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Review: fun. – Some Nights
I can still remember the moment when I realized that fun. were going to be ubiquitously, annoyingly, stratospherically huge. It was February 5, 2012 and I was sitting on a ratty faux-leather sofa in my college apartment, hanging out with my roommates and watching the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. During one of the commercial breaks, I heard an already familiar (to me) wall of synths and tinkling pianos, and a soon to be inescapable (to everyone) chorus hook that loudly declared: “Tonight/We are young/So let’s set the world on fire/We can burn brighter/Than the sun.”
That 60-second TV spot, an ad for the 2012 Chevy Sonic, effectively launched this trio of pop-rock polyglots into outer space. “We Are Young” already had a little bit of buzz building behind it at that point, having featured prominently in an episode of Glee that aired in December 2011. But it was the Super Bowl placement that, to quote the song, set the world on fire. A week later, “We Are Young” topped the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart. 16 days after the Super Bowl, fun. released Some Nights, their sophomore album, which contained “We Are Young” in the track-three slot. The album sold 70,000 copies in the first week and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts, despite generally mixed critical reviews. By March 17, “We Are Young” was the No. 1 song in the United States – a status it maintained for six weeks.
Read More “fun. – Some Nights”Nate Ruess on Jim Adkins Podcast
Nate Ruess is the latest guest on Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World’s new podcast. (Overcast link.)
Read More “Nate Ruess on Jim Adkins Podcast”Cast of ‘Rise’ Cover Fun.’s “Carry On”
Nate Ruess Covers Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”
Nate Ruess covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” at FestivALT on Saturday. A video can be found on YouTube or by hitting read more.
Interview: Nate Ruess
Nate Ruess explains the decision to go solo on Grand Romantic, why he always ends up writing about heartbreak, and how lucky he’s been to work with the people he’s met throughout his career.
Interview: Jack Antonoff of Bleachers
Jack Antonoff discusses starting Bleachers, the lyrical and musical ides behind debut album Strange Desire, writing with others, and why it’s hard for some people to accept a person being in two bands at the same time.
Interview: Jack Antonoff of fun.
Guitarist Jack Antonoff talks about fun.’s big Grammy night and performance, transitioning to a larger scale, staying in Some Nights mode, and what’s next for the band.
Interview: Andrew Dost of fun.
Keyboardist Andrew Dost chats about the making of Some Nights, fun.’s recent shot to stardom, and maintaining a high degree of integrity in everything you do.
Review: Fun. – Some Nights
Around the time The Format was about to release their final record Dog Problems, lead man Nate Ruess wrote a very lengthy and impassioned blog about not succumbing to the pressures from the big labels to tweak his band’s music to sell more singles. It resulted in a fantastic middle finger salute towards the industry (“The Compromise”) and Ruess gained heaps of praise and respect for his integrity.
So maybe that’s why fans will be initially shocked by Fun.’s second album (and Fueled by Ramen debut) Some Nights. But the more you listen to and dig into the album, the more you’ll realize that the manifesto that Ruess wrote nearly 6 years ago still rings true throughout. Ruess is still writing what he wants without any outside pressure, albeit this time it was something fans weren’t completely expecting.
Read More “Fun. – Some Nights”Fun. Track Listing & Album Art
Fun. will release Some Nights on February 21st. The album art can be found in the replies.
Read More “Fun. Track Listing & Album Art”Fun. Album Title and Release Date
Fun.’s new album is called Some Nights and arrives on February 21, 2012. An acoustic performance of “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monáe can be found here.
Read More “Fun. Album Title and Release Date”Review: Fun. – Aim & Ignite
When The Format went on hiatus a year and a half ago, many fans of their music cried tears (maybe even pastel colored tears?). But dry your eyes, because a musician as talented as Nate Ruess wasn’t going to be out of the music-making business for long. His newest project, fun., is a collaborative effort between Ruess, Andrew Dost (ex-Anathallo), and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train). Their self-released debut, Aim & Ignite, is a ten track pop adventure with help from producer Steven McDonald, arranger Joseph Manning Jr., and contributions from other musicians.
Read More “Fun. – Aim & Ignite”