Fly Or Die
by N.E.R.D
  • Record Label: Virgin
  • Release Date: Mar 23, 2004
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
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  1. Alternative Press
    100
    A great album, crammed with hooks and harmonies, goofball lyrics and the left-of-center melodic twists any indie-rawk geek would fly or die for. [Jul 2004, p.148]
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  2. Uncut
    100
    Fly Or Die has more in common with 10cc and XTC than it does Common.... Prog-pop album of the year. [Jun 2004, p.91]
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  3. E! Online
    91
    More realized than 2002's In Search Of..., they hit all of their marks, rubbing guitar licks against '70s funk and sexy R&B that's bound to get any club flying high.
  5. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    If rock is rap's new sonic sandbox, then N.E.R.D.'s crazy-strange second album, Fly Or Die, makes them the unlikely heirs to, of all people, Steely Dan. [2 Apr 2004, p.62]
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  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Williams has clearly approached 'Fly Or Die' as the kind of project where the central aim is to show us all how clever he is, and as he flits from musical style to style like a hungry pop bee, you're pounded into submission because HE IS JUST SO GODDAMN GOOD AT EVERYTHING.
  7. Urb
    80
    In a perfect world, Fly Or Die would become a classic-rock staple right next to Can't Buy A Thrill and Heaven Tonight. [May 2004, p.87]
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  8. Mojo
    80
    This is an enthusiastic hymn to the terminally uncool. [May 2004, p.106]
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  9. Stylus Magazine
    70
    The whole album is put together so oddly, almost haphazardly, that this works better as a collection of moments than as a whole.
  10. The A.V. Club
    70
    Fly Or Die has its rough patches, but the liberating, anything-goes looseness that inevitably results in stretches of self-indulgence is precisely what makes the album, like its predecessor, so messy, vital, and fun. [31 Mar 2004]
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  11. PopMatters
    70
    These slightly warped combinations -- resentment and frustration, yearning and insight, naïveté and fascination -- aren't so different from the simple-seeming sentiments on most pop records, even if the instrumentation, vocals, and programming are unusually layered and carefully produced.
  12. The New York Times
    70
    While Mr. Williams isn't much of a singer, "Fly or Die" has goofy charms to spare.
  13. Dot Music
    70
    Flawlessly interesting is what we’ve come to expect from Williams and Hugo, but "Fly Or Die" is rather interestingly flawed.

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed Album of 2004
81
#81 Most Shared Album of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 51
  3. Negative: 5 out of 51
  1. annaj
    Apr 19, 2006
    10
    verry good
  2. RayW
    Aug 16, 2005
    2
    Well Since you guys like Rock so much then why don't you make all rock music instead of being in rap video's fags and don't Well Since you guys like Rock so much then why don't you make all rock music instead of being in rap video's fags and don't have gold teeth if your a rocker… Full Review »
  3. AndrewW
    Dec 27, 2004
    7
    Catchy poppy hip-hop that is generally hit or miss between songs. This album definitely does not carry with it any deeper message but blasts Catchy poppy hip-hop that is generally hit or miss between songs. This album definitely does not carry with it any deeper message but blasts you with riffs and bouncy beats to divert you from this notion. A solid party album!… Full Review »
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