It's All Part of the "fun."
August 26, 2009
Almost every year there's one album that is a "find"... the discovery of an amazing band that I know nothing about that blows me away with an incredible new release. Previous "finds" have included Dissociatives, Tally Hall, Sugarbomb, Bryan Scary, Self and more. This years "find" is fun. ...literally and figuratively. It's the new band called "fun." (the band name is all lowercase with a period at the end). As it turns out fun. has 3 members, all from other groups, but they're not a "super group" because the sum here is definitely greater than the parts. fun. is Nate Ruess from The Format, Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train. These three put together the best release of the year so far, and they had a little help with arrangements from Roger Joseph Manning Jr. of Jellyfish fame. There are many sounds and influences that pop up here and there, like the Jeff Lynne/ELO vibe of the hot single and my favorite track "All The Pretty Girls." Those of you that want more than just fun power pop will enjoy all the instrumentation and originality of the cool and original "Be Calm" or the lyrical "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)." Aim and Ignite is the debut release from fun. and it's a winner from start to finish, I love every song. Fans of ELO, Jellyfish, Fountains of Wayne and They Might Be Giants should definitely give this one a listen. You can also hear them on the upcoming episode 19 of the ObviousPopCast (coming soon).
For more on the band go here: http://www.myspace.com/fun