Aim and Ignite
Encyclopedia
Aim and Ignite is the debut album from indie pop
band fun
. It was released on August 25, 2009 through Nettwerk
. The two bonus tracks are re-imagined versions of two other songs on the CD. The title of the album comes from the track "Light a Roman Candle with Me."
iTunes Bonus tracks:
's Drew Beringer praised the album, calling it "what a pop album should sound like" and "the most essential pop album of 2009." Allmusic 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 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
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 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 made it to number 26 on Sputnikmusic's top 50 albums of 2009.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band fun
Fun (band)
Fun is an American indie pop band based in New York, New York that was formed by Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format. After the 2008 breakup of The Format, Ruess left Arizona to develop his career in New York City. Ruess then formed Fun with Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train...
. It was released on August 25, 2009 through Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
. The two bonus tracks are re-imagined versions of two other songs on the CD. The title of the album comes from the track "Light a Roman Candle with Me."
Track listing
- "Be Calm" – 4:10
- "Benson Hedges" – 4:00
- "All the Pretty Girls" – 3:23
- "I Wanna Be the One" – 3:36
- "At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)" – 4:07
- "Light a Roman Candle with Me" – 3:05
- "Walking the Dog" – 3:40
- "Barlights" – 4:17
- "The Gambler" – 4:11
- "Take Your Time (Coming Home)" – 7:51
iTunes Bonus tracks:
- "Walking the Dog II" – 4:31
- "Take Your Time (Acoustic)" – 3:57
Reception
Aim and Ignite released to positive reviews. AbsolutePunk.netAbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
's Drew Beringer praised the album, calling it "what a pop album should sound like" and "the most essential pop album of 2009." Allmusic 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
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
wrote, "Aim and Ignite isn’t the most consistent pop album around," but 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
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
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 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 made it to number 26 on Sputnikmusic's top 50 albums of 2009.