''NakedSelf'' is a
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
album by the British band
The The
() are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...
. It was the band's first album since ''
Hanky Panky'' (1995) and the first containing original material since ''
Dusk
Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...
'' (1993). In terms of sales, it was the band's least successful until that point, peaking at 45 in the
UK Album Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. As of 2020, it is the most recent
studio album by The The, except for three
soundtracks
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
.
Production
The album, produced by Bruce Lampcov and
Matt Johnson, was recorded in New York City. Johnson decided to make the album without the use of samplers, keyboards, or sequencers. Guitarist
Eric Schermerhorn
Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the '' American Caesar'' and ''Naughty Little Doggie'' albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine '' It's My Life Tour'' (as background vocalist and guitarist ...
, who had joined The The before the recording of ''Hanky Panky'' (replacing
Johnny Marr), took an active role alongside Johnson, with co-writing credits on six out of twelve tracks. The band released ''NakedSelf'' through
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some ...
after it was deemed by Sony as lacking in commercial value.
Critical reception
The album received mainly positive reviews from critics, with an average
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
rating of 75/100. ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' wrote that the album "finds Matt Johnson in his element, tackling issues of alienation, global corruption, and urban squalor and decay with potent, more succinct lyrics and some of his most affecting melodies in ages."
''
The Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' called the album "a solid return, appropriately dark and seedy when lyrics turn to interpersonal relationships (or the impossibility thereof), as they usually do." The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' wrote: "A modern-day blues album, ''NakedSelf'' is steeped in distortion and cynical takes on love and loneliness." ''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...
'' wrote that "the musical approach here is certainly effective in its taut, barbed and occasionally bluesy guitar attack with occasional acoustic urges."
Track listing
# "Boiling Point" (
Matt Johnson,
Eric Schermerhorn
Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the '' American Caesar'' and ''Naughty Little Doggie'' albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine '' It's My Life Tour'' (as background vocalist and guitarist ...
) - 5:48
# "Shrunken Man" (Matt Johnson) - 4:55
# "The Whisperers" (Matt Johnson, Eric Schermerhorn) - 3:20
# "Soul Catcher" (Matt Johnson) - 3:15
# "Global Eyes" (Matt Johnson) - 4:10
# "December Sunlight" (Matt Johnson, Eric Schermerhorn) - 3:18
# "Swine Fever" (Matt Johnson) - 3:39
# "Diesel Breeze" (Matt Johnson, Eric Schermerhorn) - 2:52
# "Weather Belle" (Matt Johnson) - 3:47
# "Voidy Numbness" (Matt Johnson, Eric Schermerhorn) - 4:04
# "Phantom Walls" (Matt Johnson) - 4:17
# "Salt Water" (Matt Johnson, Eric Schermerhorn) - 2:13
References
2000 albums
The The albums
Nothing Records albums
{{2000s-alt-rock-album-stub