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Thu Apr 27 2023
4
This one is hard to pigeon-hole, which is a good thing - its a mix of hip hop, jazz, prog, and rock. Truly eclectic and original. We need more modern music that's hard to label and pushes the envelope like this on this list. Plus it was a pleasure to listen to.
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Wed Jun 28 2023
2
"Don't judge a book by its cover" was my first thought after listening to the first song. The cover, after all, is horrible. Based on it, I was expecting a 1/5 album. I appreciated the first song and that's it - unfortunately, the longer I was listening the worse it got.
Don't give me hope and then take it violently!
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Tue May 23 2023
5
Rating: 10/10
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Mon May 29 2023
5
Some great song... The front half of the album slays with a slight let down on the back half but still great
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Thu Apr 27 2023
4
I played this a few times while doing different things with two of my adult kids. They knew it and also knew Pharrell’s other projects. I never heard of them. I was also told that NERD stands for “no one ever really dies.“ We were hiking and cutting through a graveyard when I was told this so I had a hard time getting it.
When I first saw the album I mistakenly thought it was another hip hop offering. Glad to learn that I like rap rock more. There’s some fun stuff on this. I’ll round up.
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Mon May 01 2023
4
One thing I've enjoyed about this exercise is discovering music that is new to me and interesting to listen to. This fits the category.
As in, some guy named Pharrell is on the drums, Lenny Kravitz is featured on a couple of tracks, and one guy on the cover is giving the vulcan salute.
Live long and prosper.
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Wed May 10 2023
4
What a great record. I’ve always liked Pharrell, but knew nothing about his part in this outfit. This is not a hip-hop album. It’s high-quality pop.
Full of great hooks and totally interesting music. Particularly love the opening track, Don’t Worry About It, Backseat Love, She wants To Move & the epic Wonderful Place (with hidden track Waiting For You) - so personal & unlike anything else on the album. And special mention to Maybe, which features Lenny Kravitz & Questlove - a quality ballad. No duds here. They even get away with the repetitive refrain of the name Mildred in the final track. That’s good going.
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Sun Jun 04 2023
5
vai nerdola
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Wed Jun 28 2023
5
Almost jumping into guilty pleasure territory, but you know what? Guilty pleasures shouldn't exist. Enjoy what you enjoy. I enjoyed the hell out of this. It's a mix of a few different genres, and it was GREAT.
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Thu May 04 2023
4
Damn, that Pharrell is one talented dude. This is a pretty great yet unheralded album. Totally dig it.
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Thu May 04 2023
4
A curious album, and one that grew on me through the day. Impossible to pigeon hole but rather fun and I'd give this another listen for a change of pace.
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Fri May 05 2023
4
Really good and fun and catchy!
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Sun May 07 2023
4
7/10. This was pretty solid, didn't expect it to be so rocky. That said why the hell are there three hidden tracks? And is it even really a hidden track if it's not at the end of an album, or at least the end of a record-side?
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Tue May 09 2023
4
Remember back in the early 2000s when everything sounded like The Neptunes or NERD or Pharrell?
I really didn’t like that homogeneous and generic times in pop. A lot of it sounds really sleazy to me.
Well turns out these lads were capable of much more and have some very jazzy ideas.
I guess if pop stars keep turning up at your studio, offering thousands of dollars for the next sleazy, generic hit, who can blame them for grabbing the cash?
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Wed May 10 2023
4
Rock alternativo.
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Fri May 26 2023
4
Now here is an album! Enjoyed listening to this from start to finish. Good mix of hip hop and a sort of new jazz. Tough to explain but I'd rather struggle to identify the genre than recognize it immediately (UK looking at you).
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Thu Jun 08 2023
4
Gairebé a mig camí entre el hip hop i el funk rock, el disc sap com aprofitar-se del millor de cada génere per anar moldejant un treball que passa ràpid i deixa senscions de felicitat pel seu recorregut. Pharell Williams és cos i ànima del treball, i aquí es trobava en un dels seus millors moments artístics. 'Drill Sergeant', 'Fy or Die', 'Waiting for You'... et donen ganes de saltar, ballar, riure... Un feel-good album de manual
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Fri Jun 30 2023
4
Pretty hot. I think it could have been edited down some to its benefit, it's a long album and drags at time. But overall great.
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Fri Jul 07 2023
4
Album that is very different from anything in its genre, somewhat ahead of it’s time by giving an alternative feel.
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Sat Jul 08 2023
4
4
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Wed Jul 12 2023
4
This album has a lot of the same problems Pharrell’s later stuff has: weird awkward sounding lyrics. Otherwise pretty good though
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Thu Jul 20 2023
4
This was a rather interesting album, from a group I was not very familiar with (apart from Pharrell's Get Lucky with Daft Punk of course). At first listen I thought the songs were catchy but also a bit weird melodically; it didn't quite work for me. The second listen was much more enjoyable, so I went from 2 to 4 stars in the end.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
4
I'd never heard of these chaps, they started a bit shaky, like a sort of Bloodhound Gang copy, but they evolved into a mix between Silksonic and Flight of the Conchords. I genuinely really liked a bunch of these tunes.
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Sun Aug 06 2023
4
She Wants To Move // Breakout // Wonderful Place // Drill Sergeant // Maybe // The Way She Dances // Find My Way
3.5/5
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Fri Aug 18 2023
4
Very good production and arrangements. Pretty into it
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Tue Aug 22 2023
4
00’er hiphop/pop, lidt rocket, energisk, pharell
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Tue Aug 22 2023
4
Really close to hitting something so strong, but it feels like almost every song was nearly groundbreaking. Not strong enough to get the 5 for me, but definitely a great album.
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Mon Aug 28 2023
4
Les N.E.R.D me semblaient être un nouveau boys band rnb des plus homosexuels, il n'en fut rien, la troupe de Pharell s'est mis en tête de nous baiser la gueule pendant une bonne heure.
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Mon Aug 28 2023
4
J'avais très bien reconnu Pharrell caché derrière ses doigts contrairement à eltrapeze qui n'a qu'un sur dix aux deux yeux. Bigleux.
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Mon Sep 04 2023
4
Didn’t know anything about this. I was intrigued and ended up really enjoying it. I like the rockier sound underlying the rappy top layer.
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Thu Sep 14 2023
4
This album takes me back to college, when I first listened to and really enjoyed this album.
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Sat Sep 16 2023
4
Not bad.
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Wed Apr 26 2023
3
All new to me -- the group and its music -- and this is a fun one. Nice blend of hip-hop, rap, R&B, pop, and rock in here. I enjoyed it.
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Thu Apr 27 2023
3
I didn't have much of a chance to listen to this because I'm busy watching the World Snooker Championships :)
I'll say that I was happy it wasn't rap, the overall sound and especially the singing is fairly unpolished, especially when comparing this to R&B LPs over the last two decades; "She Wants to Move" and "Maybe" are good songs.
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Thu Apr 27 2023
3
Some good tracks. Not a fan of Pharrell's voice particularly
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Fri May 05 2023
3
This one surprised me a lot! Looking at the cover art, it immediately gives me the impression that I was about to listen to some copy of a copy of the worst of Beast Boys or something like that. In the end, I was kind of right about it (😅), but at least they do a good copy, and they are almost bright with some novelty in their best songs.
Never heard about them before, look like a cover band, sounds like a good cover band and it was a nice listening session. 3
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Sun May 07 2023
3
Maybe was my favorite track. Otherwise, the main thing I got out of this album is that Pharrell Williams is 50. 6/10
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Sun May 07 2023
3
Production is very good, had no idea Pharrell made stuff like this
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Mon May 08 2023
3
Pharell is my enemy
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Wed May 10 2023
3
"Fly or die" . Ok let's get urban and possibly deeply ironic, yeah :-) . It ticks a genre box I suppose. I'm curious as to why it's on the list... I drop my bias for a moment... I looked for their most popular track.. "she wants to move".. and reluctantly, I can say , on the 2nd listen, does have a certain catchy and original style, on the 2nd listen. Sometimes you have to give new music some time... As the album cover advertises so well what it is, it's easy to see this as juvenile american boy music with attitude. Mostly not for me, and at first it really defies me to see what it defines, achieves or says. ... I actively disliked much if it. As the review mentions they worked hard to make something that others see... Party Rap rock. I started to hear influences of Nirvana harmonies and heavy 90s rock updated ....with modern bit band overtones - moments of Timberlake without the vocal gifts. So that's how I got to 3 stars instead of 1. Bruv slates, andLive long and prosper, fellas. (But I am not sure you broke the metaphorical shell of our understanding of brash American culture).
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Mon May 15 2023
3
C'est un bon melange de style bien prduit. Mais c'est pas exceptionnelle. Ils ont eu de l'influence c'est certain . 3.75
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Fri May 19 2023
3
N.E.R.D moves without moving, a feat I'll reduce to Pharrell as it's his sound that provides the constant. The end of the record feels distinct from the start, the energy played out somewhat; Each song in the middle is less a point in the established space but a question mark. Genreless in a pop-fun mode, the record can inspire in terms of dance, perhaps craft.
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Sun May 21 2023
3
This was a really fun listen. Playful songs with a chill vibe, nimbly drawing on a variety of musical influences. Remember when this kind of creativity wasn't so rare in music?
Fave Songs: Maybe, Breakout, Don't Worry About It, Jump, Thrasher
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Tue May 23 2023
3
Big singles, great production, curiously empty.
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Thu May 25 2023
3
This was fun. Sounds like something my dad would play in the car for us as kids.
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Fri May 26 2023
3
Haven't listened to much NERD, but very familiar with the Neptunes, Pharrell and Chad Hugo. I've heard a lot of good things about them, and it's obvious they're creative and talented. I have a feeling this isn't their best album, but it's still pretty good. I'm glad that this is on the list, but scratching my head thinking of other Neptunes-produced stuff that's certainly not on here. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse?
Favorite tracks: Fly or Die, Breakout.
Album art: Extremely 2004. The three of them standing hatched from a USA flag egg. I'm not reading much into the symbolism, but the banner style, shadows, everything is very of its era. Reminds me of the Black Eyed Peas.
3.5/5
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Sun Jun 11 2023
3
Mixed feelings about this one. Its kinda genreless which is good.. its a rap-funk-rock crossover but not in a RHCP shite way.. The debut is stronger. But I'm not won over by the songs but I kinda admire it . Second half is weaker.
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Sat Jun 17 2023
3
A rock/hip hop crossover, but a lot more emphasis on the rock than I had expected. Reminiscent of a more chilled out Death in Vegas in places. Power to the nerds.
Rating: 3/5
Playlist track: The Way She Dances
Date listened: 16/06/23
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Sun Jun 18 2023
3
Personally, the mix of rap and funky rock just didn't prove anything, it feels like it would have worked with classic hip hop beats just as well. Only the last song was really anything that stood out from the rest
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Sun Jun 18 2023
3
Interesting genre bending and sound, but it just failed to excite me. Felt lifeless even when energetic.
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Mon Jun 19 2023
3
Mezcla de rap, Lenny Kravitz ...Pero no en su conjunto, sino que cada canción suena como de estilo distinto. ¡Ah vale! Que una canción la canta con Lenny Kravitz, jaja. Por eso me parecía ....
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Mon Jun 19 2023
3
Rock alternativo. Rap rock. Ni fu ni fa.
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Tue Jun 20 2023
3
Honestly I thought this was just ok. Not a huge fan of rap-rock as a genre but this was harmless and pretty typical of Pharrell's work, of which I'm not the biggest fan in the world to begin with, outside of some collabs he's done with other artists. 6/10.
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Fri Jun 23 2023
3
Great little boogie album
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Sat Jun 24 2023
3
NERD
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Fri Jun 30 2023
3
Vraiment pas trippé, je sais pas quoi penser du mix rock et rnb. Je ne trouve pas que la voix de Pharrel et la musique s'accorde si bien ensemble. L'album était un peu long et je trouvais c'était très similaire tout le long. 5/10
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Thu Jul 06 2023
3
Did not initially recall N.E.R.D. at all when this came up, but then reading about them and realizing is was Pharrell Williams jogged my memory a bit. Regardless, I never listened to them at all before. This album is okay, it feels a bit uneven and all over hte place to me, especially given the level to which Pharrell has risen as a producer. Some fun songs, but a lot of the arrangements just don't really do it for me. Fun enough for sure.
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Fri Jul 07 2023
3
Very hit or miss album for me. Some of the songs were fun and funky while others were weird and lyrically creeped me out. Pharrell as an artist tends to be hit or miss for me anyways
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Fri Jul 07 2023
3
Fairly interesting. Not the traditional rap record. Nothing special, though.
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Wed Jul 12 2023
3
It was an interesting album. It was not hip hop, although it may have been better if it was. It was a longer album. A couple of songs sounded familiar. There is not much of a desire to listen to it again. I will round up but it is not really a three
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Fri Jul 14 2023
3
MID
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Fri Jul 14 2023
3
Some good tracks ... surprisingly musical for a rap band. Good keyboards and pretty good singing.
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Sat Jul 15 2023
3
Never got into this album when I was younger, despite loving their preceding album (and even having a glow in the dark BRAIN hat). Thought I may have grown into, but it still just seems a bit disjointed to me, and just not fun to listen to.
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Sat Jul 15 2023
3
Good to see Pharrell’s earlier work, but far too many “hidden” tracks.
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Sun Jul 16 2023
3
Based on knowing nothing but seeing the album cover, I thought I was going to hate this. But I was wrong! Good stuff. 3 stars.
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Tue Jul 18 2023
3
This was a relatively unique album. It’s hard to say if I liked it but it was interesting. This is best described as an alternative hip hop album but it felt kind of childish. Pharrell is hit and miss with me. Some of his stuff is good some is just bad. He clearly likes music and doing new things but I had a hard time enjoying this one. It felt like hip hop but for teenagers. 5.8/10
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Thu Jul 20 2023
3
It's not clearing to me what this really is, seems all over the place, but there are definitely some strong tunes.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
Better than I thought it was gonna be.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
I listened to this just after attempting Bitches Brew and it was just the pop antidote I needed: Neither to alternative not to facilitate to put me off. So saying it is enjoyable without being complex. A charming mash-up of genres.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
A fun listen, similar to the first album but no worse for it
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
qualcosa di simpatico c'è, principalmente "She wants to move"
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
Not as rockstar as I thought it would be. A window into the early naughties.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
3
It's fine. Maybe a 3/5 at best.
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Fri Jul 28 2023
3
Zijn het de beste muzikanten? Nee, dat niet. Maar wel respect dat ze voor dit album instrumenten hebben leren bespelen. Resultaat is een rampalbum met veel pop.
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Thu Aug 10 2023
3
This was underwhelming. Aside from the hits, the album mostly went by uninspired. Not sold on it but not a hater.
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Wed Aug 23 2023
3
I appreciate the effort that NERD put into creating this album, including learning all of the instruments so they can play them live! Overall it was a good rap/rock album that really put the likes of Pharrell Williams on the map.
Best: She Wants To Move
Worst: Chariot of Fire
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Fri Aug 25 2023
3
3-
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Fri Sep 01 2023
3
Enjoyable: I wouldn't call it hiphop but neither any other genre. It just felt like a weird mashup of music made by highschoolers from the 00s which is shown perfectly in the album cover, odd. Although this may be so I found myself enjoying this album but not to the point i'm listening to many songs again.
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Fri Sep 15 2023
3
3.5
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Fri Apr 28 2023
2
While I can appreciate the ingenuity and creativity of this album, it’s just not my jam. At first I thought it was a decent album to listen to in the background with my kid around, since the beats and different effects are pretty good, but after listening to some questionable lyrics, decided that the only plus factor for me in that regard, didn’t matter much if I didn’t want my kid listening to it. They are artists of their generation, so I’ll give them that!
Listen again: no
Purchase for my collection: no
Favourite Song:
Worst Song:
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Sat May 06 2023
2
I see little of virtue in this album. Nothing, actually.
Seems like the curators here are clutching at straws.
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Wed May 10 2023
2
Nope. Bored. I can see that this album has been expunged (rightly) from the latest edition of 1001 Albums.
Pitchfork writes: "Debating the validity of Pharrell Williams' bandname seems like a contentious trifle, but the dude continuously positions himself as a wide-reaching musicologist. In the press, he seems convinced that merely mentioning the fact his record collection contains Steely Dan, Chick Corea, Stereolab, and EPMD coupled to his role as producer of tracks for the likes of Britney Spears and Philly's Most Wanted makes him a pop prodigy crossover messiah. The name "N.E.R.D." arrogantly admits to a higher IQ, while excusing Williams' potentially embarrassing prog-R&B; hybrid as a goofy cult experiment. Sadly, like a tackle-shocked J.O.C.K., Fly or Die is stupid and boring."
Agreed; stupid and boring.
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Wed May 10 2023
2
Only listened to part of the album. nor did I give it full attention. What I did hear was OK but not great.
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Fri May 19 2023
2
Good
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Mon May 22 2023
2
not for me
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Thu Jun 01 2023
2
The target audience for this appears to be middle school, which is great, because somebody's going to get that sweet, sweet preteen money and it might as well be you. I just couldn't turn my brain off enough to enjoy it. Best track: Find My Way
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Fri Jun 09 2023
2
Not as good as the following albums, sry
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Wed Jun 21 2023
2
Average at best
2.5
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Sat Jun 24 2023
2
the 2000s were so sleazy.
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Sun Jun 25 2023
2
2-3
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Wed Jun 28 2023
2
Not natural poets are they? The horny teenage boys of hip hop
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Mon Jul 03 2023
2
2.7 - A fun, upbeat energy is the only thing saving these dumb-as-rocks songs. I do like the first part of "Drill Sargent" where he's complaining about an asshole boss but that soon descends into a violent fantasy.
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Wed Jul 05 2023
2
not gonna revisit Neptunes
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Fri Jul 07 2023
2
I wanted to like this because the idea they were going for is cool. The rap/rock combo is fun but none of the songs really did it well. Good idea, not well executed.
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Fri Jul 07 2023
2
The music is pretty good, but I find the singing is more of a distraction than a benefit. The singing seems out of tune and almost unrelated to the music... a feeling that just because you're trying to sing smoothly, that it's going to be enjoyable. Maybe seems to be the best and everything else is a step or two below it. Was happy to have this over.
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Fri Jul 14 2023
2
"Fly or Die is the second studio album by American rap rock band N.E.R.D,…"
Tis neither rap nor rock.
2/5.
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Thu Jul 27 2023
2
Poor, he qlways seems overarated to me, nothing new here.
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Fri Jul 28 2023
2
The fact that the band all learned how to play their instruments for this album is truly impressive. It does show in the sense that some of it is fairly basic but I can't fault them for that. It's a pleasant listen as well, although somewhat unremarkable in my eyes.
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Sat Jul 29 2023
2
2/5
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Wed Aug 02 2023
2
This album was okay, but it had its interesting moments. There is clearly some rap-rock influence here from groups of the 90s, but they find a way to make it their own. There is definitely a unique, cool funk sound and vibe to this album, too, especially noticeable on "She Wants to Move". These aspects definitely sounds like signature Pharrell Williams, demonstrating that his style goes back further than just his solo career.
Speaking of, I had no idea that Pharrell Williams was involved in a band (let alone two bands!) prior to his solo career. That was fun to learn!
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