In their day jobs as studio whizzkids, the Neptunes have produced smash hits for just about every R'n'B star you care to mention. NERD is what they describe as their rock side project, which has lead some people to suspect that it's little more than a repository for the songs they didn't consider good enough for their more famous clients. In fact, the quality control here is impeccably high and the album's cheerful, funky vibe often recalls the finest moments of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The subject matter, most of which revolves around uncomfortable adolescent memories, is edgy and absorbing, while the duo's idiosyncratic take on 60s psychedelic pop is simply glorious. Overall, Fly Or Die is like the Neptunes themselves, dazzlingly inventive, highly self-indulgent, sometimes frustrating, more often inspiring and overall a force for good. Long may they continue.
