Fun AIM & IGNITE - Vinyl

While NYC indie pop trio fun. basks in an ocean of bells-and-whistle modern rock quirks (horns, odd chord changes, obtuse lyrics) on its 2009 debut AIM & IGNITE, mostly the band wears a love for 1970s rock on its sleeve. Echoes of ELO, Elton John, Queen, and even Styx or Seals & Crofts flow through the infectiously melodic songs. Nate Reuss's vocals quaver with a semi-ironic lilt out of the Stephen Malkmus or They Might Be Giants' Johns playbook, lending super-earnest lyrics like "I will not let you go." Fun. is ultimately just what its name implies, exuberant, deliberately excessive, and joyful.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Rock