue using familiarity as a distraction.

I find it hard to criticise N.E.R.D. for their previous habit of treating albums as a selection of separate songs, as that is essentially what The Neptunes are paid to do. Thankfully, this little quibble has been solved. 'Seeing Sounds' fits together nicely, with a handful of songs linking seamlessly into each other. That must be down to the concept behind the album title: 'synesthesia', or a neurological phenomenom where sounds are seen as colours. It's a bright move, but I honestly can't see how this ties into most of the songs (besides a few vocal cues: " Close your eyes see colorful things you wanna"), most pointedly 'Anti Matter'. I'm willing to give a little, though, when such a diverse song is involved (samples, heavy bass, rap, synths, a breakdown)- what more could you really want?

The experimental aspects are pushed even further forward. Pharrell quite clearly doesn't give a shit about the journos opinion, and I respect him for that. Unfortunately, this has backfired on N.E.R.D., as none of the songs on this album are instant. 'Seeing Sounds' needs to be slowly digested, and the short time frame allotted to most music journalists has most likely made them unable to appreciate this album's (and its predecessors') intricacies. More than any other album of the last few years, 'Seeing Sounds' grows and grows- certainly, I really wasn't impressed when I first heard it, but I'm considering revisiting their earlier output to look for similar tell-tale signs of a missed opportunity. I sincerely suggest you follow my lead.

'Seeing Sounds' can be purchased on Amazon.

Hello hello. I've really missed this over the last few days (free will, that is)- over the course of 48 hours, I've had 4 A2 Modules, and a complete lack of time and choice.

Now, with the weekend ahead of me, I'm taking a few hours off to compose myself and generally have a bit of fun. Loads of cool stuff has happened over the last few days, and whilst the focus of this blog is music, I'm sure that you are all interested in other stuff as well.

First things first, music. It's been an exciting week, with many album releases and anticipated releases. Before I start reeling off the tracks, I wanted to point out my latest addition to The Cold Cut: zips. My main aim is to provide you with as much fresh music as possible, and to keep the user experience simple and enjoyable. So to reduce time, at the beginning of every post, I'm going to zip all the music (yep, ALL of it) and upload it, instead of uploading multiple copies of each file. So if you're the kind of person who wants to have your cake and eat it, download the zip file, and get a small taster of this weeks music! I hope this makes things easier! Individual files will still be available for download, but in limited quantity.

The Return- All The Tracks In This Post.zip (Link 2)

Pharrell, Julian Casablancas and Santogold- My Drive Thru

Converse have continued their onslaught on the music world, except this time around, they're having an impact. Coupled with their uber-cool advertising campaign- Connectivity (see a few sheets below)- they recently commissioned a new song involving Santogold, Julian Casablancas and Pharrell. In doing so, they've assembled three of the coolest people in the public eye (look at the photo above and tell me you don't wish you were Julian?).

This is exactly the kind of image they want to present, and the song is great too. 'My Drive Thru' is a nice change for all three musicians- Pharrell mostly stays behind the mixing board, but the vocal combo of Julian and Santi is ree-diculous, with a nice chiming bell/guitar riff. In short, I love it, for its unabashed energy and bravery. And for all those grumbling about how 'I've lost all respect for Santogold', I ask, 'why'? These guys have to pay the bills, and I for one wouldn't turn down the chance of working with such talented musicians.
Lightspeed Champion is steadily moving into the limelight: please take the time to watch this incredible SXSW performance, and keep your eyes open for some new tracks no doubt arriving over the next few weeks. Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.comncert at baeblemusic.com

Lightspeed Champion- Xanadu

Coldplay's new album was brought forward and released yesterday. It frustrates me that there has already been a great deal of Coldplay bashing, mostly by the newspapers. The whole situation is confusing, as it appears the critics can't make up their mind: in the run up to the album, I read numerous articles stating that the only way Coldplay could win would be to change their sound. And they have- their reward is a generally unimpressed reaction.

Coldplay- Viva La Vida (Telemitry Mix)

Nas buckled. Big style... he changed the name of his forthcoming album (which you will know, and I will not write) to 'Untitled', but then released a mixtape with the original name. How confusing, and pointless. The statement isn't quite so large if the name is confined to a teaser, Nas! His first single, 'Hero', was released, and its a nice introduction to the new album. However, it doesn't stand a chance of dethroning Lil' Wayne from rap album of the year.

Nas- Hero (ft. Keri Hilson)
Lil Wayne- Let The Beat Build

Apple's 3G iPhone has also had a lukewarm welcome. I for one will be getting my hands on one: the main issues being brought up are no front facing video camera, no 'true GPS functionality' and the same 2MP camera. These are fair points, but technology is subjective. I hardly ever use my phone's camera, as it's crap, and if I had an iPhone, I wouldn't take it anywhere where I wouldn't take my dedicated digital camera- concerts, for example. Using an iPhone to take pictures would make you a huge target to the thieves who go to gigs solely to steal wallets, phones and anything else they can get. However, I would agree that I feel slightly cheated by the 'new' iPhone. Sure, it's got 3G, and a few tweaks, but to be honest, the main draw is the new application store. That's the main reason I will be purchasing one asap.

Mystery Jets- Two Doors Down (Duke Dumont Reconstruction)

The summer film season is finally kicking off- Iron Man was heaps of fun, and my top five remaining releases are The Dark Knight, Wanted, Wall-E, The Incredible Hulk and Hellboy 2. All action orientated, and almost all (The Dark Knight is a bit... well... dark?) heaps of fun. If your inner child isn't brought out by these little Wall-E vignettes, then the feature film won't be for you.

Fleet Foxes- He Doesn't Know Why

Oh, and a little thing called sport. Over the last few days, the sport has been sublime. From Holland (come on boys) caning in Euro to Nadal edging past 6 foot 10" Ivo Karlovic, I'm finding it hard to draw my eyes away from the screen. And with Wimbledon, F1 and more coming up, this is looking to be an enjoyable summer! Any die-hard supporters here? Whose your money on for Euro 2008? My top four: Germany, Holland, Spain and Portugal. Croatia might edge their way in there!

N.E.R.D.- Yeah You

And that's it- I've run out of energy, and things to talk about. More updates tomorrow! Nice to be back.

PS Leave a note if the links go down!