Album Review: Some Nights by fun.

Indie supergroup fun. hit the scene in 2009 with Aim and Ignite. Some Nights takes the pleasant pop qualities of Aim and Ignite and tries to expand on them with some new musical components. There are some hits and misses amongst the new effects, but you can't hate them for trying.

The album opens with "Some Nights (Intro)," a song which adequately introduces some of the new roads this album travels down, whilst still feeling very much at home in their repertoire. It also serves to introduce the album title "some nights" as a common phrase. The phrase "some nights" is used in four different songs on the album. It can also be assumed from "Some Nights (Intro)" that Some Nights will have a slightly darker tone than that of Aim and Ignite. The band attempted to capture the tone of the song in the video, but I'm not entirely sure that I don't get more out of the song on its own.

"Some Nights" strays back toward the power pop feel of Aim and Ignite, but it also introduces Auto-Tune to the album. "Some Nights" is very catchy, and is only overshadowed by the following song "We Are Young," which became a huge hit single after it was covered on Glee. "We Are Young" was also used in a Chevy Sonic commercial which premiered during the Super Bowl. Even without these sales tactics in mind, the song has incredible flow and power to it that should be able to sell it on its own.

My favorite track on the album though, is probably "Carry On." "Carry On" seems as though it could be the theme for an Oscar-nominated movie. The Irish-influenced strings give it both strength and a sense of culture. "It Gets Better" took me a couple of listens to enjoy. At first, it sounds only a few inches away from an early 2000s alt. rock song, but it is more complicated and melodic, thus saving itself. "It Gets Better" also uses noticeable Auto-Tune. "Why Am I The One" seems like a throwback to lead singer Nate Ruess's days in The Format until it shifts into the chorus, which might be the most flowing of any chorus on the album. The chorus of "Why Am I The One" also features great harmonies borrowed from early 70s folk music.

"All Alone" is my favorite story song of the album. Ruess has a tendency to create amazing stories in his lyrics, and "All Alone" is a perfect example, even if I can hear late 90s boy bands in the melody of the chorus. One of the weaker songs on the album is "All Alright," which seems to have very little energy and an only vaguely interesting chorus. "One Foot" has a great, bouncy beat and a consistently interesting melody.

The only track on Some Nights that I truly dislike is "Stars." "Stars" starts out well enough, with references to the band's origins and dealing with new-found fame. The horns so prevalent on Aim and Ignite are brought to the forefront, and it seems that all will go well. Then, about halfway into the song, Ruess suddenly becomes some demented Kanye West clone, with all of the Auto-Tune they didn't use on other tracks splashed on in not-so-glorious technicolor. Generally, Nate Ruess has a good voice that lends itself well to the songs he sings. The Auto-Tune makes "Stars" sound dead and terrible. It's a pity that "Stars" is the official closer for the album.

I'm not sure how "Out on the Town" counts as a bonus track, since it seems to be on every copy of the album from what I can tell. Either way, "Out on the Town" is a much more pleasant and fitting closer for Some Nights than the artificial "Stars."

If Auto-Tune can't be counted as a fault in this album, I feel fun. should at least take note to use it in moderation. Apart from the use of computerized vocal enhancement, the production of this album is smooth and thoughtful. fun. bring in a lot of strings and instruments that some people forget have as much place on a pop album as anything else. It's nice to see the experiments performed on Some Nights, and I can't wait to hear the smoothed-out sound I'm sure their third album will have.

fun. are a group consisting of (left to right): Andrew Dost (of Anthallo), Nate Ruess (formerly of 
The Format), and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train).

Some Nights can be previewed and purchased at the band's website.

Album Review: I Believe In Everything by Speak

For a band that seemed perfectly content to open for cult favorite Tally Hall this summer, Speak have a sound that's delightfully marketable. In fact, I would be very surprised if I don't see one of Speak's songs in the top 40 over the next few years. Speak are a bit like taking fun. infused with disco and a bit of the showbiz dazzle of Carolina Liar ("Show Me What I'm Looking For") along with a few generous scoops of originality. Lead singer Troupe Gammage throws his voice from Bee Gees falsetto (which is a mainstay of the backing vocals) to a rich, deep voice reminiscent of David Bowie or Julian Casablancas (The Strokes). As a second or third album I Believe in Everything would be commendable. As a first album, it's flat-out impressive. I have to give these guys props even for the title, which amused me to no end prior to the album release. Combined with the album artwork, it made me think of a joke answer one might give in response to being asked their religion: "Oh, I believe in everything!" It turns out, "I believe in everything" is just a line cleverly selected from "You Know As Well As I," but it still serves as a great album title.

Those who purchased Speak's EP earlier this year will not find many surprises. That's not to imply that the album isn't original (although it does feature the tracks off of the EP), it simply means that there's no jarring "new sound" or extreme change that would make the band any less appealing. 

"Wars" is a powerful opener for the album, one that I think is ripe for remixes and dance clubs (as is true with many of the Speak tracks). From there, they launch into EP alumni and strong single "Carrie," followed by "You Know As Well As I," the song that lends its lyric to the album title. "You Know As Well As I" is catchy and sweet, with a slightly Wham-esque synth feel. From the EP, "Stand By Us" was probably my favorite, but "I'd Rather Lie" is the song that got stuck in my head last night. "Stand By Us" is a very poppy disco-type tune that brings to my mind the cover of "Stayin' Alive" I heard them do in Ann Arbor that actually made me like "Stayin' Alive." Things are calmed down for the latter half of the album, including songs like "81," which Speak performed acoustically prior to the album release in a visually and audibly beautiful video: 

Admittedly, hearing the acoustic version first made the album version a little bit less impressive to me.

Speak close the album with what I consider to be one of the weaker tracks on the album, "Too Afraid," a song that has a lot of radio marketability, but lacks some of the personality of their other songs. When the album ends, it's a slightly unexpected. I Believe in Everything is just over half an hour in length, which isn't impossibly short, but it's slightly less than average, and somewhat startlingly so. But the half an hour is packed with catchy, poppy tunes. Speak are unique enough to set them apart from the crowd, honest enough to give them musical credibility, and have a sound that's just mainstream enough to make them popular. Any way you look at it, I see a great future ahead for Speak, and look forward to their next album.

Speak are four gentlemen from Austin, Texas. Left to Right: Troupe Gammage, Nick Hurt,

Jake Stewart, and Joey Delahoussaye.

I Believe in Everything can be purchased here.