I’m not even going to attempt to list all the projects and bands that Timi Conley’s been involved in but I will point out that almost all of them involve his own brand of weirdness. Any man brave enough to wear a full on tight one piece hero outfit is sure to have some interesting things to say. He’s his own brand of cool. The name of the record says it all: Nerd Sexy. The album release party is TOMORROW at LITTLE KINGS.
Artwork! I was surprised at how toned down this is. There’s Mr. Tim “Pimp Yo” Conley on the back cover but other than that and the neon pink, it’s a very bland cover. I was expecting something absolutely crazy. Oh well. Can’t judge a record by its cover…
New Boyfriend is a short intro (:51) but it gives you a pretty good idea of what you’re in for with the rest of the record. There’s harmonies, some traditional guitar strumming, and a few random audio tidbits.
Te Amo (Gold Tooff) begins with birds tweeting happily and continues into a nice acoustic guitar and synth drum groove. Conley’s voice stays sweet, almost in a whispery John Mayer mode. And there’s your totally random comparison for the day. It ends with a crazy rap in a high pitched voice.
Words Must Die “8.9.10.12.11.” Conley delivers a disjointed vocal here, speaking in broken phrases. The guitars stay blazing even with the video game type sound effects in the background.
Here Come th’ Blues White crazy boy blues. I’ll give props to the guitar playing and the production that actually sounds like Conley recorded this in a tin can studio about 70 years ago. Then he mentions “Baywatch.” It’s not like any blues recording you know.
Sex Dream More of the video game synth drumming but the subject matter is just hilarious. There’s a really nice and deep bassline going on here. I wish he could have done some more crooning but oh well. A nice mostly instrumental piece.
Hi Skoo only makes me flinch because of the title. Must. Resist. Editing… The song’s a fun little acoustic number from a kid’s point of view. It actually reminds me of some of Chris McKay’s stuff.
Gettn Bizy Another blues on crack (well, more crack) tune. Playing with guitar slides is fun peoples. Bizy then morphs into Conley loudly mumbling “Lorday” and the like into the microphone. There’s still a lot of electronic elements towards the end of the song, keeping it in line with the other offerings on Nerd Sexy.
Help You is seven seconds of beauty. Then it’s gone. *note sad face*
Still Vibration A really lovely, straight up guitar number. Conley’s voice and guitar are front and center, giving you a chance to enjoy his songwriting chops without having to dig through other things. Bare boned and awesome. My favorite track.
It’s Over features a lot of moaning of the title. It’s just voices and just random fun for a little over 1:30.
Yellow Duck on a Golden Anvil is insane. Where to begin? The fact that it sounds like lounge music for Mad Men? Or that Conley could do a really good rendition of “Rock Lobster” if he wanted? It’s a jam number that you can dance to. By the end, I wanted both a duck and strawberry scented shampoo. I’m still not quite sure why but I’m pretty sure it’s ok.
Are Ya Feelin’ the Love? A minute long drum and yelling session with some keyboard thrown in.
Can’t Get Enuff Pure Timi. There’s sampling, nice melodic bass, mentions of pancakes, and satellite cheesecake. It relies heavily on Conley’s faster than you can think delivery and mind-boggling vocal samples. It’s one of my faves from the record.
Even Though (:52) Violins and soft guitar. Really makes you wish that Conley would come out with another record that’s just stuff like this. He can do crazy and he can do the intimate.
And Girl… A little bit of rap and a little bit of whispering. If you dig the stuff from Flight of the Conchords, this ending track is right up your alley.
And there we have it. Nerd Sexy isn’t so much a cohesive album as a collection of songs from different parts of Timi Conley’s mind. He only hints at his acoustic crooning power which is fine. The short interludes provide a break between the crazy fun of the other tracks.
Overall, I’d give it about a 7 out of 10. It’s a great record to have if you’re a Timi fan (or, more likely with the number of bands he’s in, a collaborator). Best heard when leaving an Athens venue at 2 in the morning after dancing all night.
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