Review Summary: Now, 'i know when that hotline bling' but this is a 'i came in like a wrecking ball' of an album. But 'I cant feel my face when I'm with you' if i don't love it.
The Black Crudunzo, or how ever you spell it, is back in fashion with his latest take on a hot new 'blum. (album for short). I have returned from my indefinite sabbatical to reimburse myself into the world of critically dissecting these little things we call billboard top 100 chart 'blums with a couple good hits but the deep cuts are'nt so great. So without further o'douls, allow me to drive right into the album Some Nights by the band called fun period.
But first SOME history on the band that wrote SOME nights, Buckle up its gonna be a PUNby ride. The band was originally formed in 1995 in Syracuse, CA by Nate Reuss and the guy from bleachers and someone else. They performed under the name The brimstone sluggers and primarily found work as jingle writers. However, after drawing the name out of the butt of some radiohead fan they decided to call themselves Fun. period write better music.
So now onto what makes this a classic ‘blum in the old eyes of black crazanza that listen to so much music. Here’s my tracks and tracks review of the entire album in its entirety.
1. Someone nights (intro) - two minutes and 18 seconds of run time is not enough to be a full song; perhaps an intro. Which would make sense as it does cohesively flow into the following track. Two and half silver falling stars. However readers must take into account the truncated grading scale used to judge songs that fall under a 2:30 runtime.
2. Some Nights (the real song and the whole thing) - After a very bumpy start, the ‘blum resets and gives us a full length, fleshed out song to real sink our feet into. It's composed of an afrojack beat with Nate’s vocals really shining through as he sings at the top of his register in what i would consider to be an abysmal attempt to create a sense of urgency on an otherwise lifeless track. The six phosphate stars i gave this landed this track on the rolling stones top songs of 2015 as number 11. [*editors note: congrats to nate and the gang for their globbal recognition)
3. We are Young - An anthem for a generation of nihilistic dong suckers. This ageist rock ballad showcases the jingle expertise of the indie rock outfit but still contributes to the yolo culture that so many parents are attempting to dissuade. [editors knote: not a parent just fed up]
4. Carry On - a Sea shanty in the style of olden day sea shanties. A kin to something sung by teamsters on a new england dock whilst hoisting crustacean onto a non descript mack truck. For a more descriptive visual please subscribe and dm me @this account. 3 to 5 thumbs up as it is my favorite tracks on the ‘blum.
5. Tracks 5 - 9. Solid hits reminiscent of the bygone days of brimstone sluggers. These are an obvious nod to the original fans who have stuck with every incarnation of the band and subsequently dropped out because of the stylistic change. If you fit such a description i would highly recommend these 8 tracks. Lyrically they're a subpar take on the culture wars being waged on american soil. Nate’s coddled existence provides little source for substance on any conflict other than whether or not to pay extra for guacamole. The musicians telephone it in for a bunk recording sesh that could easily be blamed on the producer but i choose to blame the band because I don't know who produced it. And the band has easily blamable faces. The ratings in accordance with star scale for each song are respectively are 4, 1, 3, and 7 in no particular order.
6. Stars - is the final track on this carnival ride of an album that I have thoroughly enjoyed grinding through as many parts of the album have a tendency to drag and get very dull at times. Stars in no exception to this subjective rule. It is fun and in your face and Nate Ruess has no apologies about it! It’s the kind of musical exploration we expected fun period to be honing in on all along. Not enough exploration of the sound around them causes this track to be very broad and unapproachable by literally anyone. In a leather bound coin purse resides the final 6 silver falling stars with which i use to grade music and i bestow them upon this song. 6 gold stars up from the black banana.
For all of you ‘intro and body skippers’ who only read conclusions, i would strongly urge you to return to the top of the page and read my review in its entirety. One of my very few points of criticism is my lack of summation in the conclusion. Which i defend by going into amorous detail early in the review.
Thank you to all the fans who emailed me with concerns regarding my well being. Thank you to all my subscribers who tweeted at me asking for this review. During my sabbatical i was retaking a writing intensive course in order to obtain grade forgiveness so naturally my schedule was unforgiving. As always please seed and please subscribe. Happy hollowdays from the Balk Crudanza.
