By Tom Parsons ’15
Photo Courtesy of ournameisfun.com
If you have been paying attention to music lately, then you have probably heard of fun., an indie band that has recently become vastly popular. Fortunately for us, they released an album this past Tuesday entitled “Some Nights.” The general concept behind the album is that each song is a different night with its own events and consequences. Hence, “Some Nights.”
There were three singles released from this album: “We Are Young,” “One Foot” and “Carry On.” “We Are Young” reached mainstream success after the song it was covered by the Glee cast and then featured prominently in a Super Bowl advertisement. There is a reason for why it has become so well exposed, and that is because it is a really catchy song. Not only that, it is beautifully written. This song describes the rekindling of lost love and living life to the fullest. With soaring vocals, a firm beat, angelic piano chords and lyrics that hit so close to home, this song truly deserves its recent success.
The song “Carry On,” is a rather typical song about continuing to fight through tough times. That being said, it is one of the most impressive tracks on the album. This is due mainly to the vocal performance by front man Nate Reuss. He extends well into the high octaves without hesitation and makes it sound fresh. The idea behind this song is nothing innovative, but their spin on it makes it still seem relevant today.
By far the weakest track on the album is, “It Gets Better,” which starts with ear piercing industrial sounds followed shortly by the over-auto-tuned voice of Ruess saying, “What have we done? Oh my god!” This song is a joke, and what makes it so funny is that they openly admit that it is a terrible song (but it gets better). They even warn us that the song “is really happening,” and that “You never looked so bored.” fun. is criticizing the mainstream that they have recently entered by making a formulaic and uninspired song similar to so many made in today’s pop music. And while this track may be hard to listen to, it is important to understand the message that they are trying to convey.
This album is an overall success. The theme seems to be a hopeful one. Almost as if they are saying that though some nights might be bad, the good nights will outweigh them. If you haven’t already, listen to this album. It isn’t completely flawless, but is definitely worth hearing all the way through.