Owl City – Ocean Eyes
So I thought it would be nice to share with you guys and gals the latest album that’s been sneaking in through my ears and burning a hole through my brain. Do you remember The Postal Service? And do you remember how they really helped make electronic music kinda sorta popular with their distinct blend of indie/pop/electronic sounds? And do you remember how it’s been ages since they’ve released an album? Allow me to introduce to you Owl City and their first major label debut, Ocean Eyes.
History Lesson
Owl City was created by Adam Young. Hailing from Owatonna, Minnesota, Adam founded the project in 2007. It started out innocently enough with making music in his parents’ basement in the middle of the night due to his insomnia. Uploading his tracks onto MySpace, Adam soon found himself generating quite a following.
His distinct blend of synthpop and soft vocals, backed with digital drumbeats and glitchy production, has arguably brought electonic-pop music back into the limelight. People who were fans of The Postal Service will definitely appreciate what Owl City has to offer. His lyrics are warm, soft, bubbly; his production is polished and balanced. In all honesty, I want to curl up in this album and sleep through a dark and cold winter.
The Good
Adam Young has been getting compared to The Postal Service, a lot. Which is understandable – they both make enjoyable electronic-indie-pop with breathy vocals, featured female vocalists, syncopated rhythms, and a wide/balanced spectrum of sounds; hell, Adam Young and Ben Gibbard even sound somewhat similar! And at first, Adam took the comparison as a compliment; citing that The Postal Service put electronic music in the mainstream and it was an honor to be compared to them. But now, it seems, people and reviewers are getting more malicious and claiming that Owl City is ripping off The Postal Service. In my opinion, that accusation is a little unfounded, and people seem to be losing sight of the issue at hand.
Music is about creative expression. Pouring your heart and soul into a work of art (in this case, music) and sharing it with anybody who wants to listen. Obviously sounds within a certain genre will overlap; it’s bound to happen and that’s why they’re called “genres.” Do I think Owl City is reminiscent of The Postal Service? Yes, absolutely, it’s what attracted me to them in the first place! Do I think Owl City is ripping off The Postal Service? Not at all.
Adam Young has created a very vibrant and fun album. His lyrics are playful and match up well with the bouncy and bubbly score he has created. It’s music that one person could dance to if they wanted and another person could relax and unwind to it at the same time. At no point does the album ever feel like an aural intrusion, in fact it’s much more akin to the whispering of secrets between two friends.
The Bad
At times, and perhaps this is just my interpretation of electronic music, it seems that the tracks can tend to sound very similar to each other. Each track almost seems to have a formula of: drum loops + synthpop + breathy vocals singing cute lyrics. Like I said, it may just be my interpretation of the genre, and therefore not really a point against Owl City. The only other criticism I can really find is the depth of the lyrics. While there is quite a breadth of lyrical material (there’s a song about oral hygiene), they all seem to more-or-less float on the surface.
Now I don’t consider myself to be god’s gift to poetic interpretation, and I’m aware that I could be missing The Deeper Meaning™ – but it stands to reason that Adam Young’s lyrics could stand a little more depth and introspection. While some tracks (If My Heart Was a House) show this level of thought and vulnerability, it really appears to be hit or miss throughout the album. However, being only his first major label release, there is still plenty of opportunity to delve deeper into his psyche for a more sincere lyrical offering.
The Otherwise
This album (and artist) are absolutely fantastic and well worth a repeated listening. Adam Young has definitely hit a bulls-eye with his first album and will assuredly endear himself to many listeners. If you enjoyed The Postal Service, you will like Owl City. The lyrics are cute (whether or not that is a detriment is your decision) and the music is well put together. Be on the lookout, as only good things will be coming from Owl City in the not-too-distant future!
Official website: http://www.owlcitymusic.com/
Genre: electric-indie-pop
Sounds like: The Postal Service
Label: Universal Republic
Sample:
Owl City – Hello Seattle
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