The new EP album:
Today is the day that I immerse my faithful readers into a musical city of wonderfulness. Semi-literal speaking.
I haven't been an Owl City fan for very long. I think it all started last year in November. I recall that I was stranded in a fitting room at Kohl's department store with a bucket load of jeans to try on for the "winter". -_-
Before I go any further into this narration, I must first explain to you that I was very tired. And feeling like I had already visited this particular fitting room about six point eight billions times that afternoon. This feeling could very well be closely associated to the experience of waiting a half eternity for the bank teller to finish up with the guy with the Silverado in front of you at the drive through bank deposit sight.
As I stood waiting for a vacancy in the
But suddenly my ears did this strange little perky thing. And the denim in my arms felt just a tad...lighter. I listened as a simplistic techno melody filled my brain (this time literally---the volume could have been lessened a few notches).
I knew I had heard this in other public places before. And I had thought it was catchy enough, but I never did listen to music much, so I never had the compulsion to look up who, what, and when.
"You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies..."
Cutesy lyrics but not a masterpiece.
---Such was my response. I clearly remember rolling my eyes at the
"Why do I tire of counting sheep? When I'm far too tired to fall asleep."
verse, and mumbling aloud to myself:
"This guy seriously makes no sense." (Yes. Really. I said that. Aloud.)
...This was obviously before I began to---strangely enough---have these same sleeping habits. Now I say with defiance that it is INDEED possible to be too tired to fall asleep. But save the thought for a rainy day.
So I smirked a little, finished my duties of shopping, and didn't think much of it.
---Actually, that's not completely true. I did think about it. In fact, I recall asking my brother if he had that song in his possession, to which he firmly stated "NO. I don't like Owl City."
And that was that. Or so I thought.
An X amount of days later, I mentioned Owl City to two friends of mine. Coincidentally, they happened to be loaded with a number of All Things Bright and Beautiful (2011 album) tracks on their handy dandy iPods. So I listened to the beginning of Alligator Sky (feat. Shawn Christopher).
Surely, you must guess that it was love at first hearing---do you not?
Surely, I must have rocketed into the air (pun slightly-intended) with my fist above my head and shouted: "THIS IS THE GREATEST MUSIC I HAVE EVER HEARD SINCE THE VEGGIE TALES THEME SONG!"
Surely I must have raced over to http://www.owlcitymerch.com/ to buy a lime green custom t-shirt that says "I <3 OC" all over the front.
But nay.
My first reaction: (in traditional Kismint style)
"Meh. It's kinda weird. His voice sounds like a girl."
*headdesk*
...Yeah...
Okay, so not the most generic way to describe your favorite music artist. But it was a start. And everything has to start with a start. No matter what (I dare you to try this for yourself).
That week I got a little curious. The little taste that I had just kept coming back to me. Naturally, I checked out Owl City on Playlist.com (cool site).
And that was when I became a fan.
Of the first songs from Mr. Young that I heard were...
-Peppermint Winter
-Rainbow Veins
-Strawberry Avalanche
-Hot Air Balloon
-Vanilla Twilight
I soon found that this guy had a HUGE variety. Fireflies was not the high bar. Compared to songs like To The Sky, Lonely Lullabies, and Plant Life, the glowing insects don't hold a candle. Or a match. Or anything light-related.
All that was the background.
Now to the foreground.
But before I continue, you haffta promise me that you will listen to each and every one these tracks, from start to finish. If you don't have time at the moment, leave now, and come back to it when you're in your pajamas and poured a cuppa coffee for yourself.
It is time to take a little stroll through melody and rhythm.
And by doing that I will share a smoall plot of my own thoughts and opinions.
First, I must announce to you that the following is my old new favorite (I know what you're thinking, and no---it's not my new old favorite. If it were my new old favorite, it would have to be a new song but an old favorite. As it is, it turns out to be an older song but one of my new favorites.).
Entitled: "The Airway" (from Owl City's 2007 EP debut: Of June)
This is a perfect example of what Owl City sounded like on it's first time out and about. Notice the monotone, and the simple, clean lined electro sounds. I know nothing of this sort of thing, but I'm guessing that the number of different soundtracks playing at once is relatively few.
This is what caught the first net of Owl City lovers. His dreamy lyrics that have a rather obscured meaning---combined with catchy but muted instrumentals is rather inviting to a majority of the public.
Now, moving forward a bit to 2008 we find his first full-length album, "Maybe I'm Dreaming". This time Mr. Young brought in a few back up singers, including Austin Tofte and Breanne Duren for a number of songs.
As afore mentioned, the following song was one of the first I listened to in the Owl City genre.
Here is "Rainbow Veins" (Feat. Austin Tofte).
And now, as we prance upon this trip of memory lane, we come to the ever referred to 2009 "Ocean Eyes".
Lemme tell you now: Every time someone has asked me what music I enjoy, and I say "Oh, I like to listen to Owl City", the reply with something like this "Ohhhh...Mr. Fireflies...tsk tsk."
;) Just kidding.
The truth is, you either like that song or you don't think it's so hot. There's not much of an in between. But it made him famous, and topped the charts, earning him a whole lotta publicity. However, I'd like you to hear something less bubbled about off of Ocean Eyes.
Here's Tidal Wave (With Matt Thiesson [from Relient K!!] on the back-ups)
Okay, so it's lighthearted, and catchy---but we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. Notice the contrast between Tidal Wave and The Airway. With Ocean Eyes we start to see Owl City moving further up and further in.
And finally, we come to his latest full-length album, appropriately entitled "All Things Bright and Beautiful."
Yessiree folks, this album is really and truly "all things bright and beautiful" (and it also happens to be in my CD player at the current moment). This twelve-track album, release last year on June 14th, 2011 is really a work of art. All of the songs are beautifully sung---with highs and lows and everything in between. You will also find a remarkable blend of electro-meets-acoustic-in-a-awesomely-fantastic-sort-of-way stuff.
So with that said, I give you a double decker of greatness:
-Kamikaze
-Hospital Flowers (feat. Joann Young in background vocals)
The contrast between these to is just fantastic.
On one hand you have some harsh vocals that blend effortlessly with the synths---while on the other hand you have a soft drawn out tone that glides along with the gentle beat.
Really great stuff.
"BUT WAIT!" You ask. "What about the newest EP?! What about "Shooting Star"!??"
Yes, about that.
This song was released just a few days ago. I'm a little torn with my reaction to it. Mr. Young has made a HUGE leap into the pop side of things, and reverberating from the electronic side. Part of me wonders if this has anything to do with the co-writers and new studio[s] in New York/LA that he's been working in (alas! I miss the basement!).
Now I bring you: Gold (which incidentally was not written by Adam Young, but by someone else...which makes me a little put off...but I still think it's great ;D )
Admittedly, I get a little sad when I listen to this and then go back to The Airway.
They're just so...different.
A bit of nostalgia blows through.
But we're ain't done yet.
Dear friends, it has come to my attention that it is not in his albums that Adam Young shines, but in his singles. I give you now the two greatest samples of art of Owl City.
Lonely Lullaby (Released to iTunes July 19th, 2011)
You have no idea how much writer's inspiration that song has pulled outta me.
But we come to the end. And I end this post with final words and a final song.
Adam Young isn't an inspiration to me for the mere sake of his knowledge of music and perfect-pitch voice. It's because he knows who his Father is. Really and truly. And I pray that he---WE---will never forget that.
And that's why I've written all of this.
In Christ Alone (Released via blog on October 25, 2010)
Amen.
