The Daily Spin, October 28
The Naked and Famous | Passive Me, Aggressive You
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite songs from each album right here.
Album: Passive Me, Aggressive You (2010)
Artist: The Naked and Famous
Link:
The Naked and Famous hit the scene with their 2010 debut at a time where a lot of the music world felt like it was in a relative state of upheaval, to my childhood observances.
As such, their electronica-heavy blend of indie music, influenced by 80s dance and post-punk with equal fervor, feels like a very specific capsule in time in the best way - because there was only so long where people tried to do this, and I would posit that TNAF were at the very tail end of a lot of that.
MGMT got to it first, and they weren’t the only ones, but at the same time, this album feels like an early predecessor to so much of the FIFA music I love - the rock-tinged indietronica, heavy riffs and airy vocals, shredded guitar next to synths that barely let you up to breathe before they’re back on you, just enough sparkle and shimmer to filter the world in swatches of brilliant hues - I can see it all here, and though it’s unlikely that many took direct inspiration from Passive Me, Aggressive You, I can still love this album for what it feels like it gave us.
Rating: 8.5/10
Best Tracks: Punching In A Dream; Young Blood; Girls Like You
Worst Tracks: Eyes