Ryan's Review "Some Nights" by Fun

Fun: 1. Adjective: Amusing, Entertaining, or Enjoyable.

2. Noun: The latest indie buzz band to have a number 1 hit comprised of a former lead singer of the Format, the front man of Steel Train, and a few other members of other bands to form some sort of indie/pop super group.

Now before I go on sound more like pretentious hipster, I have to say Fun is a fantastic band, and their 2009 debut Aim and Ignite is a favorite of mine and has been for a while. With that being said, Some Nights is a step in a somewhat new, but at the same time unfamiliar direction.

Fun has often been described as the second coming of Queen, or a modern version of them at least, and you can see the large parallels  between the two acts in sound and structure. The opening track for example, which is aptly titled "Some Nights Intro",  has an extremely Queen-esque feel to it. For one, front man Nate Ruess sounds a hell of a lot like Freddie Mercury, it's uncanny. The other connections are from the use of a piano and other classical instruments, and the chiming in of other band members forming a pitch perfect chorus all leading to a beautiful crescendo to finish the track.

This album is a bit spotty from here on out though. There are moments where Ruess' vocals are autotuned during certain songs ala T-Pain and I have to say it's just unnecessary by all means. It just seems so out of place for a band with such talent, especially with their vocalist. That being said, I absolutely dislike their track "It Gets Better."  It's not a mess by any means, but it just feels so out of place to me, it's so effects heavy, and for a band who doesn't need it I just find it to be so pointless and dry. The other random moments of auto tune in songs like "Carry On," "Some Nights," and the dreadful ending of "Stars" just are unbearable to me. The effect is nice when used sparingly or entertainment purposes, but here it just doesn't click for me.

Another nice highlight of their album is their hit single "We Are Young" featuring the very talented Janelle Monáe. I'm willingly not taking the hipster stance on this song for the reason that it's just such a well performed song. It's a bit of an ear worm. I do dislike the fact that Glee got their hands all over it, which may or may not have pushed Fun to the top of the charts, but that's neither here nor there. The song is just a good ol' fashioned anthemic piece of art, for lack of a better word there. It embraces the whole "You only live once" thing going around with people and it's absolute advertising bait. I am glad it's gotten a band as talented as Fun exposure. Not to mention the stead drum beat for this song is just perfect, along with Ruess' fantastic voice. You really see both end of the spectrum for him in this one.

Overall Some Nights  is an enjoyable album. It has some aspects, such as the pointless autotuning that just don't work with a group with a far different type of sound, but that is out shined by the pure talent of the group as a whole. Also if you've been waiting for a new Queen album with Freddie on vocals, this is the closest you'll probably get next to the band's 2009 debut.

7/10

Tracks You'll Enjoy: "Some Nights Intro," "We are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)," "All Alright"

Tracks To Skip: "Stars," "It Gets

Better"