ok now i'm digging the shit out of this album. this is the bleakest happy-sounding album ever. and i'm pretty sure It Gets Better is about...losing your virginity.
The more I listen, the more I hate the auto tune. I love the change in direction with this album and that the some nights intro song is in the same vein as the previous album so it gives a cool transition to the new sound on this album but I still can't stand the auto tune. I hope they get backlash from other fans and never use it again because Nate isn't Kanye and I never want him to be.
I think even more disappointing than the auto tune is the replacement of awesome arrangements and instrumentation with phat beatz. I dig a lot of the album but there's not a whole lot separating this from 106.1 material.
I would agree with that. While I definitely like this album it's officially not as good as the first album to me after a few listens. From what I understand this album started with nate making "we are young" so once that chorus had a kinda hip hop element it seems they went off of that for the rest of the album. I'm fine if they do a "change of pace" album but if this continues to be their sound instead of awesome piano/horn/glockenspiel arrangements then I'll be fairly pissed. Edit: also this album is more blatantly depressing and I really liked how the first album masked depressing lyrics with a happy beat. They should do that again.
um, this is exactly what they did on this album? and i agree about the auto-tune, but except for Stars, i can pretty much just ignore it. i just have to think it's used in a tongue-and-cheek way poking fun at the current state of pop music, because he obviously doesn't need to use it at all. i think he's making a statement. which is all well and good, i ust wish he hadn't ruined one of the best songs on the album making it.
i don't think it's tongue in cheek, at all. tongue in cheek usage would be doing, like, one song of blatant auto tune and having the rest of the tracks be bangin' pop anthems which did not happen. i'm not particularly interested in a band like fun changing up their sound... i listen to them because i want to listen to pop music that is huge and infectious and fun to listen to. i'm mad.
I don't hear any songs that have a super happy-sounding theme like "all the pretty girls", "benson hedges", "At least i'm not as sad". The only song that sounds happy is "Some Nights" but all the other ones are kinda melancholy (sp?) or downright sad.
One Foot will make for an excellent rap song as long as a good artist gets behind it. Most of the album is not very good and nowhere near as good as the first album. Some Nights is a pretty good song, though. Stars has it's moments.
almost all of the songs are upbeat and happy-sounding. there's not a single track i'd describe as "sad-sounding" musicwise. it wasn't until i started really listening to the lyrics that the album took on a bleak tone.
I feel the songs have maybe a hopeful tone to them but I wouldn't say downright happy like a lot of the songs were on the first album. There is no song on this album I can say is as upbeat and happy as songs from the first album
I mean, Nate is kind of an emo(tive performer), you could always see that streak in his music/lyrics. Fun, happy, upbeat shit with lyrics about depression and breakups and mental issues and all that. I don't think this album is particularly different in that regard. I like the sound on this record. I wouldn't advocate it as a "new direction", but it's well-executed. I am just disappointed with the homogeny of it. I feel like their first album had a lot more pace and mood swings. Also, "hip-hop" and "phat beatz" have been said far too many times in this thread. Seriously, using effects on your voice or having a consistent bass drum beat != automatically hip-hop / top 40. To me this just sounds like very streamlined modern pop-rock with a huge Queen influence.
I'm not really seeing this at all. Sure it has some some downbeat moments but so did Aim and Ignite. Overall this is upbeat music with sad lyrics.
fucking thank you yes Bhasker produced it and yes they were influenced by MBDTF but it seems like people are making these tunes equivalent to bonus tracks from that album which is pretty ridiculous
I mean I see what you guys are saying about it being upbeat but I guess it's just not the same kinda upbeat I was expecting. "At least I'm not as sad" is probably the best song I can use to describe it. Just super upbeat really poppy makes you wanna put a huge smile on and dance like a fool. I guess I just don't get that same feeling.
-the songs on this album are awesome, consistently so, and easily on par with the first one -the more modern pop influenced sound is not as immediately appealing as the more eclectic, multi-instrumental sound of A&I, but it's still very well done, and if you don't automatically hate well-produced, hip-hop-influenced, modern pop music, then you'll probably learn to love it. -the songs are definitely all powerful, anthemic, and generally quite happy in musical tone. The lyrics are often pretty damn dark. -This is a great album, one of my favorites from 2012 thus far. Shut up, you're wrong.
There are some songs where they present a really cool melody, simple arrangement, and so forth (Carry On, All Alone) and you think it'll be more of their previous style, but as soon as a chorus hits, there are 10 Nates singing at once and the synth volume goes way up. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but there are definitely songs that sound like they could've gone a different way.
Yea, and I want to reiterate that I absolutely love this album. Their first album is probably in my top 5 favorite albums ever so for this to not beat it in my eyes isn't surprising but I could still easily see this being one of the best albums of 2012. A little less synth, a little less Nates (as cheez put it haha), and some horns and this could have been an A+ but I'll have to settle with A heh
I've listened to this one twice, and I haven't heard the first album yet. I really dislike "It Gets Better." I really like "Why Am I the One."
i kinda like it now. really catchy. and like i said, i think the subject matter is preposterous and therefore humorous.
the first 4 songs on this record are fucking mammoth and definitely the most epic pop music I've heard from this millennium. yes, I just used epic as an adjective, cry about it. the songs stagger in quality from OK to good after that but right now I'm just in love with those 4. in case anybody hasn't noticed, this album is much better LOUD. OH MY GOD! HAVE YOU listened to me LATELY?. LATELY! car speakers and stereo speakers bring out the intensity; it's not as exciting over headphones.
By the way the "Carry On" acoustic version should have been the album version. Simple and more beautiful than the album version.
It Gets Better is easily the worst song they've ever done and is probably one of the worst songs I've ever heard.
I've heard so many worse songs just in that style (pop-punk) lol. Even though it is probably my least favorite on this album, actually because it is as different as it is from the rest of the songs and sort of jarringly breaks up the flow established to that point.
If that song didn't have auto tune it'd be better. Damn auto tune. Edit: actually it may not be auto tune but whatever effect is on his voice sucks.
These dudes are coming to my city in June. FUCK YES Btw, this version of It Gets Better is pretty nice
I like "Stars" a good deal more now. Also, I changed my mind, "One Foot" is the weakest song. "It Gets Better" is pretty catchy.
yes, it was fun () but I was in the mood for something else...I'll maybe give a dedicated listen later this week
I recommend checking out their first album before Some Nights. It's generally considered the better album and I personally think it's better
Starting to like this album a little less. The things that are wrong with it bug me more on each lesson. Out On The Town is one of the best songs on the album. Problem?
