Fun. – Some Nights (Atlantic Records) ****
Every now and then a certain song comes along that just blows everything else out of the water. We Are Young is one of those songs which can be found on this album. How can a band be so happy yet so sad at the same time – especially when the name of that band is Fun? Some Nights is an incredibly theatrical-sounding CD and at times it is a little larger than life, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m tempted to compare this to Queen, but I’m not going to, however, vocalist Nate Ruess does have a slight similarity to Freddie Mercury in his voice – but it’s going to take a lot more than just one brilliant song to convert me into a full-time Fun. fan just yet.


Russ Petcher, 37, bassist, Carr Lane, Low Moor

Richard Hawley – Standing At The Sky’s Edge (Parlophone) **
Hyped as a full-blown, widescreen psychedelic rock album, Standing At The Sky’s Edge certainly harks back to the shimmering sounds of 1967, when distortion and introspective ideals dominated. It’s a brave effort, but he doesn’t really pull it off, as he conjures up every ‘summer of love’ influence from bands like The Doors to Love in an attempt to convince. Maybe he should return to his ‘kitchen sink’ singer-songwriter guise of an earlier age. This is only for the Hawley fanatics.


Reg Nelson, 61, administrator, Nelson Street, Bradford

The Heartbreaks – Funtimes (Nusic Sounds) ****
Over the past year, Morecambe group The Heartbreaks have performed alongside the like of The Killers, the Kaiser Chiefs and Bono. Now the band offer their ever-so-quirky debut album. The influences of Elvis Costello and The Smiths are clearly apparent; indeed, the near-perfect blend of the two is somewhat astounding. Debut single Delay, Delay is a good example of this fusion, but this is slightly eclipsed by the more complex Hand On Heart. On the whole, a good quality first album that, while hardly revolutionising the music scene, uses established methods very well.


Charlotte McCallum, 21, Ashbourne Crescent, Bradford