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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