By Odeisel

N.E.R.D. is the artist extension of the Neptunes, and it allows them to get from behind their very lucrative boards, and get some of that intoxicating spotlight. Pharrell, in particular, has been very comfortable on the bright side, albeit never sure whether he wants to be a singer or a rapper. Their latest, “Hypnotize U” finds them joining forces with French electronic heroes Daft Punk for a sex driven club-friendly tune.

There is balloon bounce and Minneapolis synth progression centered in a minimalist atmosphere, as well as a low clap that maintains the pace. Pharrell’s falsetto is employed to its fullest here, and while that rarely if ever transfers live, it works in the confines of the computer aided studio, so for now it’s cool. It’s very 80’s in rhythm and construction.

The song itself attempts Prince like sexual allegory “if I’m not beside you, I’m behind you… imagine you’re on the beach and you’re lost, you feel the breeze because your clothes off,” but it doesn’t really work unless you ignore the lyricism on it and focus on the rhythm. There is a whispered “touch it girl, touch it girl, touch it girl, ah” that serves to mellow the refrain and reins in the vocals. Clichéd references to sex as therapy (guess what the payment is). The song gets more listenable when the falsetto is abandoned for the more in tune with the song whisper tone used in the second verse. Skateboard P is far more effective on this than Pharrell the singer.

With the wild creativity that Kanye is exhibiting on his G.O.O.D. Friday run setting the bar this season, a track featuring N.E.R.D. produced by Daft Punk should have more bite than this song. It’s not bad, just not inventive for such a pairing. Judge for yourself. Enjoy.

N.E.R.D.-“Hypnotize U” Produced By Daft Punk

N.E.R.D. – Hypnotize U (prod. Daft Punk)

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