Album Review: Fun - Some Nights

It's been three years since New York trio Fun's debut album Aim And Ignite graced the indie pop airwaves and then faded into obscurity. With the help of hip hop producer Jeff Bhasker, the second offering has boosted the band to mainstream success. The record begins with the melancholy and theatrical Some Nights – Intro. Lead singer Nate Ruess channels his inner Freddie Mercury with soaring falsetto vocals before a subdued segue into the brighter Some Nights. The use of an introduction here is an interesting move, and would definitely not be out of place in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Instantly recognisable is We Are Young, featuring Janelle Monae, which received a large dose of popularity after being sung by the cast of Glee. In an anthemic, saccharine-sweet ballad, a juxtaposition of youthful optimism with modern day problems is created. “Now that I know I'm not all that you've got, I guess that I just thought that maybe we could find new ways to fall apart,” - this is a recurring theme throughout the album, particularly prevalent in Carry On and It Gets Better.

The eleven-track album is unapologetically positive, but at the same time quite superficial. The band has indeed been commercially successful, but one feels at times that it lacks soul, as if the songs were simply made for radio and advertising. The autotune is overused at times and at others the mixing sounds a bit too sugary, but overall the album is enjoyable to listen to and is nice background music for, say, a teenage house party or a Jay Jays store.