Under the acronym NERD, production team The Neptunes can experiment unabashedly and can determine their own actions. There seems to be less and less of a box where we can place this progressive band. Over the years the gentlemen have started to use less and less samples and have learned to play instruments themselves. The constant renewal of the productions often produced astonishing music. The new
… album Nothing gives the impression that they have thrown all their old production techniques overboard to make room for new approaches. Unfortunately, this doesn't always work out well on the album. In addition, Pharrell Williams is still not a gifted vocalist, but is still responsible for all vocals. This would be less disturbing if we could enjoy the music undisturbed. The previous edition Seeing Sounds (2008) was still manageable, but the urge to experiment now seems to be playing tricks on them. Everything recognizable has disappeared and, apart from the funky bladder sections, too little remains. We can still smell the recognizable thick bass lines on tracks like God Bless Us All, Nothing On You and Hot-N-Fun. (GL)more
