Some Nights, the newest album from indie-pop masters fun. (@ournameisfun), is definitely a slant away from their debut Aim & Ignite. Making obvious strides towards a mainstream sound, the band has certainly succeeded in garnering the sort of fan/media attention common to accessible music — fun. is playing larger venues than ever before, and their songs can be heard on Superbowl commercials and Glee. No doubt, the band is enjoying their newfound, skyrocketing recognition, but are they alienating fans with their new, hip hop influenced sound?
Some Nights seems to exist in two halves. One half consists of big-beated, ultra poppy songs – “Some Nights,” “We Are Young,” “It Gets Better,” “One Foot,” “Stars,” “Out On The Town.” These songs fit right in with the music on Top 40 radio and sound almost as though they were penned by the likes of Foster The People or Maroon 5. This observation is not, however, meant to seem negative. Each track is arranged and recorded extremely well, with obvious attention to detail and a true display of fun.’s musicianship. These are the songs that will play in your mind incessantly, and while I don’t hate them, I do have a problem with their overuse of autotune. In fun.’s defense, they do autotune right — not using it to correct pitch, but to add a unique texture to the vocals. But why would you want to screw with Nate Ruess’s voice?
The other half of the album is filled with songs that more closely align with the band’s older material – “Carry On,” “Why Am I The One,” “All Alone,” “All Alright.” They maintain the combination of unique melody and clever lyrics that earned Ruess the title of great storyteller, but they’re a bit more massive and significantly more catchy. Songs on Aim & Ignite were somewhat linear, but Some Nights utilizes repetitive choruses that are much easier to sing along to. The band also continues their masterful trend of ending their songs creatively and beautifully – more codas, fewer fade outs and abrupt cut offs.
I like this album, but I’ve heard from a few (a few, meaning they are definitely the minority) who feel either betrayed or upset that their favorite band is now appealing to a much larger audience. Regardless of this sentiment, though, every band has a responsibility to grow and evolve, to create music that makes them happy and not give a shit what everyone else thinks. Honestly, their music was always poppy and accessible, just more people are listening now. Isn’t that the point?