These days, it's rare to find a band that can be deemed truly and utterly original. Bands tend to fit into neat little genres, singing the same sort of generic tunes sung countless times before. Thankfully, a brilliant Brooklyn−based band by the name of Fun has stepped onto the music scene, bringing with them a fresh musical vibe much needed among the dub−step and sampling that defines the current trends. With Fun, true originality finally presents itself.
Though Fun (stylized as "fun.") has only recently become known because of the release of their 2012 sophomore album "Some Nights," the band has actually been around since 2008. After his band The Format broke up in 2008, lead singer Nate Ruess decided to start a new band in New York, drafting Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff to join him. After mere months of recording, the band released their first album, "Aim and Ignite" (2009). With its bold, upbeat tone and varied tracks, the album immediately defined the band as something music listeners had never heard before.
Born from the ashes of The Format, Fun still retains a slightly similar vibe, mainly due to Ruess' unique, Freddie Mercury−esque vocals. Indeed, many of their tracks are reminiscent of Queen, but this vibe is one of many that span the breadth of the band's work. Fun's best quality is its ability to shake things up musically, presenting a song set to the pace of a sporadic waltz one moment and a zany, bounce−along song the next. These descriptions obviously do little to explain what Fun's music really sounds like, but even when listening to the band's tunes it's nearly impossible to put a label on them. Fun is just, well — yes, here it comes — fun.
While Fun may have defined themselves with "Aim and Ignite," their second album had to prove whether their originality could be maintained and whether they could actually attract a proper fan base with such spontaneously inspired music. "Some Nights" may not be as flawless as its predecessor, but it manages to continue Fun's streak of genius music production, presenting songs that can only be described as passionate and uplifting. Laden with bold yet appealing tracks, "Some Nights" might be just what Fun needs to break into the mainstream world of music.
The sophomore album reels listeners in powerfully. Beginning with an intro that builds up to the titular track, the song "Some Nights" may just be the album's best. Possessing a strong Queen vibe, the song gets deep inside you with a powerful drum rhythm and some great electric guitar. Splash in a few oddities that characterize who Fun really is, and you have a song that won't fail to inspire.
Of course, starting with your best song is bold, since the album is likely to go downhill from there. With Fun, though, this doesn't happen. Instead, the album continues to entertain. It proceeds with the album's only single, "We Are Young," which grows on you after a few listens. Much of Fun's music works like this: it's so unorthodox that, at first, the random instruments and break from normal song patterns just seems wrong. But stick with them, and you come to realize just how entertaining originality can be.
The album continues with a number of great tracks including "Carry On," "All Alright" and, most importantly, "All Alone." Starting out with music that could have been heard in an 18th−century French court, "All Alone" then transitions into a poppy mix. Today, lyrics just don't mean as much as they used to, but Fun seeks to change this, for every song has a unique story and each listener will take a different meaning away from it. "All Alone" tells the tragic story a man's lost love and the replacement of this lover with a wind−up toy.
As mentioned, Fun's second album isn't as perfect as "Aim and Ignite" was; that premiere album honestly failed to produce a single dud. The unfortunate and poorly inspired use of Auto−Tune within a few of their new tracks (notably "It Gets Better") adds nothing to the music and can only be deemed as a failed musical attempt. But if the listener can avoid or simply ignore the Auto−Tune, there really isn't much to dislike about "Some Nights."
A written review does Fun little justice. Their songs are so audibly unique that words truly can't describe them. Take a listen, and if you don't like them, then listen a few more times. They grow on you, and once they have, you'll be having some real (wait for it…) fun.
