Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Owl City- The Midsummer Station Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- The Midsummer Station

Artist- Owl City

Synthpop based artist Owl City broke onto the music scene back in 2009 with his worldwide hit song Fireflies. Yet the singer has a had mixed success after that song , with the follow up release from that song only reaching number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100, and no song after that reaching the Billboard Hot 100. This album presents a change in sound from the singer’s usual material which has been met negatively by some people, but could this change in sound actually be beneficial for the singer?

Track 1- Dreams and Disasters

Beginning with a steady electronic beats that has a dark club edge before building into this forceful electro pop number, the albums opening song shows off Owl City’s creative sensibilities nicely in terms of the catchy chorus, powerful sound and infectious energy. Lyrically the track is all about Owl City wanting to live for ever and speaking to this person and just telling them to go through the dreams and disasters, doing so at a fast pace, and you will feel alive and will be better. It’s a live for the moment ideology that is given power through its simplicity and the idea of how we have to go through hardships in life for things to be good. The vocals are nice, with the softness of the verses working well with Owl City’s voice, although the chorus may be annoying for some people with the heavy use of Auto Tune. Production wise the electronic dance vibe of the track is good, with the clattering beats giving a touch of urgency to the song which is good, although the overall sound doesn’t feel that original, and so this is very much a simple electro pop tune that you can enjoy or skip.

3/5

Track 2- Shooting Star

First released as a single from the E.P of the same name, and then attached as a track to this record, Shooting Star perhaps signals that Owl City is going for a little more of a commercial sound, as he teams up with Norwegian producers and current hit song makers Stargate. Yet whilst on paper this may be a more commercial route, when you listen to the song  it feels very much like an Owl City track whilst at the same time having that more commercial, electro/ dance pop energy. And perhaps it feels so much like Owl City in that the idea of the song began in 2008, and so it is not as if he just met Stargate and they gave him a song. Lyrically the song is based in an inspirational tone as Owl City tells us to shine because we are so great, complete with a ‘woah’ hook. Unfortunately the song is a bit too lyrically clichéd, but vocally the light, electronic tone of Owl City’s voice is really appealing and gives a nice energy to the track, and so you can be enveloped in the track and forget about the slightly poor lyrical content. Opening with synth based swirls before developing into this stomping tune complete with cool electric guitar rhythms and clattering, dance orientated beats, the track has a nice sound that at first feels a bit reminiscent of Owl City’s older work (i.e. Fireflies) before developing to a more contemporary tone, and although the sound lacks originality, it creates a simple pop tune that you can indulgently enjoy.

3.5/5

Track 3- Gold

Another track that originally appeared on the Shooting Star E.P., Gold is another electro/synthpop based tune that shows how Owl City is more of a radio friendly, commercial artist than he ever has been, but keeps his musical roots. The song is lyrically all about Owl City telling this person( or us) that he knows we are so great, we are like Gold. It’s a nice sentiment, but it is one that feels cheesy in today’s pop world, and coming after Shooting Star it feels like they were definitely to concepts created in the same writing session, and someone just missed the fact they were quite similar. The stuttering on the world gold and the simplicity of Owl City’s auto tuned vocals is nice if a bit safe, but the production of the track is definitely the most appealing aspect of the song, with a steady back beat and nice synth notes intertwined with a catchy whistling melody, and so whilst not original, the song still has enough charm to be a good listen.

3/5

Track 4- Dementia (featuring Mark Hoppus)

One of two songs on the album solely written by Owl City, Dementia shows a little bit of diversity within the record as the electronic based sound of the singer is incorporated into a more rock setting, with harsh electric guitar riffs and forceful drum beats that make for a refreshing change of sound, whilst still retaining the light air that the previous tracks had. The vocal performance is strong here as things are kept slightly aggressive but simple, and the only problem with the vocals is that Blink 182 member Mark Hoppus just doesn’t really add anything to the track, and at times the two artists kind of blend into one, so the song isn’t as interesting as it could be. The lyrics focus on the idea of loss and going crazy, and although the clichés are annoying, the song can be commended for taking a different look at the world, although I am a little unsure whether this is a love song or a universal theme kind of song.

3.5/5

Track 5- I’m Coming After You

With a title like I’m Coming After You I expected this track to be a little bit twisted, and indeed the song is a little bit different in tone, with  more of a straightforward club energy and a slightly dark undertone in places. The lyrics of the song show the playfulness of love as Owl City speaks of seeing this girl and just going for it in playing for her heart, with the lyrics being great for guys in clubs trying to flirt with a girl. The ‘woo woo woo’ hook of the chorus is more annoying than catchy, but the song has a punchy chorus and nice transitions between sections, with the singer bringing us and Auto Tuned vocal that is pitched nicely and doesn’t go to heavy or annoying. The production of the track is definitely its best asset, with the songs having heavier dance beats than the other tracks and featuring a great mix of jangly piano with the electronic clangs, and the handclapping beats of the bridge make for a strong finish to the song.

3.5/5

Track 6- Speed of Love

Speed of Love definitely has a frenzied and fast paced energy to its sound, although the grittiness of the way it begins is just annoying rather than cool. The songs has a generic quality within the lyrics, where the singer employs silly metaphors as he tells this girl how he wants to be with her and how everyone is quickly searching for love. The lyrics leave know stamp on your memory and just feel bland, and this is perhaps because the singers Auto Tuned vocals lack the personality for this to be the charming track that it potentially could be. The good thing about this track is that the production is forceful and interesting enough to grab and maintain your attention, with the scattered beats of the transitions between sections of the song being a change in sound that feels very appealing.

3/5

Track 7- Good Time (with Carly Rae Jepsen)

Featuring the current global phenomenon that is Carly Rae Jepsen (a.k.a. the girl with that little song called ‘Call Me Maybe’), Good Time is a great slice of straightforward, summery feeling pop that has ensured both artists can’t be called one hit wonders. The song is all about the two singers talking about waking up and doing different stuff, but at the end of the day they are just going to have fun, and they don’t have to try hard, as apparently they always have a good time. The song has a stick in your head quality within the chorus that would make this a great song to be sung along to by a crowd, and the song is more appealing with the vocal combinations, as Jepsen provides some sweet, more feminine tones to the track, and the singers blend nicely to create this musical concoction of fun. The thumping electro pop production has a light, just get up and dance around vibe that is infectious, and although this song is by no means original, it is pop done very well, and is a track that is great for summer parties.

4/5

Track 8- Embers

The second of the two tracks that Owl City wrote only by himself, Embers perhaps loses some of its magic coming after the former track. The song is strong in terms of the production, which blends the lector pop notes with some strong guitar notes that give the song a little bit of a pop rock twist, and the thumping bass in the verses has a tiny bit of a dubstep flavouring, whilst the middle sections makes for a strong finish in terms of the short orchestral moment. The problem with the song is that the metaphor heavy lyrics about not letting the fire die and burning just feels to clichéd, and almost like the singer is trying to be too inspirational in his own way. The vocal performance here as a light quality that gives the song a bit more power, as if we can believe that the singer is feeling really fresh and alive. The contrast of the softness of the verses against the more powerful tone of the chorus is also good, but at the same time the chorus seems to show the lack of vocal power within Owl City’s voice, and so the song doesn’t shine in the way it should.

3/5

Track 9- Silhouette

Things take slightly more of an organic feel with this down tempo track that finds the singer in quite an emotional state, and is the second track solely written by Owl City. Lyrically the track focuses on Owl City having gone through some hard times, and although he tries to move on, he still feels hurt and alone. The song is great in the way that the deep emotional level will collect with quite a few listeners, and the deepness of the emotion contrasts nicely with light, Auto Tuned vocal performance that gives us this essence of fragility. Keeping things more stripped back with string, piano and a steady drum backbeat is very good and allows the lyrics to make more of an impact, although I personally that the use of the drums is still a little bit too much.

3.5/5

Track 10- Metropolis                     

The records third single, Metropolis keeps the more organic musical tones going, but the forceful electro pop sensibilities also firmly come back into play. The song is a bit of a love tune, as Owl City sings of how this person is the only one who understands him and is able to really connect. The song just doesn’t have the impact it needs, with much of the lyrics just feeling clichéd and the chorus lacking a truly catchy hook that we know this artist could produce. The vocal performance also just blends too much into the sound of the song and doesn’t have this cool personality that feels sincere. The production of the track is cool, with the way the song builds from the use of strings and a jangly piano to this full blown, dancey electronic affair being vibrant and infectious, however it is not enough to make this a truly enjoyable listen, as the sound feels very stereotypical of the genre.

2.5/5  

Track 11- Take It All Away

Owl City finishes things on a forceful level of sound that shows a bit of diversity and also shows that he could be a bit better than some of the songs on this record. Here the singer is in a hurt place as this girl seemed to really love him but now she’s just taken that all away. The vocals are as usaual okay, but might annoy some people, but the production of the track is really interesting in terms of the heavy bass that gives the song this handclapping sound that acts as a strong and catchy sound, whilst still blending with the typical electro pop flourishes.

3/5

Final Review

This album definitely shows a more commercial sound for the singer, and whilst some may not find that appealing, it does show artist progression and actually is a sound that suits the singer and doesn’t feel like he is being commercial just because his label want him to make money. That being sad, the record still does hold true to the singers roots. However the problem with the album is that a lot of the songs have great production but come across lyrically bland, and there is this lack of really great, enjoyable music, rather there is just a lot of run of the mill stuff. Furthermore the singers heavily digitised voice is very much love it or hate it, and even if you do kind of like it you might only be able to handle it in small doses. He is not a bad artist, but some work is definitely needed on all the components to make his next record a much more intriguing affair.

4/10

Best Track- Good Time (with Carly Rae Jepsen)

Worst Track- Metropolis

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