No_One Ever Really Dies
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LP / Format
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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
Much like Outkast in the 2000’s and Kendrick Lamar’s take on hip-hop, No_One Ever Really Dies has the potential to change the course of modern pop music and inspire a wave of influence that will be heard through countless artists for years to come.
85
With all the success that Pharrell Williams has had on his own in recent years, some may have forgotten just how much of a powerhouse N.E.R.D. is when they get together. Boasting the production genius of Williams’ constant collaborator Chad Hugo and the grounded nature of Shay Haley, the group have another amazing record on their hands.
82
Where previous N.E.R.D albums often suffered from a lack of cohesion, No_One Really Dies is able to string together each track with a more uniform sound despite its vast array of guests.
80
Where their previous albums featured Williams et al throwing one musical idea after another at the wall in the hope one of them would stick ... No_One Ever Really Dies boasts a gripping, consistent sound behind its plethora of high-profile cameos.
80
The return of N.E.R.D feels monumental. Written mostly by Williams, No_One Ever Really Dies isn't as obviously aggressive as In Search Of..., but the juxtaposition of sounds shows no shortage of creativity.
80
NERD’s comeback sounds very much like Williams’s show – and it’s brimming with killer tracks and star guests.
80
No_One Ever Really Dies is the group's most futuristic and experimental effort to date; it's gutsy and more than a little weird, but there's a slick tidiness underpinning the chaos from start to finish.
80
The energy level is high and restless, in a near-permanent state of agitation, heightened with machine beats that judder and bounce, synthesizers that plink and probe, and Williams' animated protestations.
75
Some may miss the more rock-influenced days of the group's debut, but Pharrell's more recent taste rules here. It's for the better. NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES plays like an album length party, with no groove that won't make you want to get off the couch and dance.
75
Rarely has such powerful music collapsed so neatly into lightweight star fuckery.
70
The fifth N.E.R.D LP, and first since 2010's forgettable Nothing, feels urgent in a way their music never has, fitting our political moment while remaining as stylistically looped-out as ever.
70
N*E*R*D's latest is a somewhat inconsistent return, but offers some of the freshest production of 2017.
62
Out of the game so long, the N.E.R.D. antennae have picked up on something extra-musical in the air, and crafted their old sound around it. It sadly renders as a piece of resistance-bait, one whose clumsy, on-the-nose message slams you in the head harder than most of its songs.
58
It’s a weird fucking album ... neither as crowd-pleasing as it should be nor as experimental as it wants to be. The drums sound great, though, and the Rihanna track is as good as N.E.R.D. gets.
50
This feels less like a group effort and more like Pharrell throwing studio leftovers into a pot and coercing his friends into calling it a stew, an unenthusiastic potluck of convenience.
40
Messy in its execution, and lacking in the simplicity of N.E.R.D’s previous work, ‘No_one Ever Really Dies’ isn’t nearly as profound as it thinks it is.
40
Even for a deliberately loosely-styled group like N.E.R.D., the songs here go on way too long, though it’s often difficult to pinpoint how far back they should have been trimmed when most are already so lightweight.
Why haven't I been posting many reviews, its because this is all I been listening to. This album captivated me like nothing has. I've only heard it three days ago, but it feels like it's been with me forever, from Rihanna's verse, to those "uh huh uh huhs" to the Gucci mane adlibs, to Kendrick verses, to Pharrell production, to the sci fi like lyrics, to all of "Deep Down Body Thrust." This thing was just......MADE for me. It's everything I love about pop and rap music.
messy, but love it
Highlights : Lemon, Don’t Don’t Do It!, Secret Life of Tigers or Voilà
This album just sound like it was a fun time to make, very consistent record till the last 2 songs but besides that I love this record and a very fun listen
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Track List
| 1 | Lemon 3:39 with Rihanna | 87 |
| 2 | Deep Down Body Thurst 4:11 | 87 |
| 3 | Voilà 4:20 with Gucci Mane, Wale | 76 |
| 4 | 1000 4:03 with Future | 81 |
| 5 | Don't Don't Do It! 4:17 with Kendrick Lamar | 91 |
| 6 | Esp 5:29 | 77 |
| 7 | Lightning Fire Magic Prayer 7:44 | 82 |
| 8 | Rollinem 7's 5:09 with André 3000 | 80 |
| 9 | Kites 4:50 with Kendrick Lamar, M.I.A. | 81 |
| 10 | Secret Life of Tigers 3:45 | 75 |
| 11 | Lifting You 3:42 feat. Ed Sheeran | 65 |
Total Length: 51 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | Okayplayer |
| #12 | / | Les Inrocks |
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2y
esp > don’t don’t do it > ddbt > rollinem > lemon > kites > 1000 > voila > secret life of tigers > lifting you > lfmp
2y
don't don't do it > lemon > 1000 > esp > ddbt > rollinem > secret life of tigers > lfmp > voila > kites > lifting you
a superior ranking to rafaels, as always
a superior ranking to rafaels, as always
Added on: November 6, 2017