I feel that, as this is my first post on this new blog, it should be about an artist that is special to me. So I’ll share a bit of my opinion about one of my new favorite groups, called Owl City.
If you’ve heard of them, chances are you know them by their smash hit, Fireflies, which became rapidly popular because of iTune’s clever decision to make it the free single of the week. (That was how I got into Owl City–I picked up the free version of Fireflies and was so entranced that I had to purchase the rest of the album. Mind you, that doesn’t happen often with me.) You might also know them by their second most popular single, Vanilla Twilight, which has been on the iTunes top 100-selling-songs list for a few weeks now. Both, unsurprisingly, are two of their more catchy, radio-friendly songs. I’d definitely rank them among my favorite Owl City tracks.
Owl City is made up of Adam Young, who–if I’m not mistaken–does the vocals and most of the instrumentals for the band. And I do like his voice; it’s smooth and easy to sing along to, not to mention distinctive. In a world where Daughtry and Lifehouse and 3 Doors Down and all those other bands we can’t remember sound annoying alike, this is refreshing.
Owl City’s style isn’t the type of music I normally enjoy, either. iTunes labels it as “Dance & DJ” in genre; I think of it as more of electronic pop. Either way, I’m famous among my friends as the “hardcore rock” type–you know, a lover of bands like Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, and MCR. But I’m weak in the knees when it comes to a band that’s got great lyrics and amazing instrumentals.
That’s where I can find the words to explain my love for Owl City: everything about them is clever. From the subjects of their songs to their lyrics…
“I’d rather pick flowers/instead of fights…”
“Leave my door open just a crack/ ’cause I feel like such an insomniac…”
“…’cause the spaces between my fingers are right when yours fit perfectly…”
…everything was clearly thought up with effort and care. I can’t find a single cheesy, cliched lyric in any of the Owl City songs I’ve heard. And they’re not one of those bands who channel all their efforts into solely the lyrics, either; the music in every one of their songs always fits perfectly with the words. Owl City has a rare and valuable ability to draw emotion from you with the simplicity and beauty of their music. Add in the killer lyrics and you’ve got yourself a truely epic band.
Ah! same