N.E.R.D., the hip-hop/rock hybrid project of legendary production duo The Neptunes and associate Shay, has been on somewhat of a hiatus since their 2004 release Fly or Die, the follow-up to their '02 debut In Search Of.... The group, known for making live rock instrumentation sound similar to sampling techniques, vowed that after the release of Fly, they were indefinitely putting their N.E.R.D. project to rest after having built a solid fan base and touring the nation.
So it comes as a surprise that the group is even releasing their third and newest album, Seeing Sounds, their most straightforward album as of yet. Its name was inspired by the phenomenon known as synesthesia where two senses combine, causing something like music to become visible to the listener, hence the title Seeing Sounds. N.E.R.D. may not evoke that type of reaction from fans on this album, but they certainly deliver a spacey romp through hip-hop and rock on this 12 track amalgamation of burning party tracks.
