'The truth will set you free/But first, it'll piss you off," prefaces Pharrell Williams on Lemon, the opening number of N.E.R.D.'s comeback LP, No One Ever Really Dies. Pharrell, a super producer, fashion designer and all-around dilettante, along with Chad Hugo and Shae Haley, are having a major woke moment and they've brought a whole lot of "wokeness" to their first full-length album in seven years since 2010's Nothing.
To quote Merriam-Webster, being "woke" means to be "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues [especially issues of racial and social justice]." Throughout the history, musicians have always used their music as a platform for social movements. This last year, in particular, saw a rise in pop artists becoming acutely aware of what's going on during the Trump presidency. Political pop is now the genre du jour, and these guys are putting their spin on it.
As its core, N.E.R.D. acts like a receptacle for Pharrell's eclectic musical ideas, a side project where he can be as experimental as he wishes. This usually results in a mishmash of sounds, styles and influences that don't always mesh together. On this record, however, the sonic direction is surprisingly coherent, thanks to guest spots that range from Rihanna and Gucci Mane to M.I.A. and Kendrick Lamar. Even the appearance of Ed Sheeran feels natural here.
Set to frantic beats and cut-up vocal samples, No One is rife with political commentaries. Some a little too on the nose, others on point, though regrettably get mixed with braggadocio rap. In the former camp, there're lines like "Oh, you won't get away! The way you treat Islam" (Deep Down Body Thurst) and "Got all this freedom in your room/Your mom's against the immigration/ Your dad's against your right to choose" (Secret Life Of Tigers).
In the latter, truth, borders and guns get jumbled up with Rihanna's verse revolving around telling "the paparazzi get the lens right" and a wordplay between her name and Ferrari's LaFerrari (Lemon). Similarly on the Future-guested 1000, Pharrell subtly addresses the plights of Native Americans ("We painted our face") and LGBT communities ("The rainbow angst") whereas Future goes on about how his "girl don't wear shoes unless they cost over a thousand" and how he's simply "too rich to talk".
Reggae-leaning closer Lifting You is the most laidback number here. Singing in a higher register than he normally does, UK singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran brings ample breeziness to the sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones party ("So let them say what they want to about us/ When they say your name/ They're lifting you").
While indeed a welcome return, No One feels half-baked as a protest record. Topical issues such as racism and social injustice are touched upon superficially, and are often undermined by some guest artists boasting about their lavish lifestyles. Having said that, this is still a solid record as far as the production is concerned. It's bold, brash and impressively consistent.
THE PLAYLIST
Singto Numchok (feat YB, Wan Wanwan)/ Na Doo
By now most of us are probably already familiar with Singto Numchok and his well-established artistic brand. Referred by some as "Thailand's Jack Johnson", the ukulele-toting Thai singer-songwriter trades in the kind of breezy, laidback sound that could be filed under surf pop. A follow-up to the loungey Tok, Na Doo finds Singto in his usual playful mode, using words (in this case, "doo" which in Thai means to look at) as part of the melody. "Doo, doo, doo, doo/Are you aware that you're so lovely to look at?" he intones over the blithe lite-reggae production as he's later joined by rap duo YB (Young Bong) and The Voice Thailand alumnus Wan Wanwan.
Yaeji/ Raingurl
Young Asian rappers are killing the game at the moment. First we have Indonesian MC Rich Chigga and now Korean-American Yaeji, a female producer who's representing the unlikely face of hip-hop. Raingurl, a standout from EP2, showcases her ability to marry house production with trap and rap. Talk-singing in Korean and English, Yaeji repeats "Make it rain, girl/Make it rain" until it becomes some sort of magical dancefloor chant. This is some next-level banger.
Geowulf/ Hideaway
Made up of childhood friends Star Kendrick and Toma Banjin, London-based Australian duo Geowulf have been serving up dreamy indie-pop since 2016. Their latest cut, Hideaway, recalls the mellow lo-fi nostalgia of established indie acts such as Best Coast, Cults and Tennis. Vocalist Kendrick sings about a lover who's closed off emotionally ("Oh, dear god, what are you frightened of?/You never opened up/All you do is hide away"). By the sound of it, it seems like Geowulf's upcoming full-length debut album, Great Big Blue will pick up where their four-track EP, Relapse, left off last year.
Tune-Yards/ ABC 123
Art-pop duo Tune-Yards have just dropped ABC 123, the latest offering off their just-released fourth studio record, I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. Built around percussion-driven production, the track arrives on the heels of its '80s-inspired predecessor Look At My Hands and shares with it the frenetic energy of band leader Merrill Garbus. "California's burning down/Sitting in the middle of the sixth extinction/Silently suggesting the investment in a generator," she sings before addressing today's hot topics like racism and politics ("But all I know is white centrality/ My country served me horror coke/ My natural freedom up in smoke").
Samia/ The Night Josh Tillman Listened to My Song
Hailing from the ol' Big Apple, self-published singer-songwriter Samia has been making waves on Spotify with her biting "anti-mansplaining anthem" titled Someone Tell the Boys. As her music gets more exposure, the buzz surrounding the 20-year-old pop upstart seems to become even stronger especially now with new track The Night Josh Tillman Listened to My Song. Like its name suggests, the song is a slow-burning piano ballad dedicated to indie rock's resident wise man, Father John Misty. Samia's voice is particularly arresting here, a sign that she's no flash in the pan.
