For my first real blog post, I wanted to keep with the main theme that I want this blog to be about: music.
To begin, I would like to start with a simple album review. I decided to review Fun.’s new album, Some Nights. I chose to do this mostly because it is an album that I cannot turn off and can listen to from start to finish without skipping a song. As an avid music listener, I tend to listen to music is albums more so than in any other form. Some people chose to download singular songs, playlists of different artists, or the best of an artist. I listen to music an album at a time. This makes the job of the artist important in how they chose to order the songs of the album. For me, all songs must flow together because I listen to albums this way. Each and every song is a story in itself from start to finish. But somehow all of the songs strung together in album form seem to tell a large story as a whole as well. This is hard to do and I am always impressed with bands and artists who seem to do just that. Fun. makes it seem extremely easy as well.
Fun. is an indie pop band from New York City that formed after the breakup of bands The Format and Steel Train. With the band being made up of frontman Nate Reuss, Jack Antonoff gives vocals, guitars, and trumpet, and Andrew Dost who contributes vocals, piano, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, trumpet, drums, and much more. This band is considered a supergroup because each member has been successful in a band before. With their sophomore album, they create many anthem-like songs with many incredible melodies. Some Nights was released on February 21, 2012 on the record label, Fueled by Ramen. The Producer was Jeff Bhasker who has worked with Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Drake, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg to name a few. With names such as these on a producers bill, one expects some pretty epic work.
Fun. has been a band since 2008 when Reuss’ previous band disbanded. Many people talk of Fun. being a new artist, but this is just not the case. The band is already five years old and is just now getting the recognition that they deserve.
Some Nights opens with the track “Some Nights Intro,” which is the two minute, eighteen second theatrical number that seemingly kicks off the whole album. It features a full orchestra, with Reuss’s voice rising and falling easily, totally in his element. This number definitely sets the bar high for the following nine songs. Ruess’s vocals have been compared to Freddy Mercury’s which is a compliment of all compliments. Just when you think that Reuss can’t get any louder, he does. It is definitely obvious that he an extremely talented vocalist. He also definitely knows this.
Along these same lines, the mood of the album is not exactly happy. There are some lyrics which will pull a smile. The tone of the album says that, “things are not okay right now, but they definitely will be in the end.”
The first that will initially be noticed on this album will be the autotuning. Many may inquire as to why someone like Reuss would use autotune but the simple reason is that the band was doing exactly as their name suggests, having fun. The autotune does not take away from the music but enhances it. This band does not try to push themselves into one specific genre, but takes from many and does not care where other artists may say something crosses the line. “All Alone” and “All Alright” also bring other qualities such as hip-hop and even a children’s choir.
With Fun.’s first sing being “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monae, the standard has been set high for the remainder of the album. This track has been a chart topper as well as featured in a car commercial that seems as if it can do everything but drive. “We Are Young” has also been covered on FOX’s hit show Glee which is quite an accomplishment in itself. What listeners of the single but not the album may be surprised to know is that the album is full of feasible singles with “We Are Young” being one of the weaker tracks. Other strong tracks include “Carry On,” which is an uplifting number with strong guitar riffs.
All in all, this album is definitely going to leave its mark on mainstream music. Fun. seemed to come out of the shadows with Some Nights and they came out with Reuss and his talented kicking and screaming. It is bold as well as adventurous and belongs where people can hear it. 9.7/10
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