In the midst of all the craziness that has been 2009, with the forming of a new band, the release of the debut album, and a whole lot of touring, fun. has managed to still find time to give back their fans this holiday season. They have written and recorded their very own Christmas song and are giving it away for free. It kind of reminds me of something that you might find on a Beach Boys Christmas album. In other words I love it.
And luckily for all you procrastinators, who have yet to purchase Aim & Ignite, the giving doesn’t stop there. For a limited time, fun.’s incredibly catchy and….fun album is available @ Amazon for only $5. So treat yourself to an early Christmas gift.
Fun has just released their video for their catchy single, “All the Pretty Girls,” off of their brilliant debut album Aim & Ignite. They have been busy riding the success of their Aim & Ignite all across the country. They spent the summer with Manchester Orchestra, who also had a stellar album released earlier this year, before starting their first headlining tour earlier this fall. Right now they are on the backend of a short little stint with Taking Back Sunday and they have just announced their first batch of tour dates for 2010.
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.
Fun is the new brainchild of Nate Ruess (The Format) and Andrew Dost (Anathallo). News of this project has helped keep me from spiraling down into a deep dark depression over the loss of one of the greatest pop bands of all time. While I love the name, I am slightly annoyed that yet again I will have a hard time finding anything on them with just a google search. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to hear this album. Nate has written in a blog post that these are some of the best songs that he has ever written. Not to mention that he has been getting the help of Andrew Dost for the arrangements. And if for some reason you are unfamiliar with Dost or his former band Anathallo, the guy is a musical genius who can play pretty much any instrument, “switching from singing and playing the glockenspiel to playing the piano and flugelhorn” all mid-song. Not a joke, I’ve seen him do it. So far they are still unsigned, which I am assuming is by choice, cause I don’t know why all the labels wouldn’t be fighting over them. But as long as the new album gets finished and makes it to my ears, I don’t care how they do it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more information to share with you all. But I will leave you with this great demo version of one of their new songs.
Unfortunately they have only updated their studio journal 3 times in the past three months, so I’ve learned a whole lot of nothing about this new record. Except that it is going to have a reggae song in it and that Ryan plays an omnichord on one of the tracks. But honestly all it takes for me to get excited about a new Guster album is to know that it is being made. These guys put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen (easily top 3) and their last few studio albums have just blown me away. There are tracks on Keep It Together that still give me chills. Like the track I sampled below for those poor unfortunate souls that have yet to discover the wonders of Guster.
Here is a video of some guy named Larry playing a fluglehorn on one of the new songs that is tentatively titled “Lost at Sea.”
Yeah I know, I am behind again. Another of my most anticipated albums got released before I could write about it. And unfortunately I have been too busy and too poor to listen to it. But I will tell you why they made it all the way into my top five. It is because somehow Bono and his crew have not only managed to have an incredibly successful and lucritive music career that has spanned over 3 full decades now. And all the while they have managed to attain the attention and the respect of both music critics and the mainstream media. So for as long as they are in the business I am sure that I will get excited about anything that they create. Not to mention, they were like my second music love as a child. Although I must say that I am slightly disappointed with “Get on your Boots.” It seems to be a less awesome “Vertigo” in my mind.
The creators of our favorite album of 2006 are finally back with their fifth studio album, The Hazards of Love. I absolutely cannot wait to hear what apparently started out as a musical, and has turned into yet another themed record from The Decemberists. According to frontman Colin Meloy, it is a “mossy and evil” record, that tells the story of a woman named Margaret. I absolutely adore how nearly every song they write tells a story, and I am excited to know that this new album has a cohesive story to tell. I am also glad to know that My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, has lent her gorgeous voice to a fair number of tracks.
In the midst of all the craziness that has been 2009, with the forming of a new band, the release of the debut album, and a whole lot of touring, fun. has managed to still find time to give back their fans this holiday season. They have written and recorded their very own Christmas song and are giving it away for free. It kind of reminds me of something that you might find on a Beach Boys Christmas album. In other words I love it.
