Release Date: February 21st, 2012
Reviewed By Evelyn Miska Krieger
Even if you don’t know who is performing the song, it seems fairly safe to say that most people have heard Fun.’s first single “We Are Young.” With the huge shift in how many people buy music, picking songs here and there rather than buying whole albums, it’s nice to find an album that works as a collection and is worth buying the entire thing. Is it a perfect collection? No, but few are. However, there are a lot of things that Fun. does well and they do manage to live up to their name in terms of the album’s mood.
“Some Nights Intro” and “Some Nights” really play up the Queen influence with super tight harmonies and that same big sound for which Queen is best known. At the same time, while that influence is impossible to miss, Fun. manages to still make the sound something uniquely theirs, not a simple feat. The tracks are fun and engaging while also igniting a curiosity in listeners to see what the rest of the album contains. Many will already be familiar with “We Are Young” and there’s a good reason why it’s garnered such a reception. Again, those tight melodies are there, though more so on the chorus rather than through the entire track. That said, it’s a catchy-as-hell chorus that has a knack for getting stuck in listeners’ heads.
“All Alone” is another good example of how Fun. is able to add a modern twist to that big sound they embrace on tracks like “Some Nights.” The song takes a hip hop beat, blends it with pop rock and that retro style to create something rather unique. It doesn’t sound quite like anything else out there. It does seem a little strange that immediately following “All Alone” is “All Alright.” The latter doesn’t have that same punch that is found on the former track. It still is consistent with the rest of Some Nights, but it isn’t a standout like some of the others. “One Foot” does a better job of bringing something different to the album with elements that are almost reminiscent of a super hip marching band. On paper it sounds like a totally bizarre concept but works when you hear it.
The nice thing about Some Nights is that it isn’t simply a bunch of mediocre songs surrounding the band’s one hit. Instead, Fun. has chosen well by having a single that could be the stepping stone to introducing potential new fans to the much greater depth of their songwriting abilities. They may seem like they’re another one-hit wonder, but there’s much more to Fun. than may initially meet the eye.
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