By Liz Belilovskaya

Fun’s new release, Some Nights, is pretty damn fun. The album is distinctly different from anything mainstream in a long while. Imagine a flavorful cross between Florence + the Machine and Queen, add a splash of Glee and you will get the totally rich auditory experience which is Fun (yes, pun very much intended).

The somber opening to “Some Nights Intro” may mislead you into thinking the album will be a melancholy take on some spectacular Broadway musical; especially when the operatic back up vocals kick in. Luckily the casual cursing reduces the formality a notch, leaving just enough pop appeal for the listener to stick around. Nate Ruess (vocals) sings “Oh My God, have you listened to me lately, I have been going crazy?” We have listened and we like.

The title track opens a capella but quickly flaunts great melody, characterized by upbeat, positive-vibed choral singing. The lyrics convey an internal monologue of self-realization. “But I still wake up I still see your ghost but Oh Lord,I still don’t know what I stand for” goes the lament.

“We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monae, captured my attention since it was featured in some commercial recently. While it is not the fastest song on the record, its appeal lies in the catchy choir, and its celebratory, liberating harmony and the notion that “tonight we are young, so let’s set the world on fire.” It is the best track on the album both musically and conceptually.

Next is “Carry On,” and its peculiar similarity to Rod Stewart. The track features a killer guitar solo, some sweet and simple vocals and enough piano effects to create an armory of actual instruments. The more you hear this song, the more you’ll peel away the various layers of sound effects that comprise the consonant melody.

“It Gets Better” stands out because of its abstract percussion and heavy guitars that accompany the rather strange tone of Nate’s voice. The less-than enthusiastic “Why Am I The One” brings down the tempo with a folksy mix of groupsing. The track is Nate’s personal narrative/memory a girl he knew once. It’s not the best song musically but if you pay close attention to the lyrics and the stylized singing, you’ll find much to appreciate. The playful “All Alone” features crisp and cool percussion over
seriously awesome effects and vocal work featuring elements of Pop-Hop.
“All Alright” extends the feel of the last track with organic piano combined with minimalist keys. “One Foot” picks up the energy with strong percussion and mixed emotion with lonely lines like, “I put one foot in front of the other one, I don’t know if I want a better life only a better place to die.”

A funkier “Starts “ comes along with old school influence, featuring a nice guitar solo and contemporary drumming over some long strings and digitally manipulated vocals. The bonus track “Out On The Town” is clearly more experimental with quick percussion over slow piano and synth guitars. It has a pleasant upbeat melody that isn’t saccharine sweet. It’s a long night out on the town as it lasts like 15 minutes.

Overall, Some Nights is a great album. The musicians are clearly awesome but the best part about them is that they don’t seem interested in creating “serious” music, opting to craft good music with a fun approach.

Few bands can successfully conceptually meld opera singing, metal guitars and bell chimes as percussion, much less fancy to do it. Fun did and they are super fun to listen to.

Out of 5

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