Owl City's new LP, Mobile Orchestra.

[Ambient_Malice]

Has anyone here listened to it? I found it to be a smidge underwhelming compared to his 2011 magnum opus, All Things Bright and Beautiful, but the album doesn't lack punch, and it certainly has lyrical deft. The music ranges from sunny electronica to country to dubstep. (One of the better dubstep songs I've heard.)

I feel Owl City music is deeply underrated because it is pigeonholed as sunny electronica for teens and Christian groups. Or worse, as a Postal Service ripoff.

I also find it vaguely depressing that Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen's Good Time has 170 million views. It's arguably the worst song he ever created. His far superior songs struggle to get one tenth of the views.

edit:

I noticed this afternoon that he released two live action music videos over the past month. It's kinda telling that despite me following him quite closely, I had no idea these existed.


New era pop music Owl. Reusing the line "Dressed to the nines" from the rather good demo Beautiful Mystery.


Sincere, if vaguely bland Owl City "God is so awesome have I mentioned how much I love God in all his awesomeness yet?" (I think his cover of "In Christ Alone" a few years back was really his zenith from a Christian music perspective. Absolutely fantastic track.)

Plus, of course, the animated Unbelievable video with Hanson.

 

[Saetha]

Only Owl City album I have or ever listened to is Ocean Eyes, and it kinda got tired after a while. Is he really that good? Cause I gotta admit, I've heard basically nothing from him.

Well, there was the song at the end of Wreck-It Ralph, I guess.

 

[Catfood220]

Has anyone here listened to it? I found it to be a smidge underwhelming compared to his 2011 magnum opus, All Things Bright and Beautiful, but the album doesn't lack punch, and it certainly has lyrical deft. The music ranges from sunny electronica to country to dubstep. (One of the better dubstep songs I've heard.)

I feel Owl City music is deeply underrated because it is pigeonholed as sunny electronica for teens and Christian groups. Or worse, as a Postal Service ripoff.

I also find it vaguely depressing that Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen's Good Time has 170 million views. It's arguably the worst song he ever created. His far superior songs struggle to get one tenth of the views.

I liked his Ultraviolet EP, it seemed to be a return to form from the awful Midsummer Station where he seemed to forget who his audience were. I get that as an artist he wants to progress, but that album was so bad. The aforementioned Carly Rae Jepson song I felt was one of the better songs from that album, the less said about the Mark Hoppus collaboration the better.

So I have 2 questions. Is it better than The Midsummer Station? Or rather, is it a return to form if it is musically similar to that album? And secondly, how bad is the God bothering in this new album? Don't get me wrong, I don't have problem with a persons religion, but I don't really want it forced in my face in the music I listen to. All Things Bright and Beautiful was a good album, 'Alligator Sky" being one of my favourite songs of all time. But I usually skip 'Angels' and 'Galaxies' (despite the music being excellent on that tune) as they are pretty cringe worthy.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

He kinda is a Postal Service rip off. I don't care for his music, it's boring pop music.

 

[Ambient_Malice]

Only Owl City album I have or ever listened to is Ocean Eyes, and it kinda got tired after a while. Is he really that good?

He isn't for everyone. But I do consider him an exceptional electronica artist. His five albums and a few EPs have all been at least "good". His lyrics mask a great deal of depth beneath a cheery exterior. (Although a lot of said depth is open to interpretation.)

I have no hesitation comparing All Things Bright and Beautiful to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It's a masterpiece. An album where every track is perfect.

I don't care for his music, it's boring pop music.

Out of curiosity, how much of his music have you listened to?

the less said about the Mark Hoppus collaboration the better.

I think Dementia is probably the greatest song Mark Hoppus has ever been involved in creating. Does it belong on an Owl City album, though? Perhaps not. Adam Young, I think, is frustrated heavy metal musician. We know for a fact he was once in a teenage screamo band. I think metal manifests itself in his soaring refrains and longwinded melodic solos.


So I have 2 questions. Is it better than The Midsummer Station?[/quote]

Yes.

Or rather, is it a return to form if it is musically similar to that album?

Yes and no. Lyrically, it is much more Owl-like. But it also features a dubstep track. And a cornbread and line dancing country music track. It's... different.

And secondly, how bad is the God bothering in this new album? Don't get me wrong, I don't have problem with a persons religion, but I don't really want it forced in my face in the music I listen to.

The album has two explicitly religious tracks. One is a duet with a Christian singer named Britt Nicole, "My Everything" featuring lyrics such as

You rescued me and I believe
That God is love and He is all I need
From this day forth for all eternity
I'll never wander on my own
For I am Yours until you call me home
I close my eyes and I can hear You say
You?re not alone!
You?re not alone!

The other is My Everything.

All Things Bright and Beautiful was a good album, 'Alligator Sky" being one of my favourite songs of all time. But I usually skip 'Angels' and 'Galaxies' (despite the music being excellent on that tune) as they are pretty cringe worthy.

Alligator Sky is an absolutely glorious song paired with a magnificent video. If someone ever makes a ship to leave Earth and explore the universe, "Alligator Sky" would be the perfect name for it.


AS for the religious context, I guess it's a matter of taste. Religious subtext in Owl City music goes all the way back to the beginning. Meteor Shower from Ocean eyes features the chorus "I am not my own, for I have been made new. Please don't let me go - I desperately need you," which is most likely a reference to Corinthians.

It's kinda like buying Pink Floyd music knowing that Roger Waters is probably going to whine about his dad at some point. I understand if some people don't like religious content in the music they listen to in the same way some people don't like political sermonising in their music. I can think of many great 80's pop groups who can be rightly accused of being a bit preachy about politics or social issues in general. Heck, the glorious and almost peerless A-Ha have been more than a smidge preachy over the past few decades.

 

[Evonisia]

Haven't listened to his new album, but as for your tangent:

Good Time. It was him trying to fish for another hit, and he succeeded. I imagine most of the views that video got in 2012 (most, if not all, of it's chart life in the U.S.) was because of Carly Rae Jepsen's involvement. I give the song a lot of credit for sounding so damn innocent though, certainly one of 2012's livelier moments that I don't feel bad about liking.

 

[mantistoboggan]

It's not bad. It's easy mellow listening but not his best work.