Recycled Air

For the awesomeness that needs no defense, and the feisty-ness that’s been craving exposure since 1867.

No significance on the date though. That was completely random. Lately, an electro-indie-pop act has surfaced and dominated the charts. You know that when that happens, mild chaos begins. The moment I heard Owl City’s Fireflies, I was like “Ben [Gibbard], is that you? Or is that your protege?”

It is undeniable that Adam Young sounds a LOT like Ben Gibbaard. And although it is to some, debatable, Owl City is no Postal Service. They’ve been getting a storm of comparisons as of late, and although I understand the root of it all, it’s just sad. One, The Postal Service is beyond AWESOME to be compared to a hype act. Their music has similarities, yes. But I’ve been listening to TPS for years, and I guess it’s either you have a good ear on things, or have been listening to TPS for a while, that you see that despite the similarities, Owl City and The Postal Service are very different in sound. To make you debate happy kids, I say Owl City is TPS lite. It’s light in nature, sound, and content, that you’d say it’s quite cute. What’s impressive is it capturing the fancy of the masses, with it topping the charts and all. But that is no basis for an artist’s greatness. I say Owl City has what it takes to be all hardcore and amazing. But for now, what it has is a series of tracks that are light and breezy. It is not profound. It’s lyrics require no critical interpretation. You take it as it is, and stop saying it’s shallow. Depth is subjective. And please cease the comparisons to TPS. It’s painful. Okay, so it is quite a huge compliment to Adam and his music. But The Postal Service is a whole other box. Someday, Owl City will grow and possibly fill in the big stilettoes that is the TPS comparison. For now, it is what it is, kids. A breath of fresh air from all the hip-hop alternative grunge emo rock acts and bratty teen pop songs that dominate the airwaves. Refreshing is not always perfect, but it is something generally welcomed openly. Enough hate, more music.

Now the album review.

With all the hooplah that is Fireflies, I got myself a copy of Owl City’s latest album Ocean Eyes. Ocean Eyes would be a slightly more mainstream version of the kind of music I generally listen to. Electric, experimental, happy, upbeat. It straddles the line between indie and pop. Almost like a pop act waiting to be signed under a major label, on its way to becoming the new JoBros. It’s a fine line. And I cringe when I said JoBros. In a nutshell, it’s Ben Gibbard + electronic laptop synth + sugar teen pop.

Ocean Eyes is basically a pop album. I find the music fitting for long travels. You know, the kind you play while on the road. The tracks sound pretty much the same though, so chances are, if you didn’t like Fireflies, you won’t really like the album. Ocean Eyes is pretty much a feel good album though, so I’m pretty sure this one will be enjoyed by a vast majority of them pop lovin’ people. Odd enough, I really really did enjoy The Bird and the Worm. I find it rather sweet, and cute…for a love song. The lyrics are not profound. I’d say…simple. It’s something relateable and is ultimately charming, with the objective of really lifting your mood letting you swoon, and making you smile.

And for that, I rate this: