The bar was set high for Tuesday’s release of fun.’s album, “Some Nights.”
After releasing the single “We Are Young” this past September, the band found themselves in a whirlwind of media hype. The song was featured on an episode of Glee and a recent Chevy Super Bowl commercial.
Despite the buildup and the many fans who were desperately hoping for another gem to add to fun.’s repertoire, “Some Nights” missed the mark.
Fun., known for their layered Queen-like vocals, unique instrumentations and thought-provoking lyrics, made a sudden shift toward a monotonous, auto-tuned group desperately vying for a spot on either MTV or in the heart of a 16- year-old girl.
Admittedly, the album does contain a few reflections of fun.’s promising past. The famed “We Are Young” is a true display of lead singer Nate Ruess’ unique soaring vocals that won the hearts of fans years ago after the band’s first release. This track gained so much public attention for good reason.
The album’s opener, cleverly named “Some Nights (Intro),” is also a hopeful display of the interesting theatrical layers the group has the potential to produce.
The album takes an obvious downturn after the first few tracks. The monotonous synthesizer chords and frantic drumming of “It Gets Better” leaves listeners pleading that the track’s title is prophetic. A few tracks later, it is obvious that this change is not going to happen.
Many fun. fans were confused, and quite frankly disappointed by the copious amounts of auto-tune used in production. Ruess’ distinguishable vocals initially attracted many of fun.’s devoted supporters. Auto-tune, while a useful tool when used in moderation, is present in large chunks on nearly every track on the album and entirely drown out his incredible natural talent.
Fans expecting nothing other than a whimsical production have been pained to encounter an overproduced mess that would be best appreciated by a group of angsty teenyboppers. One can only hope that fun. will learn from their mistakes and find a way to grow from this of sophomore slump, and that future albums will be more of their old style.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
