Some Nights

When fun. released their debut in 2009, the lead singer Nate Ruess had already been a prominent vocalist and songwriter since the days of his former band, The Format. That album, Aim and Ignite, gained them considerable critical acclaim and plenty of new fans. By the end of 2009, it was featured on many AOTY lists and fun. had become one of the most interesting and promising new bands to watch. I was far from impressed, though. Can't say I didn't try to be hip like the other kids and get into the album, but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Back then, it was too poppy for my taste and I didn't like any of the songs except for the single All the Pretty Girls.

But I couldn't get over Nate Ruess' skinny jeans in that video... Seriously, who made him wear that? However, years passed and I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into alternative and pop genres. Yeasayer, MGMT, M83... You get the picture.

Anyway, then the lead single We Are Young came out. It was even featured on Glee and it became immediately clear that fun. would go even further into mainstream with their sophomore record. And let's be honest, that isn't the exact way to gain my sympathies. Moreover, having heard of their many hip hop influences, namely Kanye West and his pompous twisted fantasy nonsense, I was ready to hate the hell out of Some Nights.

Nonetheless, upon the first listen, my opinion changed swiftly. Because what I heard was a band expressing pure love and joy of making music. By mixing up their influences, incorporating many new styles and sounds and showing their renowned melodic sensibilities, fun. managed to create an album that sounds contemporary, very poppy and yet progressive. Kind of like what Brian Wilson did with Pet Sounds. And that seminal Beach Boys' album comes to mind several times throughout Some Nights. It's pure pop, but in the best possible sense.

It isn't without flaws, though. While the first half of Some Nights is absolutely stellar, the second one just feels a little bit weaker. It's hard to compete with songs as good as the notorious single We Are Young or the title track, which might be the very best song on the record. And then, there's the much debated, largely unnecessary and almost profane use of vocoder. Nate Ruess' voice certainly doesn't need any tweaking and the efforts to make it sound "better" come out rather unfortunate. However the band had a different opinion and we can't do anything but to respect it. Fortunately, it's featured only a few times throughout the album, which doesn't let it spoil the impression.

After all, with the boost from Glee, Super Bowl commercials, its own qualities and wide accessibility, it's no wonder the album landed on #3 on the Billboard chart. Huge success. Two months in, I think it is already safe to say that Some Nights will become one of the 2012's essential albums.

Best tracks: Some Nights, We Are Young (ft. Janelle Monáe), Why Am I the One

P.S. Don't miss the bonus track Out On the Town.