In the canon of great American duos, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo-- better known as hip-hop’s paragons of icy minimalism, the Neptunes-- rank somewhere between Laurel & Hardy and Hall & Oates. So one’s got to wonder, with that pedigree, why the hell Pharrell would leave his longtime partner out of the production process for his debut solo album, In My Mind? The dark curls and eccentric lazers in the Neptunes’ music have always been attributed, at least in part, to Hugo. One listen to Kenna’s overlooked 2003 post-new wave album New Sacred Cow-- produced entirely by Hugo-- reveals the evil synths and cold kinetics he brings to Williams’ airy theatricality and bougie Turks & Caicos yacht-rap.
Without that dark core, Pharrell is left to focus expressly on the bouncy and bounce-able. Not that there’s anything wrong with his brand of quasi-philosophical, brazenly materialistic music-- see Jay-Z’s "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)”, for example. But stretched over the course of 16 songs, with few contributions from those who owe him for part of their success, leaves a moist, spoiled aftertaste. It’s all pizzazz, no pathos.
Granted, there are impressive moments: The arresting “Keep It Playa”, featuring Slim Thug, features some rattling snares and a familiar series of guitar plucks that rumbles into a hilarious falsetto bridge about J. Lo’s ass. It's the same kind of breezy thrill afforded by “Frontin’”, Williams’ hit with Jay-Z from the 2003 compilation The Neptunes Present...Clones. However, that brings us to “Young Girl”, a mediocre paean to (maybe) underage ladies that sounds like a cross between very bad Prince-aping and “Sunshine”-era Jigga. It’s the first song in a truly ghastly second half of an album that didn't need to exist in the first place.
And it's all downhill from there. The less said about “Number 1”-- perhaps Kanye West and Pharrell’s lowest four minutes ever-- the better. Even Pusha T of the Clipse strikes out on the limp “Stay With Me (Dim the Lights)”, a song that has me wondering what happened to the guy that laced Noreaga’s brain-bursting “Superthug”. Or Mystikal’s assiduous “Shake Ya Ass”. Or Britney’s irrefutable “I'm a Slave 4 U”.
Williams’ hard sell on the album, more than a year ago, was a split work: Eight R&B songs and eight rap songs, speaking to his production history. It was also an opportunity for Skateboard P to spotlight not just his mosquito-throated singing style, but also his bric-a-brac cadence and elocution. Unfortunately, that's exactly what we get.
There’s no denying that Pharrell wasn’t completely built for this kind of forum, but the idea that a producer of his caliber can’t put together something resembling a likeable LP-- particularly in light of his endlessly amusing Gangsta Grillz mixtape, In My Mind: The Prequel-- is insane. Here, he’s shot himself in the foot. Where the mixtape exploded with enthusiasm and wit, In My Mind the album is corroded and ineffectual. Worse, it’s predictable.
One of the album's few redeeming tracks comes early on “Best Friend”, an autobiographical ode to friendship in the face of struggle. At one point P raps about the exit and entrance of two important figures in his life: “Seventh grade it was cursed and sad/ But the gift left within it is when I first met Chad/ But even Chad could tell you that my Christmas was jinxed/ Grandma died on 12/19.” It’s a rare open-hearted moment, unaffected by “black Carl Sagan” proselytizing or BBC chain boasting. The brief but recognizable sample from Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”, is a knowing nod to the kind of sentiment Pharrell looks to duplicate. Only, without a clear perspective or a best friend to hold his hand, he’s left with little but a cool T-shirt and a pair of new BAPE sneakers.
Most Read Album Reviews
-
-
Cloud Nothings
Here and Nowhere Else
By Ian Cohen; March 31, 2014
-
Mac DeMarco
Salad Days
By Marc Hogan; April 1, 2014
-
The Hold Steady
Teeth Dreams
By Paul Thompson; March 28, 2014
-
Sisyphus
Sisyphus
By Jeremy D. Larson; April 3, 2014
-
Miles Davis
Miles at the Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3
By Mark Richardson; March 31, 2014
-
Max Richter
Memoryhouse
By Grayson Currin; April 2, 2014
-
Manchester Orchestra
Cope
By Ian Cohen; April 1, 2014
-
Machinedrum
Fenris District EP
By Larry Fitzmaurice; March 28, 2014
-
Future Islands
Singles
By Jeremy D. Larson; March 25, 2014
-
2NE1
Crush
By Corban Goble; March 28, 2014
-
-
-
The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
By Stuart Berman; March 18, 2014
-
Pharrell
G I R L
By Larry Fitzmaurice; March 7, 2014
-
Perfect Pussy
Say Yes to Love
By Lindsay Zoladz; March 17, 2014
-
Skrillex
Recess
By Nate Patrin; March 21, 2014
-
Cloud Nothings
Here and Nowhere Else
By Ian Cohen; March 31, 2014
-
Mac DeMarco
Salad Days
By Marc Hogan; April 1, 2014
-
Future Islands
Singles
By Jeremy D. Larson; March 25, 2014
-
Rick Ross
Mastermind
By Craig Jenkins; March 6, 2014
-
Liars
Mess
By Ian Cohen; March 24, 2014
-
Real Estate
Atlas
By Jayson Greene; March 3, 2014
-
-
-
Sun Kil Moon
Benji
By Ian Cohen; February 3, 2014
-
St. Vincent
St. Vincent
By Lindsay Zoladz; February 24, 2014
-
Beyoncé
Beyoncé
By Carrie Battan; January 6, 2014
-
The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
By Stuart Berman; March 18, 2014
-
Beck
Morning Phase
By Ryan Dombal; February 25, 2014
-
Real Estate
Atlas
By Jayson Greene; March 3, 2014
-
Pharrell
G I R L
By Larry Fitzmaurice; March 7, 2014
-
Angel Olsen
Burn Your Fire for No Witness
By Lindsay Zoladz; February 17, 2014
-
Perfect Pussy
Say Yes to Love
By Lindsay Zoladz; March 17, 2014
-
Broken Bells
After the Disco
By Larry Fitzmaurice; February 4, 2014
-
-
-
News
Kendrick Lamar and Alicia Keys Share Pharrell-Produced The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Collaboration "It's On Again"
By Evan Minsker and Jeremy Gordon on March 31, 2014 at 09:36 a.m.
-
Watch Daft Punk, Pharrell, Nile Rodgers, and Stevie Wonder Rehearse for the Grammys
By Evan Minsker on March 19, 2014 at 05:40 p.m.
-
Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Alicia Keys Team for Amazing Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack
Johnny Marr, Phosphorescent also on soundtrack
By Zoe Camp on March 12, 2014 at 01:24 p.m.
-
Play Future's "Move That Dope" Video Game
"COLLECT. DISTRIBUTE. EARN RESPECT."
By Carrie Battan on March 7, 2014 at 12:25 p.m.
-
Reviews
Pharrell
G I R L
By Larry Fitzmaurice
Riding high on the 2013 success of collaborations with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke and with a current ...
-
News
Watch Future's "Move That Dope" Video Featuring Pusha T and Pharrell
By Evan Minsker on March 6, 2014 at 06:25 p.m.
-
-
-
News
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy Makes Fun of Folk Music on "Portlandia"
By Molly Beauchemin and Jeremy Gordon on April 4, 2014 at 03:49 p.m.
-
Pitchfork Seeks Graphic Designer in Chicago
By Pitchfork on April 4, 2014 at 02:22 p.m.
-
The National's Matt Berninger and Civil Wars' Joy Williams Sing Theme for AMC's "Turn"
By Jeremy Gordon on April 4, 2014 at 12:58 p.m.
-
Sex Pistols/PiL's John Lydon to Star in "Jesus Christ Superstar" With Destiny's Child, 'NSync, Incubus Members
By Jeremy Gordon on April 4, 2014 at 11:50 a.m.
-
Features
The Out Door
The Out Door: Decades in the Making
Mapping the long journeys of persistent artists—Sweden's Bo Anders Persson, New Age pioneer Laraaji, and improv-rock outfit Gang Wizard—as well as a defense of the controversial My Husband’s Stupid Record Collection blog.
-
Tracks
The Atlas Moth: "Collider"The Atlas Moth: "Collider"
By Andy O'Connor on April 4, 2014
-
-
-
News
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy Makes Fun of Folk Music on "Portlandia"
By Molly Beauchemin and Jeremy Gordon on April 4, 2014 at 03:49 p.m.
-
Pitchfork Seeks Graphic Designer in Chicago
By Pitchfork on April 4, 2014 at 02:22 p.m.
-
Reviews
De La Soul
Smell the D.A.I.S.Y.
By Nate Patrin
De La Soul's work with J Dilla helped define their transition from the Prince Paul-produced lightheartedness of ...
-
News
Wayne Coyne Explains Flaming Lips' Dark Side of the Moon April Fool's Prank
"Just by accident, it also stands as a strange, emotional ...
By Jeremy Gordon on April 4, 2014 at 10:21 a.m.
-
Reviews
BNMMac DeMarco
Salad Days
By Marc Hogan
Mac DeMarco's second full-length isn’t a departure from its predecessor so much as a richer, increasingly ...
-
Tracks
-