The thing about N.E.R.D. is that it's really the one act where you see Pharrell the most comfortable. It's spaztastic, genre-busting music that's not intended to fit anywhere. Unlike past releases by N.E.R.D., this album isn't intended to 1) sell beats or 2) transcendent hits by a concept band.

Seeing Sounds is basically a concept album, but it's full of tried and true stuff. None of it will blow you away, you know the formula by now and their sound is distinct. Tracks like You Know What and Sooner or Later are just good pop songs. Pharrell really has the art of this down better than almost anyone in the game these days.

The single from the album, Everyone Nose (also known as All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom) is a straight club banger. But again, it's a formula track and you can't help but start nodding your head to it. It's absolutely insane -- in a good way. It skillfully pulls off the slow track, too. Yeah You isn't a Bobby James-esque track, but it does have that 1990s era love ballad feel to it, that makes it work flawlessly.

This album isn't going to overwhelm you, but it's a welcome return to the scene to a band that's refreshing.