From the sunny land of New Zealand comes The Naked and Famous, with the most spectacular debut album I have heard in a long time. "Passive Me, Aggressive You" could not have come at a better time, however summer anthemy the songs undoubtedly project (which makes sense as New Zealand's summer has just begun) it's still very much perfectly in tune with our fresh autumnal breeze, or their fresh summer clarity. Either way, we need to soak up their sunshine one way or another, no one needs Seasonal Affective Disorder. And this album is a darn sight cheaper than a Light Therapy Unit.
Mark Ronson has openly acknowledged the fact that he needs help from others, which he collectively calls The Business Intl. The resulting album is an array of genres colliding. He visits the last 5 decades and colours them with twangy electro sounds and modern beats. It's like he has decided to create his own old songs that never existed, so he could remix them, as he is famous for on his other albums. This is his 'Record Collection', it makes sense if you think about it.
Ronson has crammed in plenty of old hypnotic 80s and 70s loops to send you into a fairly enjoyable trance, with contrasting raps and 60s vocals chiming in at surprising moments. This is an era overload outfit, psychedelic hat, a-line skirt, awkward band t-shirt and rollerskates, you look like you got dressed in the dark, but somehow it worked out alright for public appearances. Tracks like "Lose It In The End" has a 60s feel about it, based on the style of vocals by Alex Greenwald (from Southern California band Phantom Planet who perform the theme song for The OC), but also a strong loop that wouldn't be out of place in Rawhide (!), and an unexpected grimy rap from Ghostface Killa. It sounds like a monster, but it's actually held together very well with a good fuzzy electro beat.