Aim And Ignite
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''Aim and Ignite'' is the debut studio album by American
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
band Fun. It was recorded at Appletree Studios.


Background

On February 4, 2008, The Format broke up. Soon after, vocalist Nate Ruess had called up Jack Antonoff, from the band Steel Train and Andrew Dost of Anathallo. They created the band Fun. and headed into the studio with producer Steven Shane McDonald.


Composition

The album was described as "what a pop album should sound like" and "the most essential pop album of 2009" by AbsolutePunk. AllMusic compared the trio to
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
and the
Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...
. It was said "it used previous Format tricks like using bright horns and sophisticated harmonies".


Release

On April 20, 2009, it was revealed that fans could download "At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)" for free upon signing up with the band's mailing list. In addition, it was mentioned that the band's debut album would be released in August. Between late April and early June, the band supported Manchester Orchestra on their headlining tour of the US. On May 19, ''Aim and Ignite'' was announced for release in August. In addition, the album's track listing was revealed. In August, the band went on a tour of the US with Hellogoodbye, Limbeck and My Favorite Highway. ''Aim and Ignite'' was released on August 25 through
Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...
. Two of the bonus tracks are re-imagined versions of songs on the CD, and two are remixes. The title of the album comes from a line of the lyrics on the track "Light a Roman Candle with Me". Following a support slot for
Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. The band's line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Justin Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew Ta ...
, Fun supported Paramore on their headlining US tour in April and May.


Reception

''Aim and Ignite'' was released to positive reviews. AbsolutePunk.net's Drew Beringer praised the album, calling it "what a pop album ''should'' sound like" and "the most essential pop album of 2009".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
called the album "progressive, but in the best possible way" and admired Ruess's lyrics for "investigating the larger truths of life...with a witty approach that keeps the songs bubbling merrily along on a positive note". Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic wrote, "''Aim and Ignite'' isn’t the most consistent pop album around," but he ultimately commended the album as "a superbly mixed and arranged album made by musicians who clearly understand the limits and potential of pop music". Estella Hung of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' was less impressed with the album, praising songs "Be Calm" and "The Gambler", but criticizing the lyrics and production of the album's early tracks. Hung concluded that while ''Aim and Ignite'' is "pretty original to say the least", it "fails to live up to the Format's last outing". Popdose's Ken Shane called the album "an interesting and unusual listen". Shane applauded the album's songwriting and said "many of the songs are really good", but he objected to the "cute" production, desiring to hear the band "in a more stripped-down form. He ended his review with: "I have a similar problem with Dr. Dog, a band that was recommended to me by a number of people. I think much of their recorded work is too fussed over, but when I saw them live and their sound was more stripped down out of necessity, emphasizing their powerful songwriting, I thought they were wonderful. Perhaps the same fate awaits me with Fun." The album reached number 26 on Sputnikmusic's top 50 albums of 2009.


Track listing


Personnel


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* Nate Ruess – lead and backing vocals * Jack Antonoff – lead guitar, drums, percussion, backing vocals * Andrew Dost – piano, guitars, theremin, percussion, keyboards, flugelhorn, trumpet, synthesizers, glockenspiel, backing vocals


Additional musicians

*Jas Thor – trombone (tracks: 4, 6, 8) *Double G – saxophones (tracks: 5, 8) *Lara Wickes – oboe (track 4) *Phil Parlapiano – accordion (track 1) *Mike Whits – viola (tracks: 5, 6, 9) *Ina Whits – violin (tracks: 5, 6, 9) *Timothy Loo – cello (tracks: 5, 6, 9) *Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6) *Neel Hammond – violin and viola (tracks: 1–6, 9) *John O'Reilly – drums (all tracks except: 7, 9) * Steven Shane McDonald – vocals (tracks: 4, 10), bass (all tracks except: 2, 9) * Roger Joseph Manning Jr.. – calliope (track 1) *Christopher Bautista – trumpet (tracks: 1, 8) *Connie Corn – vocals (tracks: 2, 8, 10) *Karen Mills – vocals (tracks: 2, 8, 10) *Ida Relhm – vocals (tracks: 2, 8, 10) *Anna Waronker – vocals (tracks: 1, 5) * Rachel Antonoff – vocals (tracks: 1, 4, 5)


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2009 debut albums Fun (band) albums Nettwerk Records albums