fun. (former members of The Format) - Aim and Ignite

Thats kinda what I thought on first listen, but little moments started popping out here and there.

One more track: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YSYXDG?ie=UTF8&tag=nettwerk-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002YSYXDG

It's a Christmas track. :P

Preview the new album...

record is super great, my favorite of the year so far

a lot of worlds colliding, soundwise, because nate's old band the format comes from a distant emo/alt-rock/california pop area, which is then applied here alternately to queen-ish bombast and, like, graceland rhythms and layered hip-hop production.

Not sure if I love all the autotune, since Nate's voice is pretty capable without it, but I'll have to listen a few more times before judging ;)

well i hate to be all "the autotune is used purposefully," but the autotune is used purposefully. in the title track it's for a kind of cool contrast between chorus and verse, in "stars" it's to pay maybe excessive homage to kanye's "runaway"

Cool. I'll have to listen a few more times. I'm STILL listening to Aim and Ignite all the time, and the freakin' Gambler brings tears to my eyes every time.

"we are young": worst single of 2012, not looking forward to hearing it in TV ads all year

man i love that song but fine ship

like i don't know if with that information you'll ever listen to the record but i really think you should, it's a solid weird pop album

and not too far displaced from the patrick stump solo joint of last year

i brought up their new single in the rolling indie thread as i didn't think they would have their own thread. anyways, i'm already board of the song but will probably hear it a lot over the next couple of months as i'm listening to radio more these days.

yeah but i love Stump's voice and think this guy's voice is the worst thing i've ever heard so i'll respectfully decline

I re-listened to the Format a couple months ago and it was much shittier than I remember. honestly not all that hopeful for this...we'll see though.

This band has so much potential but the production is just HORRIBLE on the couple tracks I'm flipping through, what are they thinking?? This is Owl City level stuff.

dog problems is a great record, maaaaan

"We Are Young" just rocketed to #3 on the Hot 100. enjoy your new, even worse "Pumped Up Kicks"

On Spotify, there are commentary tracks for a bunch of the songs...

oh and they did a whole video for the intro, which, yeah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAyNR4CEPE8

I really, really like this album.

But, yeah, "We Are Young" is actually one of my least favorite songs on here.

this band is going to blow up aren't they, they are the new Killers.

I saw them last night at the Independent (medium-sized club in SF), and it was this really cool vibe of a band that is playing the last of their club-sized gigs right as they are blowing up. Everyone onstage had a huge grin on their face; the crowd was singing along, etc. Great time.

still really love this album.

me too

weird, did not know dudes from the format were in this, lol

just the singer, really

the other dude from the format is off doing soundtrack work i think

so they're the ones who do that song

and they're called fun

yeah.

record's hard for me to think or talk about because a lot of the lyrics hit kind of close to home (see also folie a deux, which, speaking of, the strange meld of third wave emo with pop forms is also totally on exhibit here)

i like "we are young", such an undeniable anthem, and have now listened to a few other songs on allmusic's recommendations: "some nights", "carry on", "all alone". yeah, folie a deux is an obvious comparison point, along with the patrick stump solo joint, which never quite clicked for me. such a weird pileup of influences & connections here: freddy mercury & queen, grizzly bear, paul simon (???), pop emo in general, and god knows what else. pretty impressive, but maybe a little rich for my blood.

top comment on the "some nights" tube i watched:

somehow this reminds me of The Lion king <3

otm

the only way "we are young" could be any more cliched and awful would be if "set the world on fiii-yuh" rhymed with "our des-yuh"

"desir-yuh" i meant

but hey every pop generation needs its cheesy "anthems"

\paul simon (???)

I made this too - Some Nights is copped from Cecilia, with a patina of Little River Band. all by way of Queen of course.

m coleman otm

feel like what i like about the song is how the cliches sort of bounce off of the verses which are very specific

well they do feel like 2 different songs

I appreciate that fun. are listed 41st here even as they have the #1 hit in the country.

http://lineup.lollapalooza.com/

Forcing myself to listen to it sans visual, lest the product placement distract me from its musical riches. I almost was ready to accept Paul Simon but I'd say it's closer to Don McLean.

The guy's voice sounds so terrible.

feel like i hated his voice when i first listened to the format but then i warmed to it extremely. anyway.

here is a great song from this record

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boqMW_EstG4

the lyrics to "We Are Young" are terrible

eh, same goes for a lot of shit i like. they're no more terrible than AC/DC lyrics or whatever. just a lot more earnest. and earnest isn't cool, so...

sigh, if only people could get over themselves and appreciate earnest Windows 8 ads.

tonight
we are young
play your video gaaaames

i'm supposed to sneer at music used in ads now? fuck that, i like the stooges.

i'm referring to the ad in the video

and i really only sneer at product placement when people flatter themselves with crap like "they're no more terrible than AC/DC lyrics or whatever. just a lot more earnest. and earnest isn't cool, so..."

Someone probably said this already, but the Glee performance of We Are Young is better than the original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ul-pLYo5MJ8

About 3 years ago I sent a couple friends to a Steel Train show in Brooklyn (Steel Train toured with various Daycadence bands for a while, so there's your Fall Out Boy connection) where Jack Antonoff, who was the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist in Steel Train then and is the guitarist in .fun now, did Queen's "Under Pressure" together with Nate.

I'm bringing this up because "Under Pressure" sums up the vibe of fun. - no? Especially at their live shows, where between Nate's histrionic Queen vocals and Jack's... presence (he's not the best singer or composer but he is a great "mood setter") there is so much nervous energy it infects everyone. Once you learn to associate the sound/vocals with that feeling, you learn to love the vocals.

Here's an interview where you can see "nervous energy" in action, also fun.'s great keyboardist who I suspect is like Jamie XX, the person who actually "composes" their music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4E5eVlSm1M&fb_source=message

In the future of DIY pop music, you only need good vocals and an interesting beat? (And good lyrics. Nate is a very very good lyricist.)

<i>This sounds like The Lion King <3</i>

Dunno how far to credit this but wikipedia sez Steel Train's former lead singer played Young Simba in the Broadway version of The Lion King. So this message... especially with the heart... it's probably from a longtime fan.

https://soundcloud.com/bleachers/i-wanna-get-better

bleachers song is very in the mode of "one foot." kinda into it.

the format reunited

i think this is the only relevant thread on ilm

anyway: greatest band of all time, i'm thrilled i'll actually be able to see one of these shows, unlike... mcr

the format > fun.

I mean, Klinghoffer has some free time to join up with the tour too...

(nb I know his solo project is opening for Pearl Jam so he's not exactly hungry, but we could wish)

also not sure this reunion is gonna be more than nate + sam doing acoustic sets but even that would be great, cf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5aHhzhsC6c

ok i hadn't gotten very far in that video: it's gonna be a full band for the shows in new york, chicago, and phoenix

snails see the benefit
the beauty in every inch
so why why why oh why
are you quick to kiss

Somehow I didn't have a bookmark on this thread so I missed the whole reunion thing!

Also, Sam Means put out an album, 10 Songs, in 2016, and it's pretty great!