I can't take credit. That, rightfully, goes to my good friend Scott Allan Erdman; great guy, great friend and a fan of 80s music (how can you not love him?)
Therefore, this entry is dedicated to Scott Allan Erdman for letting me continue to use this title for my blog page.
So, in similar fashion, to the Wayne's World salute to Claudia Schiffer....
"Scott Allan Erdman, we salute you. Sha-wing!"
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AUDIO AWESOMENESS
The Naked & Famous "Passive Me, Aggressive You"
Released: September 6th, 2010
The Naked & Famous have been criticized for not being fresh, sounding inconsistent and indulging in a retro sound.
All of this is irrelevant, because of one undeniable truth.
They do it right.
Most reviews for their debut "Passive Me, Aggressive You" take an un-impressed, condescending tone. They are young, un-tried and very new to the world of indie-rock. But, all these reviews forget the most important point.
They do it right.
Originating from Auckland, New Zealand, N&F was created in 2008 by Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith when they recording some EPs that got the attention of independent labels. The duo started performing live and added Aaron Short, Jesse Wood and David Beadle. After finding success on the NZ charts with the single "Young Blood", the band released their debut "Passive Me, Aggressive You" in September 2010. By the end of 2011, N&F garnered six nominations at the New Zealand Music Awards.
Commercially, the band has been well received in their native country, however the hipster, music crowd haven't been as receptive. I chalk it up to hipsters being too jaded for their own good (but we won't get into that).
Sonically, "Passive Me...." whets the audio appetite and hits many different palettes. The album opener "All Of This", blatantly borrows the intro from A-Ha's "Take On Me" and follows through with an undeniable beat that bridges the group into dance culture. Breakthrough single "Young Blood" is a synth-heavy, fist-pounding track ready-made for festivals, while follow-up single "Punching In A Dream" beautifully crosses into dream pop territory.
Admittedly, N&F slathers a synth-heavy, retro sound on tracks like "Eyes". This one could easily come off Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" album and the hook sounds like Coldplay's "Fix You". But combine these elements with the musicianship and chemistry displayed and it works. The track explodes with retro energy and churns a glorious tidal wave of bright, melody.
"Passive Me..." also showcases a dark, moody side with the sinister, beat-driven vocal interplay of "The Sun" that builds to a dramatic crescendo and "No Way"; one of the best 90s post-grunge tracks never written in the 90s.
It would take a very jaded, angsty critic to ignore the musicality and energy that "Passive Me, Aggressive You" snaps and sizzles with. It would be like writing off U2's debut "Boy" as sounding too much like Siouxsie & The Banshees, or scoffing at Pearl Jam's "Ten" because it is reminiscent of "Nevermind".
Naked & Famous are a band that deserve to be recognized on their own merit and should be celebrated for drawing influences from the past and bridging it to update the current indie music climate.
Like most things in popular culture, the winning formula is taking from the past and combining it with the present. In the music arena, no other band succeeds, especially on a debut, as convincingly as The Naked & Famous with "Passive Me, Aggressive You".
In other words, the band does it right and we should do them (and our playslists) right by checking out the album.
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