Para alguém que nunca ouviu, Dog Problems se trata da recuperação de Ruess sobre uma das grandes tragédias da vida, o término de um relacionamdnto(oque deixnu Ruess com uma pequena coleção de cachorros para cuidar). Muitas das músicas tem uma temática de esperança, rancor, etc.
É a voz da alma querendo tocar, e há coisa mais sincera do que isso?
Aim And Ignite is the debut album from the new trio fun., which has gathered Nate Ruess (The Format), Andrew Dost (Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train) together. The groups sound follows very close to Ruess's previous band The Format but expands their straightforward alt-pop into a much more festive and orchestrated record. The entire album feels like an event that brings along horns, sharp harmonies and plenty of good spirit. Aim And Ignite easily could have been too corny in parts but it takes care of that notion with its quick turns and surprisingly upbeat pace, which never lets it go over the top. You quickly find yourself tapping along to the bounce of "Walking The Dog" or helping out the ELO type harmonies on "All The Pretty Girls". I can't say that I initially had many high expectations for Aim And Ignite but after one spin, fun. surpasses most of all three guys previous work. With that said fun. is a group that could easily blow up on the college radio circuit and Aim And Ignite is a record that just might creep it's way into our final 50 list for 2009!
thefirenote
A sophomnre album is (probably) the most important record for any musician to release. Debut albums are a way for an artist to test the waters, tame the masses, and establish themselves with good reviews, respectable hype, and novice excitement. Good examples of such a debut would be bands like The Arcade Fire, Beirut, and The Postal Service. Do these bands have an expiration date? Can they meet the hype and expectations? Are they a "one album wonder?" All of the questions and concerns for an entire discography can be satiated with one sophomore release.
Enter The Format.
Here is a band that had a solid debut album with a simple combination of a guitar, witty lyrics, and a catchy set of vocal chords. A band that hates the corporate rock scene so much they named themselves The Format mocking the typical corporate rock format used to sell albums. A band whose two (main) founding members are barely in their 20's and have been dumped by their record label...twice! A band that recently released a sophomore album that knocked me off my feet.
Dog Problems is the follow-up to the 2003 debut Interventions and Lullabies, which was chock full of catchy lyrics, acoustic guitar, and sprinkled with enough pop melodies to entice the likes of pop-punk hipsters and hormonal teenagers*alike. Also gobbling up their infectious sound were major label buffs at Atlantic. Soon after joining the folks at Atlantic - the work on Dog Problems commenced. It was within this "new work" that Atlantic started complaining. Like most major record companies, they wanted Nate and Sam to make a lot of the same music that was found on their debut and take the "safe route" to successful record sales with their already winning concoction. Unable to reach a compromise, Atlantic dropped the boys...twice. Instead of throwing in a towel soaked in frustration, disappointment, and anger, The Format somehow turned the sour taste of musical transactions into a creative reformation.
Flirting with the very essence of pop perfection, The Format open their latest album with two (great) songs that set the tone for the record. "Matches" begins the record with whimsical keys and xylophone while ending in a crescendo of haunting vocals and fluttering harp. Segueing flawlessly into the second track, "I'm Actual" is where listeners can gain a good idea of what to expect from the album. Lyrics taken from personal experience (Can we please take this hour and talk about me? / And my hatred for corporate magazines / You know they don't speak to me / The irony is they won't speak with me), catchy vocal melodies, and more instrumentation found in one track than on the entirety of their debut. By this point, many of their MTV-watching fans of their first album are will be officially scratching their heads by the conclusion of this track. Those that know better will be applauding.
With the musical mood set, the songs only get better as the album progresses. The ghost of Freddie Mercury seems ever present in the extremely vocal "Time Bomb," while "She Doesn't Get It" and "Pick Me Up" cover topics of casual sex and the struggles of being self sufficient all while making you want to break into dance. Then comes the title track of the album, and by all means the best song they've ever created. With more ups and downs than Keith Richards on a weekend, "Dog Problems" has brilliant orchestration and lyrics influenced by their MySpace driven fans ("Boys in swooping haircuts are bringing me down taking pictures of themselves"). Other tracks of notable merit include "The Compromise," written about their conflicts with major record labels, my personal/lyrical favorite "Inches and Falling," and a closing song, "If Work Permits," that has one of the hardest hitting musical transitions since Neutral Milk Hotel's Holland, 1945.
If there's any justice in this world, Dog Problems will be one of your favorite summer records, the undoubtedly shell-shocked scenesters will get over themselves to soak in this gem, and The Format will advance as trendsetters in the music business with a new format that'll have everyone saying "Damn, now that's how you make a sophomore album."
I guess I'm Floating
fun. - Aim And Ignite (2009)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nnbly4aoydy
The Format - Dog Problems (2006)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rminmkqmy32
Lossless:
ResponderExcluirThe Format - Dog Problems *FLAC*