Owl City: Amazing or Horrible?

Considering all the Sparkler chat about whether Owl City is or isn't awesome, we commend Hali_10 for this very smart, relevant post! —SparkNotes editors

If you’ve turned on your radio, strolled through the grocery store, or strutted your stuff in the mall lately, chances are the over-played song “Fireflies” by Owl City has filled your ears with its bubbly, electronic synthesizers and childlike vocals.

Owl City has become an insanely popular new artist. And as with most budding artists, a decision needs to be made: do we a) “default” and accept him because he is so popular, or b) conform to the non-conformists who choose not to like him because of his popularity? Neither, I would argue. Instead, we should make an informed decision, which I'm going to help you reach with careful analysis. Here are some things to consider when deciding how you feel about Owl City:

1. Solo Skill: Why did I refer to Owl City as a "he?" Because Owl City isn’t actually a band. It's one artist: Adam Young. In some of his tracks, Adam is accompanied by female vocalist Breanne Düren (who has a self-titled album on iTunes). Young creates all of his music himself. The vocals, the instruments–it's all him.

2. Style: Adam's style is not quite original. If the early naughts group The Postal Service had a baby, it would have been Owl City. While die-hard Postal fans may penalize Young for “copy-catting,” I believe the average listener can appreciate Young’s inspiration and the soft, bubbly touch he gives his music.

Owl City is undeniable electronic. This may prove completely obnoxious to some, but will make others ecstatic. Every song is the equivalent to a really fizzy soda: bubbly, sweet, predictable, and a little inorganic.

Young adopted the electronic style, and owns it. His voice fits this style perfectly: tenor-ish and whimsical. Breanne Düren serves as a perfectly lovely accompaniment.

3. Lyrics: Young is no Shakespeare. His lyrics aren’t deep, but they are cute and occasionally cheeky. Eighty percent of his songs are romantic, but he does not become repetitious. And while Young's not breaking a lot of new ground lyrically, he’s adequate. The childlike innocence and simplicity of his lyrics blend with his electronic style nicely.

Given what I've said, you should be ready to make an informed decision about Owl City. (Of course it may help to listen to it, too).

What do you think of Owl City?

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