Fun. – Some Nights

Some Nights – fun.
Album Review by Brian Sykes 

If there’s one thing to know about fun. it’s that they absolutely stay true to their band name. Seriously, when you listen to this album you actually have a lot of fun. They are absolutely one of those bands that’s puts everything they have into their music; they write what THEY want to write and forget everyone else. Now, upon listening to first couple of tracks on this album, I immediately knew that I would enjoy it, and boy did I ever. One of the main things you will notice is how this album really stays true to the sound of Fun.

They really keep that vibe they are known for; heavy piano chords, layers upon layers of vocal harmonies, tasteful drumbeats, and old school (almost tribal) vocal melodies. These guys really stayed true to their sound. On top of all that though, they still brought a nice element of freshness to the whole thing. As far as sophomore albums go, this is a really solid release, which I believe will propel them into some really great things.

If there is one thing I’m sure of, it’s that the future will be fun.

1. Some Nights Intro – Such a great way to start the album. It really leads you into the listening experience with a full pallet of what to expect from this band. With over the top, orchestral arrangements, tons of layers of vocal harmonies, and lead singer Nate Ruess belting his signature voice over top of it all, the listener is very abruptly re-introduced to the sound of fun. With this intro being the welcome mat to the album, fun. Open the door to the listener with a symphony behind them.

2. Some Nights – this is awesome. This song starts off with what I can gather as a 7-part harmony blasting in your face. The first thing that one could notice about fun. is the large number of past greats that they call upon. In this song alone the vocals call after the late-great Freddie Mercury of Queen. While the music behind the vocals very much so calls upon Graceland era Paul Simon. Now, there are some things I could’ve done without in this song, such as the use of auto-tune (I know, I was just as disappointed), but it doesn’t take away as much from the song as you would think. This track very much so keeps its integrity and is an amazing way to start the album in full.

3. We Are Young – Now, you’ve probably heard this song by now, what with it being the main track behind a certain Chevrolet commercial starring Mr. I’m-so-cool himself, Rob Dyrdek, that aired during this years Super Bowl. And, if you have heard this song then, like me, you probably love it, because this is a damn good song. The first thing one would notice about this song is how creative the drummer is during the first 45 seconds; he really brought the chops on this album. The second thing you would probably notice is how catchy this damn song is! This doesn’t surprise me at all because this is the sort of this that fun. is known for, and they really made it know this time. I personally think that the vocal melody and tempo change that’s at fault for the catchiness here. Tempo change because that’s something that most people steer clear from in a pop song, and vocal melody because all in all, the chords behind this song are very simplistic, which is why its taking a really awesome and creative vocal melody like this one to hold the song up, which it definitely did. This is definitely an awesome song to make the single of the album.

4. Carry on – YES! These guys just keep delivering on this record. Four songs in and I can honestly say that this song definitely keeps the mood going and delivers another powerhouse performance. One thing you start to notice by now is that there is a very positive and uplifting message behind this album that everyone can take away. I mean, with a name like “Carry on,” who wouldn’t feel like going out and having a good day?

5. It Gets Better – Uh oh… I may have spoken too soon. This song is just not good. I hate to say it, but after such a strong performance from the first half of this album, this song definitely ruins the mood. There’s no depth to this song at all, it’s essentially the same drumbeat the entire way through with the exception of the chorus. Plus the heavy use of auto-tune in this song that I find very unnecessary, Nate Ruess has a really awesome voice but he doesn’t need that shit. Just please do yourself a favor and take my word, don’t listen to this track.

6. Why Am I The One – this song is definitely a breath of fresh air after that last thing that just happened in my ears. I’m proud to say that I absolutely loved this song. This cut absolutely stays true to the flow of the album, bringing back the trustworthy, huge layers of vocal harmonies, orchestral strings, tasteful drumbeats, and driving piano chords. Also, for the first in the album it seems as though the lyrics are going through a kind of darker phase, which is nice. Can’t be stoked all the time Nate!

7. All Alone – I definitely found myself smiling at the beginning of this track. With me being a huge fan of hip-hop, and this cut having a HUGE hip-hop vibe throughout it absolutely made my ears perk up. This is one thing I love about Fun. is that they aren’t afraid to do what they want on the track. All in all this song is really good; there’s nothing that really stands out in a big way, but its definitely a good asset to the album.

8. All Alright – and once again these guys deliver with a solid track. What I really enjoy about this song is that it’s the first song on this album that musically has a sort of down/minor vibe to it. Which, like I said before, is a good thing. This is how albums get depth and feeling, and fun. definitely delivered a powerful performance, with those signature pounding drums and Nate Ruess belting out “It’s All Alright, I guess it’s all alright, I got nothing left inside my chest but it’s all alright.” You seriously feel what they are going for in this song.

9. One Foot – Now I’m not a huge fan of this song, I find it being really repetitive and actually a tad annoying. The ONLY music playing behind the track is a very annoying and very abrasive horn line, and it starts to sound like a Hollywood-produced pop song. Not enjoyable at all. Now, something that I was glad about, was the fact that this song had an intimate bridge, at around the 2 minute mark, it gets very low and close with just smooth vocals, strings, and piano. Now, I don’t think the bridge really saved the song, but I do think it was much needed.

10. Stars – just… don’t listen to this song. I’d review it more but I only listened to it one time through because that’s all I could handle. This song is seven minutes of random thoughts of music, don’t get me wrong, I love fun. but this song had no business on this album.

11. Out On The Town – My first thought about this song was WHY THE HELL WASN’T IT ON THE ACTUAL ALBUM?! This is legitimately a good song as it delivers a perfect fun. performance. Its creative, catchy, big, has uplifting undertones, and brings the listener an awesome taste of what fun. has to offer. This song could have absolutely replaced one of those things that happened on tracks 9 and 10. Maybe I’m just being cynical, but I do believe this song should have found a spot somewhere on the album.

All in all though, I’m glad I listened to this album. It’s a great record and a great sophomore release.

Overall Rating: 4/5
Album Stream: http://www.ournameisfun.com