Owl City - The Midsummer Station Review

rating: 4

Owl City Website Owl City Facebook Owl City (aka Adam Young) is a young and talented American famous for the song Fireflies which catapulted him to worldwide No. 1's here there and everywhere. If you've never heard Fireflies before, I recommend you do as you'll see for yourself how much he has grown in the few short years he has been in this business. Firstly some background info in case you don't know who he is... Adam Young is American and hales from a town in Minnesota. He has released four albums; Maybe I'm Dreaming, Ocean Eyes, All Things Bright and Beautiful and The Midsummer Station. His most successful album is Ocean Eyes (oddly enough featuring Fireflies) and went Platinum in the US and Australia. His latest album, The Midsummer Station, is the album on review today and was released on August 20th for the UK and August the 17th for everyone else. Why the difference in dates is beyond me... The album is 11 tracks long and if you decide to buy it from iTunes you get an extra bonus track. So onto the album we go. As with all of Owl City's albums so far, they have had some unique and interesting album artwork. For me good artwork is a good sign. It takes me back to a time where artists really cared about what the cover looks like, rather than having big words and a big picture of themselves on the front like now a days. The Midsummer Station opens up with a somewhat classic electro-synthpop tune Dreams and Disasters. Great vocals, very catchy song and a good way to hook you into an album. It even has cheering in it to make you feel better. Definitely something you will tap your foot to, except in a car. That would be dangerous. Shooting Star was meant to be the lead single as Adam had already released it as a single in its own right but instead was superseded by Good Time for the lead single spot. We'll talk about that one later... Shooting Star has the feel of his earlier songs, so if you liked his previous albums this one is definitely going to be liked. Dementia is a song you shouldn't forget as it features a well known man from Blink 182, Mark Hoppus. It sounds like they have taken a Blink song and blended it with Adam's electro synth sound and made synth pop/punk. It works surprisingly well I think. Another song that I thought shone out of the album was I'm Coming After You. Sounds slightly stalkerish in name but again has that characteristic beat Adam does so well to get you fully enveloped in the song. Metropolis also has this same enveloping feel to it, with a great beat and some excellent lyrics. Silhouette however is mellow piano number which shows off his talent as a player. A wonderful song that makes a pleasant change from the synths he usually uses in his songs and creates a brilliant piece of music. As I hinted to earlier, Good Time was chosen as the first 'proper' single due to his collaborator, Carly Rae Jepsen, having massive success with her hit Call Me Maybe. Clever move Adam to use the successfulness or Carly to make your song even better. As one famous hunter in a film said, "Clever Girl". Yes I do know Adam is a boy before you start. Anyways Good Time should be his biggest hit off the album as it has catchy lyrics, a catchy beat, and a catchy video. Just lots of catchiness really. It's currently sitting in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has just been released in the UK. My prediction is that it should easily get into the top 10 in the UK. If it doesn't I'll eat my fictitious hat. Either way it will be a massive hit and there will be many remixes of it hitting a club near you soon. Also the bonus track (Bombshell Blonde) is a very different style for Adam, as it has hints of Dubstep riffs in there and is a very Electro House track. I quite liked it mainly because I like Electro House, but for hardcore Owl City fans who prefer his normal 'synthy' style, I would stick to the normal album and save the pennies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7HmzwI67ec Overall I thought this album was a good show of progression from Adam in his musical career. It's clear that he is trying to go for a more clubby vibe with some of his tracks, but mostly it stays true to his style. I personally preferred his third album, All Things Bright and Beautiful, to his new one, but The Midsummer Station is very good all round with some great stand out tracks. Well worth a buy if you liked his previous releases, want to hear some great electro synth or if you just like owls. From me a solid 4 stars.