For the most part, N.E.R.D. mixes simple bass lines with live drums, keyboards and riffy guitars with funky success, although on its new album, "Fly or Die," some of the music comes off as sloppy and forced.
Two-thirds of the members of N.E.R.D. are better known as producer-duo the Neptunes. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have been producing hits for everyone from Britney Spears to Jay-Z, and have become household names. Their side project, N.E.R.D. (which stands for "No One Ever Really Dies"), debuted in 2002 to critical acclaim with "In Search Of...," which featured Williams' and Hugo's childhood friend Shay and backing band Spymob. For their follow-up, Williams and Hugo have ditched the backing band and championed all of the instrumentation themselves.
"Fly or Die" is noticeably different from "In Search Of...," due to the absence of rapping. It is more pop-driven, and while there's no song as good as "Stay Together" or "Brain," on "Fly or Die" N.E.R.D. does have some great songs, despite the inconsistency of the record.
Present on the opener, "Don't Worry 'Bout It," is Williams' familiar falsetto crooning, which would've sounded a lot fresher if it hadn't been featured on almost every bland track the Neptunes produced last year, including Snoop Dogg's "Beautiful" and Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss." Williams also proves his lyrical content hasn't changed since N.E.R.D.'s debut, in which he name-drops himself: "They say damn Pharrell, you have a cold heart will you move? / So when it comes to a girl like you, that moves me, what am I supposed to do?"
Unfortunately, Williams' tremendous ego isn't the only annoyance on "Fly or Die." The appearance of the Madden twins, better known as the pop-punk darlings who front Good Charlotte, on "Jump" is totally unnecessary. As the Maddens spit their usual flow, famously featured on Good Charlotte's 2002 hit single "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," you wonder if this was the best collaboration Williams and Hugo could get through their Neptunes connections. Where's Dirt McGirt?
While the first half of "Fly or Die" sounds like guitar-pop melded in dissonance with keyboard lines more reminiscent of the music accompanying any "Sonic the Hedgehog" level, the second half is much better. On "Drill Sergeant," N.E.R.D. sounds more power-pop than hip-hop, channeling its inner Beach Boys on the catchy chorus. "Thrasher" combines big drums and strings that would fit a montage from the movie "8 Mile" to create head-knodding, fresh rock track.
The first single, "She Wants to Move," has N.E.R.D.'s signature of perverse, out-there lyrics, "Her offbeat dance makes me fantasize / Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride," but the hook sounds too much like Busta Rhymes' Neptunes-produced "Pass the Courvoisier" to be effective.
Overall, the content of "Fly or Die" goes directly against its title. This record neither flies nor dies, but instead remains a mixed offering. To its credit, there is no other band that sounds like N.E.R.D., so no one is doing it better. However, despite its innovation, N.E.R.D. has delivered a follow-up album that has few excellent tracks, and is not as strong as its predecessor.
