 |
 |
Black Eyed Peas
The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)
(Interscope)
The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) marks a new beginning for Black Eyed Peas -- for better and worse.
The worse:
1) They've abandoned hooky hip-pop for icier electro-funk built from repetitive house grooves, annoyingly AutoTuned vocals and one-finger synth melodies.
2) Too many of these simplistic, stream-of-consciousness songs sound as if they took about as much time to record as they did to write -- sorry, program.
3) Once you get past the singles, the rest of it is pretty much an endless, vacuous expanse of cliches, recycling and filler.
|
4) Will.i.am supposedly envisions this as some sort of elastic creation that can be expanded and added to. Translation: Expect to be inundated with remixes, bonus tracks and Special Editions. As if the 70-minute version weren't enough already.
5) More Fergie.
The better:
1) Nothing is as egregiously, festeringly horrid as My Humps.
2) Most of it, fortunately, goes in one ear and out the other quite easily.
3) Rumour is that will and Fergie are feuding over her burgeoning (and to us, still inexplicable) fame. So with any luck, this fifth CD will be their last. The end can't come soon enough.
Boom Boom Pow 5:08
If you aren't already sick of this ridiculously massive hit -- a meandering bunch of blah blah and synths over an old-school 808 funk beat -- consider yourself lucky.
Rock That Body 4:28
The beat shifts to a pumping four-on-the-floor groove. The synthesizers keep squiggling. Fergie's chorus vocal is manipulated into a chipmunk on helium.
Meet Me Halfway 4:44
Fergie and will blend romance and dance on this tympani-flecked disco duet. The chorus wouldn't be out of place on an old Madonna single.
Imma Be 4:16
It starts off slow, funky and monotonous, then -- as if will were getting bored -- cranks up midway through into a robo-dance track. Imma be tired of this CD in a minute.
I Gotta Feeling 4:49
This second single is a poppy toast to the nightlife, with will exclaiming "Mazel tov!" over a chiming keyboard melody and an insistent bass drum stomp. Oy.
Alive 5:03
Will has "so much love for you, darling" that he apparently travelled back to Studio 54 circa 1976 to write this disco-pop ditty.
Missing You 4:34
Nope, not the John Waite song -- just another thumpy dance-floor filler with buzzy video-game synths and vapid lyrics ("If lovin' you is wrong, then I must be wrong").
Ring-a-Ling 4:32
We spoke too soon: With a chorus that rhymes ring-a-ling with ding-a-ling and -- spoiler alert! -- dang-a-lang, this ode to a booty call makes Missing You sound like Dylan.
Party All the Time 4:43
"If we could party all night and sleep all day ... my life would be easy," goes the chorus. What makes it even easier: Swiping song titles from Eddie Murphy.
Out of My Head 3:51
Fergie takes the spotlight to belt soul-mama vocals over another whomp-whomp stomp and a finger-popping bassline. At times, it almost sounds like an actual song.
Electric City 4:08
Take a Bo Diddley beat. Make it as robotic as possible. Add some fuzzy synths and a dancehall flow. Give Fergie a hooky melody to sing. Repeat and serve.
Showdown 4:27
Back to the janglier, poppier end of things. "Go ahead and hate us," invites apl.de.ap, "it only makes us greater." That would make this their greatest track yet.
Now Generation 4:05
What do kids today want? Money and a fast Internet connection -- and they want it right now, according to this little pop-rock tantrum.
One Tribe 4:40
After an hour of vapid partying and consumerism, the Peas earnestly preach peace and global unity. And nothing says global unity like faux African textures and whoa-oh vocals.
Rockin to the Beat 3:45
Find a funky instrumental and repeat the title in your best android voice until you run out of interest. See! You too can write Black Eyed Peas songs.