Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Review
The last thing any fresh-faced band wants to hear is "hold your horses", but the slow-burn rise to fame can have ameliorating effects. Auckland’s The Naked and Famous topped New Zealand’s chart with their debut single, a synth-pop fist-pumper called Young Blood, and they’ve spoken about their hunger to bust their country’s confines and repeat its success elsewhere. No shame in that. But a rapid rise might well throw a harsh light on the quintet, whose potential is let down by the giveaway of a band still unsteady on their feet: transparency of influence.
Their debut is an eager beaver, bustling with melody and colour, but little of it is fresh. Young Blood and its dutifully punchy, dream-pop follow-up single, Punching in a Dream, take their fuzzy-catchy cues from MGMT, with reductive romantic self-immersion diluting the lashing sarcasm of Kids and Time to Pretend. Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers’ boy-girl harmonies recall The xx by way of, on the mumbled-word outro of Frayed, Massive Attack. The abrasive psych-rock surges of Spank and A Wolf in Geek’s Clothing threaten to generate sparks, yet the shadows of Nine Inch Nails and The Chemical Brothers weigh heavy.
It’s disappointing because, although orchestrating ingredients is hardly the same as innovating, TN&F’s knack for layering songs and sounds could go somewhere interesting. They write strapping, festival-fit tunes, yet toy with template-stretching textures on The Sun and The Source. Ripples of drama fleetingly enliven Xalayith and Powers’ vocal interplay, she the forceful yin to his drowsy yang. And, in All of This, a sense of wistfulness sits well with an anxious, driving melody.
That very urgency, though, is less well-served by a tendency to lapse into default bluster-pop positions, as if therein lies the surest means to force the A-to-B of Auckland-to-breakaway success. The 1980s synthetics of Eyes offer one example; so do the gusty guitars that strafe the otherwise welcome reserve of No Way. You could justify that over-emphasis as evidence of a broad-ranging band flexing their options and chafing at their limits. But, in songs and career alike, you could also say The Naked and Famous might benefit from a sense of pacing.
--Kevin Harley
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Paul
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
So, I've been listening to 'Passive Me Aggressive You' for a couple of weeks now. In fact, since the CD arrived direct from the band's native New Zealand, I've barely played anything else.
The Naked And Famous have been compared to MGMT and Passion Pit. I have MGMT's albums and they're nowhere near as good as this. You find yourself listening to the first track saying 'This could be a single', then the next track starts and again you find yourself saying 'This could be a single'. Then the third track, then the fourth. They're all such high quality.
'Young Blood' was a big hit in New Zealand and it's easy to see why. 'Punching In A Dream', their first UK single is just as good. 'Young Blood' is seeing a release here in March 2010; If there's any justice, it will be a big hit here too. Judging by the fact that several dates on their forthcoming tour of small UK venues have already sold out months in advance, it looks like word's certainly got round.
It's fair to say that not too many people in the UK right now have heard of The Naked And Famous. Mind you, when I first started listening to Franz Ferdinand, nobody had heard of them either. However, by the end of 2011, I'm willing to wager that The Naked And Famous will be the name that's on everybody's lips.
By the way, check out the great video for 'Young Blood'. It's reassuring to see such a quality video matching a great song.
The Naked And Famous have been compared to MGMT and Passion Pit. I have MGMT's albums and they're nowhere near as good as this. You find yourself listening to the first track saying 'This could be a single', then the next track starts and again you find yourself saying 'This could be a single'. Then the third track, then the fourth. They're all such high quality.
'Young Blood' was a big hit in New Zealand and it's easy to see why. 'Punching In A Dream', their first UK single is just as good. 'Young Blood' is seeing a release here in March 2010; If there's any justice, it will be a big hit here too. Judging by the fact that several dates on their forthcoming tour of small UK venues have already sold out months in advance, it looks like word's certainly got round.
It's fair to say that not too many people in the UK right now have heard of The Naked And Famous. Mind you, when I first started listening to Franz Ferdinand, nobody had heard of them either. However, by the end of 2011, I'm willing to wager that The Naked And Famous will be the name that's on everybody's lips.
By the way, check out the great video for 'Young Blood'. It's reassuring to see such a quality video matching a great song.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Godfrey
Format:MP3 Download
Reading the reviews of this album on amazon ('beyond music!' 'the sound of 2011!') you'd be forgiven for thinking that The Naked & Famous were some combination of John Lennon, Dubstep and Jesus. Frankly though, I'm not concerned with the 'sound of 2011', only the sound of their music. This is a brilliant, solid, highly enjoyable album and they're already proving to be the biggest (and best) thing to come out of New Zealand for years (OK, that's not hard when the main competition is The Flight of the Conchords, but still). I listened to little else for days when I bought this album it's still more than decent six months later. Their sound, though not unique, is certainly distinctive and ideal for festivals (this album has 'Glasto' written all over it). It's not musically complex, or even ridiculously catchy, but the thumping bass and combination of distorted guitars and crystal clear keyboards just make you want to move. The stand out songs include the singles Young Blood and Punching in a Dream, but also the less well known (but fantastic) Girls Like You, which is bound to feature of several upset teenager boys' mix-tapes this summer (though that's not a criticism in this case). The Sun (an all too familiar story of hangover ridden post-coital shame) also has a sinister, haunting quality to it which is just so cool. If I had a complaint about it, it would only be that the promised crechendo isn't impressive enough, but I'm nitpicking really. No Way also has a brilliant breakdown at its end which makes one lament that the rest of it isn't as good.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mennis
Format:Audio CD
In short this album is amazing, my most played album of the summer. It might not be ground breaking epic music but it is seriously good and a very satidfying album. I bought it on the baseis that Punching in a Dream is tune and there might be one or 2 other good tracks on there. Good news there are no bad tracks it rocks from start to finish. If you dont have it, you're missing out!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By BS on parade
Format:Audio CD
This review comes from an internet game. You buy an album you've never heard of from a shop. Then you write your impression of it before and after listening to it for the first time.
---BEFORE LISTENING TO IT---
WHY DID YOU SELECT THIS ONE? The band name is quite good. It reminds me of the book and film title The Naked and the Dead. The album title is also quite promising, as it suggests a snarky intelligence in the Steely Dan mould. Then the song titles are okay sounding. Especially 'Punching in a Dream,' 'Spank,' 'Jilted Lovers,' 'A Wolf in Geek's Clothing' and 'Girls Like You.'
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE COVER? It's a colourful pink ball over a drab green hill and tepid white sky landscape photograph. The ball appears to be computer generated using a Commodore Amiga 500 using Deluxe Paint IV (from circa 1991). It hints in an abstract way towards looking like a globe. The colours and shapes within it seem random. There are white country style outlines but they are not confined just to the sphere, they extended over onto the landscape photograph. The cover is kind of awful looking, but so crap that it flips over into being kind of stylish in an anti-stylish way.
WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC ARE YOU REALISTICALLY EXPECTING? Up-tempo indie rock with male vocals. I expect the keyboards to be more important than the guitar. They are on the same record label as The Cure so I expect something slightly Gothic within their modern up to the minute digital sound. I imagine a fairly glassy, glossy, forbidding sound with a male singer who uses his upper range a lot more than his lower voice. White Lies are the sort of band I think they will sound like.
BEST CASE SCENARIO IT WILL SOUND LIKE? Basically a mix of White Lies, New Order and The Cure.... Read more ›
---BEFORE LISTENING TO IT---
WHY DID YOU SELECT THIS ONE? The band name is quite good. It reminds me of the book and film title The Naked and the Dead. The album title is also quite promising, as it suggests a snarky intelligence in the Steely Dan mould. Then the song titles are okay sounding. Especially 'Punching in a Dream,' 'Spank,' 'Jilted Lovers,' 'A Wolf in Geek's Clothing' and 'Girls Like You.'
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE COVER? It's a colourful pink ball over a drab green hill and tepid white sky landscape photograph. The ball appears to be computer generated using a Commodore Amiga 500 using Deluxe Paint IV (from circa 1991). It hints in an abstract way towards looking like a globe. The colours and shapes within it seem random. There are white country style outlines but they are not confined just to the sphere, they extended over onto the landscape photograph. The cover is kind of awful looking, but so crap that it flips over into being kind of stylish in an anti-stylish way.
WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC ARE YOU REALISTICALLY EXPECTING? Up-tempo indie rock with male vocals. I expect the keyboards to be more important than the guitar. They are on the same record label as The Cure so I expect something slightly Gothic within their modern up to the minute digital sound. I imagine a fairly glassy, glossy, forbidding sound with a male singer who uses his upper range a lot more than his lower voice. White Lies are the sort of band I think they will sound like.
BEST CASE SCENARIO IT WILL SOUND LIKE? Basically a mix of White Lies, New Order and The Cure.... Read more ›
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 58 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Naked and Famous album
Loved Young Blood by this band so when I saw the album on offer when I downloaded Cloud Drive I had to have it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Garbi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good effort
This band has a very distinctive signature sound. I listen to it when I'm doing the washing up and I like it.
Published 8 months ago by Paul
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't give up on this album
On first hearing this album, my first reaction was one of disappointment, and I didn't play it again for a couple of weeks. Read more
Published 8 months ago by DirtyBearIOW
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
It's just awsome. What more can I say? If you like music, this is for you. There. That's all.
You know what? Read more
You know what? Read more
Published 12 months ago by GodOFace
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!!
This band are simply brilliant! This album is class with some absolutely first class songs that have a nice beat to them with some powerful and deep songs, such as Punching in a... Read more
Published 13 months ago by MuseMartinLFC77
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not what it says
This is not what it says. It's described as a deluxe box set, when in fact it's a cheap and small cardboard with the main album plus the two EPs inside. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ghunnter
3.0 out of 5 stars
Watch out in case it's a picture disc!
In short; it's an okay album. But I'm not writing this to let you know that... I'm sure I'll not write anything that anyone else hasn't already. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Poppanik
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glastonbury 2011 "find" And Now Much Listened To
I hadn't heard of these Kiwi musicians before checking out the line ups for Glastonbury 2011 and having found a couple of tracks on youtube decided they would be on my list of... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best thing since sliced bread
I've recently bought Passive me, Aggressive you and haven't stopped listening to it. The album is GREAT, and should be nominated for Best Alternative Album here in the UK! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Annie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Indie Rock
"Passive Me, Aggressive You" by The Naked and Famous contains a clever blend of indie rock and electronic music. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Stella Carrier
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
