The last time we heard from Nate Ruess, formerly the mouthpiece of local favorite The Format, he was lamenting about the personal hell an exceptionally tough break-up was putting him through on the now defunct band’s opus “Dog Problems.”

When The Format announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2008, Ruess seemingly disappeared like a submarine into the ocean only to resurface from the depths months later, and with him he brought news of his new project. With a little help from his friends Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Andrew Dost, an ex-member of Anathallo, fun. was born.

It’s true, what became of this impressive trifecta of musical minds is simply, and ironically, known as “fun.” The normally woebegone Ruess is not exactly heralded for his ability to pen lyrics that are, in fact, fun and the “fun-ness” of the other members’ bands is debatable.

This simple, single syllable band name brought about serious expectations — the band can’t be named fun. if the music itself isn’t fun. Not even the most ironic hipster could appreciate that.

But oh, has the band had the last laugh. fun.’s debut release “Aim and Ignite” is a masterful creation of pop excellence that draws on a wide variety of influences and artfully pieces them together to form ten individual pieces of genius.

The album opens with an appropriate introduction, the musical inspired “Be Calm.” Strings welcome the listener to what is sure to be a memorable experience before Ruess steps in with his recognizable, soft voice. The song speeds up and slows down on a moment’s notice and twists and turns between the soft symphony, the robotic sound of gears turning and the full band joining in for the conclusion.

“Benson Hedges” begins with an anthemic vocal intro before breaking into a fast-paced tune with a guitar riff that keeps the song moving. Third track “All the Pretty Girls,” is absolutely one of the best songs of the year with a big catchy chorus and a healthy helping of backing vocals to support Ruess’s smooth singing.

The album slows down to catch its breath on the piano and horn driven “I Wanna Be the One” and “Light A Roman Candle With Me.” Both are bouncy love songs with almost too sweet of lyrics, but they mix well with the breakneck pace of the other songs.

“At Least I’m Not As Sad (as I Used to Be)” is an excellent song that doubles as a prophetic statement for Ruess. His lyrics on “Aim and Ignite” seem to signal a man reborn and at peace with his lot in life on this album — a far cry from his work in the past.

“Walking The Dog” is madness as the drums tap out a little rhythm and Antonoff strums a few chords before Ruess jumps in with a flurry of fast paced vocals. The pace is slowed as the chorus breaks down into a chant of “nah-nah’s” before picking back up.

The tune “Barlights” has the biggest sound of any track on the album.

Horns jump around and in support of Ruess is a church choir with its supporting melodies of “I feel alive.” Don’t be surprised if a smile stretches across your face during that song. “The Gambler” and “Take Your Time (Coming Home)” round out the album perfectly, doing justice to the preceding songs.

The obvious question is how does fun. stack up against The Format? fun.
is like Barry Bonds and The Format is like an average baseball player — fun. is The Format on steroids. Their sound is bigger and better than anything The Format ever produced.

The trio that comprises fun. has made one of the best albums of the year with their uniquely genius sound.

fun. not only lived up to any and all expectations, they exceeded them.

The music itself is fun, the members of the band seem to be having more fun than ever and fans are going to have fun enjoying this band for years to come. It appears fun. was an appropriate name after all.

Reach the reporter at jdfourni@asu.edu.