This album is sadly the epitome of everything wrong with both 'indie' and pop music in 2012. It's just incredible that music has reached the point where even people who can legitimately sing very well have to use autotune to remain competitive on the radio. The band here are nothing more than bland background in order to launch Nate Ruess up into the heights of implied super-stardom. He struts through the songs acting like the king of the world, projecting his voice far into every facet of the mix - choruses are often completely filled with layers and layers of vocals at different pitches, as if Some Nights is Ruess' own audition tape for American Idol. All indie credibility is utterly quashed since their promotion on Glee, which is surely the death knell for any hipster. Also of note are the ridiculously weak lyrics; the previous album's charm and intelligent story telling has been replaced with "ooh-la-la's" and the constant re-iteration of the song title. Couple that with the grating use of digital pitch-shifting and you have something more akin to Katy Perry than Fun. In closing, Some Nights is an absurd follow-up to Aim and Ignite, and appears to be the transition into what will probably be something even more easily digestible in the future.… Expand

A lot of times one stops and thinks what the hell an artist or group of artist were thinking. How could they get it so wrong? Donâ

This album is flawed. One Foot is incredibly repetitive, It Gets Better is plain bad and the "T-Pain effect", auto-tune, is used in all the wrong ways. However, I'm glad they found success with this album. The album balances out at a five because I love some tracks (Some Nights, We Are Young, Some Nights Intro), some a okay (Why Am I the One, All Alone, All Alright, Carry On, Stars) and some tracks are unbearable (It Gets Better, One Foot). It's not a recommended purchase, but I'm still rooting for them to rack up more hits.… Expand

I created an account just to review this album. As a long time Format/Nate Ruess fan, I was pretty stoked when Fun formed and I thoroughly enjoyed 2009's Aim And Ignite. It was a departure from The Format, but still breaking new ground in terms of pop music. Then this album comes out.

What staggers me is Nate Ruess' complete disdain for what seems to be his tenure with The Format. In "Some Nights", there is no doubt that the line "Who the **** wants to die alone out in the desert sun" is a direct reference to a Format song called "On Your Porch", a sombre ballad from The Format's first debut album. It's almost as if he's trying to assure himself that a giant nosedive into the world of autotune, bombastic drum programming and huge multitrack layering is what Fun needs to be successful. It's a shame, because most of these kids will **** their heads at Aim and Ignite, but for those few who dig it, there's some great tunes to be found both on that album and previous works by Ruess and company. This album, ripe with paper thin metaphors about youth, provides a listenable arena in which Ruess can be his inner Freddie Mercury, but it often comes off as ironic and apathetic drowned in the confusingly biographical lyrics. Frankly speaking, I enjoyed the overal positive vibe of the first half of the record. It might not be lyrically copacetic, but the melodies and try-hard harmonies add flavour to otherwise bland songs. Suddenly, after "Carry On", it's as if the band needed to fatten out the record. I won't name names, but some of the songs near the last half of the album border on the completely forgettable. I will keep an eye on Fun, but if this is any indication of things to come, I may just be stuck listening to The Format if I want to enjoy the clever tones of Nate Ruess, and not some vocoded, auto tuned version of the same thing.… Expand

This album is the musical equivalent of Kurt Vonnegut deciding to start to write the Twilight series. Granted, Vonnegut died in 2007, but I'm pretty sure this band died in 2009, so the analogy works. What a sad follow-up to what was a solid album from top to bottom in Aim & Ignite. The listener is less encouraged to sing along in Some Nights, but rather grind their teeth as they are bombarded with gratuitous amounts of autotune and random electronic instruments, when the group has proven quite clearly they know how to make real music. It's an interesting dive into mainstream music for the lead singer, who formally was a part of The Format, which was named to make fun of the 'cookie cutter format' the music industry utilizes to create hits. Pot meet kettle.… Expand

This album was a disappointment; their debut album left fans with high expectations, hoping for the band to evolve and grow artistically. Not only did fun. let down fans, they also lessened the band as a talent overall and exalted Nate Ruess above the rest, displaying his talent (though this album does not do a very good job at it) beyond that of the other members. Though "Some Nights" has its moments, the use of auto-tune ruins most of the songs, the lyrics are unintelligent and simple in comparison to the band's true capabilities, and the repeated and monotonous melodies cause the album to fail.… Expand

Some people say that this second Fun's album is great. In my opinion, I don't see any greatness in it. I think that this album contains the best song of the year (We Are Young), however much songs of the album are kind of uninteresting and sometime, even annoying. I only like three songs in the album: the amazing (I admit) We Are Young plus Some Nights and It Gets Better. The rest of the songs are not bad at all but they are not strong sounds.… Expand

Fun.'s sophomore album "Some Nights" is the game played right. A successful album in modern music is relevant to the current mainstream, yet not dependent on that relevance. Some Nights is both relevant and original. But most importantly, it has replay value. Fun. has left a mark on indie-pop that will always be there.

It's a classic case of a band's confusion in the realm of where they're headed. This is a musical group that clearly is talented; look at the brilliant modern pop classic "We Are Young" and the quirky, oddly paced, fun little number "One Foot". Unfortunately, this is a musical group that brings 'contrived' to a whole new level. It gets better, does it? Shut up.

This is the album of the year for me. It's definitely an acquired taste, but it's rare for me to find an album this musically competent, lyrically thought provoking, and emotionally powerful. The songs are beautiful statements that depicts philosophical and psychological themes that definitely cause the listener to experience a range of thoughts and emotions. Musically, it's very experimental, and I think it works. The title song is an emotionally charged five minute roller coaster, while tracks like "We Are Young" and "Carry On" note the inevitable difficulties in life, but approach them in an optimistic way. Songs like "Why Am I The One" and "One Foot" are tragically depressing, and written beautifully. "Stars" is musically very interesting, and a great way to close the album. Nate's vocal performance throughout the album is very bold, and adapts to the diversity of the album's lyrics, as well as to its music. I can understand why the reviews are so polarizing. It's very different, both from what is popular in mainstream music today, and from what the band has done previously, so it makes sense that it would disappoint both groups. It's not going to be to everybody's taste, and that's fine. I'm just glad that this album happens to fit my tastes, because I consider it a real treat to have listened to it. If you're open to different things, and you like an album that's going to be about emotion and deep thinking, you might love this as much as I did. If you're in the mood for something that's just about sheer enjoyability and entertainment, which I often am, you might stay away from this one.… Expand

SOME NIGHTS by Fun. is unique compared to other now mainstream artists that you hear on the radio. These songs are actually good for a change, these still get stuck in your head, but they are not crappy and annoying. This album is actually quite good, but there are some things that I do not like about it, such as some of the songs are oddly written and totally ruined by auto tune. The lead singer of Fun. can obviously sing, so why use the auto tune? He sounds good without it. Overall, SOME NIGHTS is refreshing and a break from other mainstream rubbish.… Expand

A really solid album although it doesn't hold a candle to their first album, Aim & Ignite. They still put a good effort in though. The song are catchy fun to listen to. You might find yourself going to listen to this album and playing Aim and Ignite as it happened 3 out of 4 times when I tried to listen to this. A good album, probably the best release of this year so far.

Really solid album. the lead single 'We Are Young' has Grammy nomination potential. The standout tracks for me were "We Are Young", "Carry On", "Why Am I the One", "All Alone" and "Stars"

LETS GET THIS STRAIGHT ONCE AND FOR ALL THIS ALBUM USES AUTO TUNE.If you don't believe it, Fun.did a studio session for 104.5 WRFF and there is an question during the session about Nates use of Autotune.His answer was that the guitarists gets pedals to play with, why can't I play around with Autotune.You can find this on the Web www.radio104.5.com/main.html WRFF Philadelphia.I personally don't care whether he uses Autotune or not, I know he can sing, I've heard him live. Most of the singers I like couldn't be helped by all the Autotune in the world. Anyway,it is a good solid album and pretty darn enjoyable,yeah they may be leaning to the arena rock side a little but they do it better than most purveyors of that ilk.… Expand

Great job critics for once again making an album look terrible even though it isn't. I will admit that Aim & Ignite was a better album then Some Nights, even though Some Nights was still a great follow up. I highly recommend it.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I must say I was very impressed with the album. Their debut album was very eclectic and enamoring but a little too 'hipster' for me. However, this album seems to have an identity of it's own. Ironically to say that, Jeff Bhasker could have done better with giving them Kanye West B-Sides. From the opening you seem to be caught up in a circus of vocals and and loud beats that seem so 'Glee' like yet you aren't as annoyed and pissed off. 'Some Nights' 'Carry On' 'It Get's Better' 'One Foot' and 'All Alone' seem to be the standout tracks from the album. However, 'Stars' is the true gem of the album. You'll learn to appreciate it if you know the difference between auto tune and a vocoder. It is definitely a My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy reject done in the alternative style but, it fits and is beyond infectious.… Expand

This album is what chocolate would taste like in the form of sound. This album is calming, soothing, and has very catchy beats. I applaud the band for their outstanding performance. GOOD JOB!

More of a response to some criticisms than a review. Let's get a couple things straight. This album contains absolutely no use of auto-tune. It's called a vocoder and it's not leaned on. It's used to enhance the sound and the band used it intentionally, they were not forced to use it. This is not a sellout album if anything, it's the exact opposite. Fun.'s debut album "Aim and Ignite" had a much more mainstream sound to it than this. The album has a layered, detailed aura about it that can be overwhelming to even seasoned listeners which probably turned off old fans. But the more you listen to it and the more acquainted you get with the sound, the better it gets.… Expand

Strange combination of electronics & indie rock, heard even on the first - operatic and reminding Queen - "Some Nights Intro" distinctive style, resulted in a great album. There's a plenty of backing vocals, a little grotesque climate and interesting arrangements that make every song is worth your attention.

Say that this American trio in thick butter is an understatement: his songs are fist-in-the air possible, thick layers of vocals and dominated everything is bathed in a shimmering pop sheen. In a horizon blocked by mock indie pop and cartoons, these nods to Queen, ELO, the Bee Gees and Boston are refreshing, if not subtle. Difficult not a smile at the sound of hymns as larger than life Carry on, padded flute, bagpipes, strings, brass, lark. Supervised by Jeff Bhasker (Kanye adjuvant on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), Some Nights is a little too cold and digital, but the sweet kind, fun skill. must be emphasized.… Expand

As a sophomore album, fun. really shows what they can do in Some Nights. From the slow, marching beat of Carry On, to the uproar-inducing Some Nights, fun.'s colorful album bridges the gab between indie-rock and mainstream pop. Their creative uses of auto-tune is a refreshing branch off of the over-done use of it in popular music. fun. uses it as an artistic tool, rather than a fix for bad vocals. Overall, fun.'s Some Nights is a wonderful album, and a real pleasure to listen to.… Expand

Excellent album. I admit I was a bit skeptical when I first played for the first time but found it filled with emotion and catchy beats. The lyrics are great, along with the use of auto-tune to help convey emotion near perfectly. Unforgettable album. It has been on my playing list for the last 2 months and I don't see that changing

The bottomline: it's all of The Format's pop sensibilities without any of the underlying musicianship or deep meaning that made frontman Neil Reuss' songs on The Format's Dog Problems album so damn enjoyable to listen to. Once the hooks work their way out of the listener's eardrum, all that remains is a very hollow and shallow pop rock record frantically humping the Hot 100 chart. Of course, with a name like "fun." and songs like these, it's pretty clear that is all Reuss was gunning for here. It's not bad, but it isn't good, either; it's mildly interesting at first, and then bores.… Expand

When I first heard "We Are Young", this thought came into my mind: 'You've got to be kididng me. Kids PAY for this??" I recently finished listening to the album, ending with the title track, "Some Nights". Besides the ghastly "We Are Young", the title track serves Fun no credit. The album is a loosely connected collection of monologues and anthems which will hook teens worldwide but sadly, will not impress true music lovers. Like many pop hits before it, the album serves one purpose- entertainment. But sadly, it comes short in enlightenment.… Expand

Oddly, fun. got famous with a huge step back from their predecessor. The first two songs and 'One Foot' are pretty good, but the rest is poor. Nate Ruess's voice achieves an extra-point but this CD is really nothing special. 'It Gets Better' for example, works totally contrariwise: the song is by far the worst on the album.

A great work, but it doesn't evolute, like all the songs treat about the same thing, I get tired listening to it, there's no objective in the songs. Pretty bad.

I'm not sure if this album just is not my kind of thing but I didn't really enjoy it. The mainstream hits that everyone knows (Some Nights & We Are Young) were the only ones I genuinely enjoyed and would listen too again.

Funny thing about being indie: you aren't really indie if your **** on the mainstream radio, or if you assigned yourself to a label; you can be then deemed alternative. I don't know why fun. is being heaped with actual indie acts like Longwave and Valise; they're not indie anymore. Still, it doesn't take away from the album being at least OKAY.... some songs are tedious, like the ever-famous "Some Nights" and don't really take into consideration the need for a song to be short and sweet, but who am i to judge? The rest of the album varies; "We Are Young" is catchy, but everything else is forgettable. It's a good album, just not memorable, just like every other release in the past few years save 21 and Channel Orange. And other albums that people don't recognize. Still, it irks me that they're considered "indie"; if they get popular and become mainstream, that defeats the purpose of being indie. A little disappointing and does take away from the album.… Expand