Fun
Aim And Ignite

"Some Nights" deeply fascinated and impressed me: "they must be a brand new group, these Fun, it’s impossible I've never heard of them before" I thought to myself, pondering over this trio for whom I predict and hope for a future as the next big thing in pop. However, upon further investigation I was quite surprised to find out that "Some Nights" is not Fun's debut; the band's debut dates back to 2009 with "Aim And Ignite". "Well, if nobody cared about it, it must undoubtedly be a raw work", I thought, and yet again, I was very wrong. Now, I ask myself, how the hell is it possible that such an album went unnoticed, with all the sonic garbage that radio and television inundate us with daily, in a music business where fifteen minutes of fame is denied to no one? Maybe I'm naive to be surprised, the music industry has always been a rotten world completely alien to the concept of meritocracy: think of the shameful ostracism a genius like Donovan fell victim to, or the Fastball in more recent times: for a young band under contract with an independent label, it must be practically impossible to carve out an "adequate" space without bowing to certain logics.

 But let's get back to our Fun, it's better: beneath this beautiful cover unmistakably styled in the '80s, a great album is hidden: more orchestral and baroque sounds compared to "Some Nights", strings and brass of various kinds abound in all the songs thanks to the creative genius of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost, the soul of the band alongside guitarist Jack Antonoff and charismatic frontman Nate Ruess. "Aim And Ignite" is an album of various colors, now subdued now more vibrant, sweet but never mawkish, which offers a delightful operatic pop that showcases even more than "Some Nights" the creativity and melodic taste of these three guys. Composing an orchestral piano-ballad like "The Gambler", with that aura of light melancholy and at the same time vivid intensity, early Jackson Browne meeting Elton John, is not an art for everyone, and it's just an example of the great capabilities of Our guys, able to invent sudden changes in tempo and mood in perfect melodies like the theatrical and explosive opener "Be Calm" and "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)", carefree, summery playful, a bit rowdy, which fades into a passionate serenade rhythm, clear demonstrations of compositional freshness, natural talent, and a truly innate taste.

These three songs alone would be enough to understand that Fun is really on another level compared to all the other pop/rock realities of the 2000s, but the entire album is a small marvel, which flows fresh, impetuous like a stream full of enthusiasm and inspiration, from the power-pop of "Benson Hedges", colored by Andrew Dost's synth to a light and lively march, with almost ska undertones like "Walking The Dog", passing through a sumptuous "Take Your Time (Coming Home)", which almost calls back to Jim Steinman for the melody elaboration, sound care, and suite-like dilated structure and a potential smash hit like "All The Pretty Girls", a delightful nod to '70s pop rock complete with choruses and a beautiful melody especially in the verses followed closely by "I Wanna Be The One" which presents itself as a dance with a cadenced and graceful pace, mixing an unmistakable "operatic" taste with early 1900s flavored brass, all reinterpreted in a fresh and modern key.

 There are some slightly underwhelming episodes like "Barlights" and "Light A Roman Candle With Me", but "Aim And Ignite" further reinforces two of my great certainties: 1-in the 2000s hit parades there's little room for Beauty. 2-Fun is a godsend, the savior of pop, and I say it today: maybe time will prove me wrong, it could very well happen even though I believe in it a lot, I want to believe it, but even if Fun were to end up deteriorating and being sucked by that black hole called mainstream, they would have already done something good, and I will be able to say loudly, without any shame, that "Aim And Ignite" and "Some Nights" are two great albums, that after all, it was worth it.