Fun – Aim & Ignite

Nate Ruess, former frontman for The Format, one of the best pop/rock duos of the decade, has finally given us a new album to listen to.  He has teamed up with former Anathallo bandmember Andrew Dost.  For the most part the album is a lot of what you would expect from those two.  Just like with Dog Problems, Ruess is quick to throw out the traditional verse/chorus/verse rules for some more ornate and rather obtuse arrangements.  The sound created on Aim & Ignite is very reminiscent of 70′s pop music, more specifically it reminds me a lot of something Queen might release if Freddie Mercury were alive and making music today.  Unfortunately there’s really nothing on the album quite as good as what these two had done in their previous projects, but it is enjoyable none the less.  Don’t get me wrong, they sound great.  Nate’s vocals are better than ever and the instrumentation on a lot of these songs is pretty incredible.  But it is just very obvious to me now how much Sam Means brought to the table when it came to the songwriting process.  Although I will tell you that the album is growing on me.  I am enjoying it more with every listen. I’m not sure how much longer this will be true, but at least for right now, you can stream the entire album on their myspace.  So go have a listen and let me know what you think.  Do you love it? or are you just gonna wait around till Means decides to put out a new album.