Some Nights

In my increasingly futile attempts to keep up with current popular music, I took a listen Some Nights, the album by Fun. The song "We Are Young," which was so ubiquitous even I had heard it, was quite catchy, so I figured the rest of the album might be good. I had a mixed reaction.

The songs by Fun are indeed very catchy. The album begins with the title song, and almost immediately one is thrust back to the '70s, as the vocal harmonies sound just like Queen's. But the rest of the album abandons that idea, and instead has a more Coldplay feel to it, with songs that have a kind of tick-tock rhythm, especially "One Foot," and "All Alright." But later, to my horror, the over-use of Auto-Tune, a device I find abominable, makes Fun sound like a boy band.

Still, the album grew on me, and I listened to it twice through last night. "We Are Young," which one the 2012 Grammy for Best Song, is indeed terrific, with a fantastic hook, as is "Carry On." All of the songs have something good to say about them, except for the Auto-Tune nonsense, and the lyrics are sweet and uplifting. I mean, besides "We Are Young" and "Carry On," which are songs of positive thinking, we get "It Gets Better" and the aforementioned "All Alright."

But I have to return to Auto-Tune. I read up on the device on Wikipedia, and realize that it is more prevalent that I had thought. I may have albums by artists who use it without my knowledge, but Some Nights is the first album I've purchased that I knew immediately what was up. My strong preference is for music that is actually played on instruments, and singers who actually sing. The lead vocalist, Nate Ruess, has a fine voice that is not needful of adjustment.

So, it is with strong reservation that I recommend this album, even for old hippies like me.