Bleachers - Shadow

"If you're feeling small, I'll love your shadow"

Sometimes I'm so focused on the international pop scene that I miss out on awesome stuff that's happening at home in the USA. Such is the case with Bleachers, the phenomenal side project of Jack Antonoff, the guitarist for the band fun. (of We Are Young and Some Nights fame). Simply put, I am all over this. Like white on rice. Like vultures on dead stuff. This is the kind of theatrical, big pop music that I live for. I feel like Antonoff took the absolute best bits of fun. and congealed them into something that seems to be recorded just for me. I Wanna Get Better, the current single, is a giant slice of bombastic singalong bliss, but Bleachers have released two additional teasers that might even be more instant. Rollercoaster has that classic 80's sound down pat, and Shadow has a chorus to die for. The album's out on the 15th of July, and I will be counting down the hours.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Top 20 Albums Of 2012: 6-5

6. Fun. - Some Nights



Probably the album that grew on me the most this year. I was initially unimpressed (save for a few tracks) when it was released back in February, but as the band surged in popularity, I kept returning to it and finding that it's an indie pop/rock album with a lot of the hallmarks that I find desperately needed in today's music. The heart-on-their-sleeve theatricality goes a long way, even in the less memorable songs.

5. Donkeyboy - Silver Moon



A criminally overlooked Scandinavian pop album, and honestly the best full-length that the region produced this year. I love it when bands experiment, and Donkeyboy definitely took a risk by giving their sound an added dance-pop oomph. The results were an unqualified success, as this is basically Big Pop Song after Big Pop Song without a weak link in the bunch.

Top 50 Singles Of 2012: 15-11

15. Mika - Celebrate



The most celebratory (obviously) single of Mika's career. It's him at his simple, melody-driven best.

14. EXO-K - History



One of the funkiest beats of the year, and a melody written by the always reliable Thomas Troelsen.

13. Diviney - You're So Cool



Went straight from Short Stack to 80's, INXS-style funk-pop. Totally irresistible.

12. Bigbang - Fantastic Baby



If only people knew that there was a 2012 K-Pop single with even more bombastic, earth-shaking dance beats than Gangnam Style...

11. Fun. - Some Nights 



Fun.'s masterpiece, and what I hope will be the template for every track from here on.

Top 50 Singles Of 2012: 25-21

25. Bigbang - Blue



A melancholic, melody-driven single with some definite earworm production. Signaled the return of a band who would go on to have their best year yet.

24. Fun. - We Are Young



Single-handedly revived anthemic, theatrical pomp rock. Next step? Push it even farther, please.

23. Ola - I'm In Love



Another reinvention of his sound, this was one of Summer's most effortlessly cool tracks.

22. Elton John vs. Pnau - Good Morning To The Night



An exhilarating brew of old and new. Hearing Elton's 70's vocals over a modern dance beat was nothing short of spectacular.

21. Jedward - Luminous 



Proving that with the right production and song, they could be very credible indeed. far surpassed any expectations I had.

Fun. - We Are Young (Alvin Risk Remix)

"We can burn brighter than the sun"

More and more, I'm coming to absolutely covet a good remix. I especially like it when slow to mid-tempo tracks are converted into full-on club stompers. I also really like the fact that Fun. have hit number one in the US with their slow-burning single (seriously, it was released like half a year ago) We Are Young. Though I'm not 100% sold on their album, I can't even describe how awesome it is that a pop/rock single hit the top spot. It shouldn't be such a rarity, yet it is. This remix is just... I have no words, honestly. It's exactly what a good remix should be. It turns the track into a surging, euphoric dance anthem, yet retains the structure and melody of the original. The instrumental bits after the chorus are EPIC. Play this loud.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to Alvin's other stuff here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Track-by-Track: Fun. - Some Nights

It seems like I had heard so much praise for Fun's last album, yet for some reason I never got around to checking it out. So when they came back with this new release, I was interested to delve in. After all, I love a good indie-pop record (especially the "pop" portion). Turns out that, for me, this is really an album of peaks and valleys. The peaks are amazingly high. If only it wasn't for the valleys (but honestly, even they aren't so bad).

1. Some Nights Intro - I don't rate intros as a rule, but if I did, this would get a high score. It perfectly sets the scene for the next track in a dramatic, melodic way.

2. Some Nights - Perhaps the album's finest moment. A rollicking mix of rock, gospel, pop and bombast, this track sets the bar so high that the rest of the album struggles to keep up. I'd like to see the band follow this track for future work. It really is powerful. 10/10

3. We Are Young - The big hit single. It's wearing on me a bit after hearing it so often, but there's no denying that galvanizing, anthemic melody. Janelle Monae is completely extraneous, but she adds an interesting element, I suppose. 10/10

4. Carry On - A nice ballad. Nothing earth-shattering, but I can easily imagine this finding success on the radio. The chorus strives for the same rousing singalong nature of We Are Young. It doesn't quite get there, mostly because the song's more subdued, but it's close. 9/10

5. It Gets Better - Back to uptempo. The production here's very interesting. Frantic, cluttered and a cool mix of electronic and acoustic. The verses don't do much for me, but I love the chorus. 8/10

6. Why Am I The One - The album's best straight-up ballad. Though it takes awhile to get to the hook, it's worth it because the harmonies are simply gorgeous. It has a real throwback sound in the best way. It sounds like a lost AOR hit from the 70's. 10/10

7. All Alone - The album's first real foray into hip-hop influenced production. There's a reggae vibe too. In fact, the entire track is a hodgepodge of sounds that shouldn't necessarily go together. And yet it all works. 9/10

8. All Alright - This is where the album starts to sag for me. This certainly isn't bad, but the melody and production just kind of plods along. It's heading for epic territory, but I'm not sure it gets there. Missing some oomph, maybe. 7/10

9. One Foot - This is a bit more experimental. Over a spare, (very) repetitive brassy beat, this song is much more "chanty" (yeah, I made up that word) than melodic. In other words, it's an experiment that I'm not sure entirely works. 7/10

10. Stars - My least favorite track. Personally, I find that the high vocal parts grate and I really don't like the vocoder/autotune choices. I realize it's intentional, but this just seems to meander along. And at nearly seven minutes, that's a lot of meandering. Honestly, take it off the album and you've got a much better listen. 5/10

11. Out On The Town - I can't believe this is only a bonus track, because it's as good or better than half of the songs on the actual album. It's not necessarily the most memorable of the bunch, but its solid pop songcraft is a welcome sound after that last track. 8/10

Album Grade: 8.3/10

Fun. - Some Nights

"I could use some friends for a change"

Fun.'s new album comes out this Tuesday and I think you should all check it out. I can't vouch for all of the tracks, as I think the album sags towards the end, but there are some definite standouts. The group has scored a surprise hit with We Are Young, which seems to have taken the obligatory "rock hit" slot for 2012 (because apparently America's only allowed one per year... last year was Foster The People). It's a great track, and definitely deserves it. Ditto to Why Am I The One, which has one of the most gorgeous harmonized choruses I've heard in awhile. But it's the title track that immediately captures your attention. The glorious gospel/country/Queen opening is enough of a treat on its own. Then the beat comes in and the song transforms into a rollicking anthem. I wish the entire album would have followed this template!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.