OWL CITY!!!!!!!!! Adam young's lyrics are fucking amazing; it's like he's taking you into a dream, with a broad vocabulary. It's so fucking nice to see a good artist in a while; referring to the massive amounts of dull artists that actually make it into the business with lack of any talent (a lot of artists who autotune and can't play a fucking instrument). Adam Young is a savior ladies and gentlemen.
Side Note: i had a mindgasm to rainbow veins (I wish i knew how to imbed videos, please respond with directions). link to video:
update: i'm fucking bored refreshing the blog page to see if anyone's responded in regards to my asking for help in imbedding youtube videos (I CAN'T GO TO SLEEP, SOMEONE RESPOND!!!!!).
On January 12 2010 22:56 Etherone wrote: the lyrics are actually nothing like you portray them, they are rather mundane and the metaphors as well.
his vocabulary is absolutely standard His voice is is pretty average as well.
hahaha the most outstanding thing about his music as far as i can tell is how unremarkable it is.
catchy tune to it i guess
feel free to post good songs or lyrics, please; of which that'll subside his use of words. not getting any reply, so i'll just be a little more forward, don't contrast shitty bands to actual art; bands with horrible cliche lyrics that have zero creativity.
On January 12 2010 23:06 JWD wrote: go and listen to a band called The Postal Service, Owl City just ripped them off
lawl, i love this, and i'll sound like a huge fucking fanboy, but im not a fan of adam young himself, just his work, and the simularity of ben gibbard and his work are really different; i'm sure you read this somewhere and disregarded anything that had to do with owl city; probably because you consider him mainstream and shitty.
he's mainstream and actually good.
oh btw, ben gibbard's music is awesome , if you didn't think i didn't know anything about ben gibbard or what the fuck i'm talking about. i've listened to every genre and filtered out the talented from the not, and adam young actually has talent.
On January 12 2010 22:56 Etherone wrote: the lyrics are actually nothing like you portray them, they are rather mundane and the metaphors as well.
his vocabulary is absolutely standard His voice is is pretty average as well.
hahaha the most outstanding thing about his music as far as i can tell is how unremarkable it is.
catchy tune to it i guess
feel free to post good songs or lyrics, please; of which that'll subside his use of words. not getting any reply, so i'll just be a little more forward, don't contrast shitty bands to actual art; bands with horrible cliche lyrics that have zero creativity.
there is no need to post lyrics that dwarf his, which, by the way if you can't do yourself then maybe you've been exposed to too much mainstream media, since that was not my point. my point is very clearly that i many songs are on the same bar lyrically as this, thus making it mundane.
If you still need someone to find you comparable lyrics i might go look some up, or maybe someone else could save me the trouble.
On January 12 2010 23:06 JWD wrote: go and listen to a band called The Postal Service, Owl City just ripped them off
lawl, i love this, and i'll sound like a huge fucking fanboy, but im not a fan of adam young himself, just his work, and the simularity of ben gibbard and his work are really different; i'm sure you read this somewhere and disregarded anything that had to do with owl city; probably because you consider him mainstream and shitty.
he's mainstream and actually good.
nah, I heard Fireflies and my sister recommended Owl City so I downloaded their album and listened to it…to me it just sounded like a poor man's Postal Service. The lyrics and harmonies were inferior and the little keyboard hooks less satisfying. I try not to hate on music that I don't like when it obviously has some integrity, but I just can't respect a band that is both unoriginal and not impressive musically.
Oh and as for it being mainstream, that's no reason not to like music…mainstream music is usually mainstream because it's good in some way.
gah, persuading tlers is so fucking hard. i was a huge fan of ben gibbard, im positive they sound nothing alike; ben gibbard's writing style is way fucking different; his is about relationships, as oppose to adam young's creative writing ( he creates images with words, as a painting) he does have some sappy songs that remind me of ben gibbard; the writing style i mean. but who hasn't influenced who in the past thirty to fourty years? everybody finds inspiration from another. the only thing i can think of that actually reminds me of the postal service is the synthesizer.
On January 12 2010 23:11 Revolt wrote: his lyrics aren't anything ordinary, why would you misuse a word.
I'm not misusing any words, in fact his work is so ordinary there is at least one poster already who finds his style so eerily similar to another artist's he is calling him this band a poor man's version of another.
edit:
On January 12 2010 23:15 Revolt wrote: gah, persuading tlers is so fucking hard. i was a huge fan of ben gibbard, im positive they sound nothing alike; ben gibbard's writing style is way fucking different; his is about relationships, as oppose to adam young's creative writing ( he creates images with words, as a painting) -
On January 12 2010 23:11 Revolt wrote: his lyrics aren't anything ordinary, why would you misuse a word.
I'm not misusing any words, in fact his work is so ordinary there is at least one poster already who finds his style so eerily similar to another artist's he is calling him this band a poor man's version of another.
err, his writing style is different from ben gibbard's. :\ also, ben gibbard has a standard writing style, which just negates your post.
On January 12 2010 23:11 Revolt wrote: his lyrics aren't anything ordinary, why would you misuse a word.
I'm not misusing any words, in fact his work is so ordinary there is at least one poster already who finds his style so eerily similar to another artist's he is calling him this band a poor man's version of another.
On January 12 2010 23:15 Revolt wrote: gah, persuading tlers is so fucking hard. i was a huge fan of ben gibbard, im positive they sound nothing alike; ben gibbard's writing style is way fucking different; his is about relationships, as oppose to adam young's creative writing ( he creates images with words, as a painting) -
style of writing is not the same as content.
explain a little more. with out word's it'd just be music, not a song and if your next point is his use of the synthesizer, then your ejust being biased. :\
im done, either you are deliberately not connecting the dots, so to speak, or you can't ( which would explain the taste in music) either way talking to you is a waste of time.
The first time I heard Fireflies I didn't like it because it sounded like your average pop-ish autotuned shit. The lyrics definitely aren't as amazing as you make them sound. After hearing it a couple of times I was liek "whao those lyrics are interesting" but when I looked them up I saw that they were actually pretty generic.
On January 12 2010 23:16 Sadist wrote: sounds like children's music tbh. Especially that fireflies song. Could be on nick jr.
uhh, lol, i don't know if you ever watched nick jr. they don't play song's on their network, just music. are you referring to teen bop or w/e the cd is called?
On January 12 2010 23:28 madnessman wrote: The first time I heard Fireflies I didn't like it because it sounded like your average pop-ish autotuned shit. The lyrics definitely aren't as amazing as you make them sound. After hearing it a couple of times I was liek "whao those lyrics are interesting" but when I looked them up I saw that they were actually pretty generic.
uhh, there's no relation in writing or word usage with his and ben gibbard's, wtf, pay attention.
go read ben gibbard's work, no similarity.
and to eth, try not being so dense and always looking to win an argument, it's not about winning -_-.
On January 12 2010 23:34 meeple wrote: It's not awful, but I wouldn't say its anything special...
it's nothing special, but when you're hit by a wave of shitty artists it's a fucking relief.
my point: i listened to a wide variety of music, this is something different, and as much of you might say he's similiar to ben gibbard (even though you probably only listened to one song of his) there's hardly similarity in writing style, maybe music, but that's extremely fucking biased.
i don't see owl city on nick junior, that's a bit ridiculous, lol. i doubt 6 year old's can even comprehend wtf he's talking about; the synthesizer is the only thing i can think of that would fascinate a child.
On January 12 2010 23:34 meeple wrote: It's not awful, but I wouldn't say its anything special...
it's nothing special, but when you're hit by a wave of shitty artists it's a fucking relief.
my point: i listened to a wide variety of music, this is something different, and as much of you might say he's similiar to ben gibbard (even though you probably only listened to one song of his) there's hardly similarity in writing style, maybe music, but that's extremely fucking biased.
i don't see owl city on nick junior, that's a bit ridiculous, lol. i doubt 6 year old's can even comprehend wtf he's talking about; the synthesizer is the only thing i can think of that would fascinate a child.
What's a wide variety of music? To me Owl City is very shallow music and doesn't give me much joy. There are much richer pieces of music to be heard out there with better lyrics and better sounds in my opinion.
It seems like you haven't been exposed to much music.
On January 12 2010 23:34 meeple wrote: It's not awful, but I wouldn't say its anything special...
it's nothing special, but when you're hit by a wave of shitty artists it's a fucking relief.
my point: i listened to a wide variety of music, this is something different, and as much of you might say he's similiar to ben gibbard (even though you probably only listened to one song of his) there's hardly similarity in writing style, maybe music, but that's extremely fucking biased.
i don't see owl city on nick junior, that's a bit ridiculous, lol. i doubt 6 year old's can even comprehend wtf he's talking about; the synthesizer is the only thing i can think of that would fascinate a child.
What's a wide variety of music? To me Owl City is very shallow music and doesn't give me much joy. There are much richer pieces of music to be heard out there with better lyrics and better sounds in my opinion.
It seems like you haven't been exposed to much music.
by a wide variety, i mean a wide variety of genres. i don't say distorted shit just to prove a point( or aggressively assume shit, as if you knew the answer positively as you just did) no, i pay attention to my facts before i write/say something.
On January 12 2010 23:34 meeple wrote: It's not awful, but I wouldn't say its anything special...
it's nothing special, but when you're hit by a wave of shitty artists it's a fucking relief.
my point: i listened to a wide variety of music, this is something different, and as much of you might say he's similiar to ben gibbard (even though you probably only listened to one song of his) there's hardly similarity in writing style, maybe music, but that's extremely fucking biased.
i don't see owl city on nick junior, that's a bit ridiculous, lol. i doubt 6 year old's can even comprehend wtf he's talking about; the synthesizer is the only thing i can think of that would fascinate a child.
What's a wide variety of music? To me Owl City is very shallow music and doesn't give me much joy. There are much richer pieces of music to be heard out there with better lyrics and better sounds in my opinion.
It seems like you haven't been exposed to much music.
by a wide variety, i mean a wide variety of genres. i don't say distorted shit just to prove a point( or aggressively assume shit, as if you knew the answer positively as you just did) no, i pay attention to my facts before i write/say something.
Uh, no reason to start getting pissy. He just stated his opinion; you can correct him if you like.
On January 12 2010 23:34 meeple wrote: It's not awful, but I wouldn't say its anything special...
it's nothing special, but when you're hit by a wave of shitty artists it's a fucking relief.
my point: i listened to a wide variety of music, this is something different, and as much of you might say he's similiar to ben gibbard (even though you probably only listened to one song of his) there's hardly similarity in writing style, maybe music, but that's extremely fucking biased.
i don't see owl city on nick junior, that's a bit ridiculous, lol. i doubt 6 year old's can even comprehend wtf he's talking about; the synthesizer is the only thing i can think of that would fascinate a child.
What's a wide variety of music? To me Owl City is very shallow music and doesn't give me much joy. There are much richer pieces of music to be heard out there with better lyrics and better sounds in my opinion.
It seems like you haven't been exposed to much music.
by a wide variety, i mean a wide variety of genres. i don't say distorted shit just to prove a point( or aggressively assume shit, as if you knew the answer positively as you just did) no, i pay attention to my facts before i write/say something.
You see Owl City as something amazing because you haven't been exposed to much past pop music it seems (please correct me if I'm wrong). All I'm saying is there is much better music out there IF you're looking to be taken into a dream, for amazing lyrics, for a broad vocabulary, for something that isn't dull.
Owl City just feels like a manufactured postal service. It's kind of catchy but it seems really formulaic and disingenuous. I don't see how anyone can find this deep or thought provoking unless you also find yourself moved by pepsi commercials or something
"I've been to the dentist A thousand times, so I know the drill I smooth my hair, sit back in the chair But somehow I still get the chills
Have a seat He says pleasantly As he shakes my hand And practically laughs at me
Open up nice and wide He says, peering in And with a smirk he says, 'Don't have a fit, this'll just pinch a bit As he tries not to grin'"
Lyrics from his song Dental Care
Heh, I know what you mean man. This shit's so deep and profound...
lol in all honesty though, I did like Owl City for a short period of time, because his music can be quite refreshing... It's very light-hearted and happy. But to say that his lyrics are "fucking amazing...taking you into a dream, with a broad vocabulary" is going a little far imo. For me, the redeeming quality of his music is the happy mood it evokes. Coincidentally one of my more liked tracks by Owl City is his own remix of "Hello Seattle"...which has little to no vocals
owl city is not a rip of postal service... the music is pretty unique. check out port blue, its one of his side projects, all instrumental. pretty chill music.
owl city = postal service. Owl city has lost my respect, because of what they did to postal. If you want to hear electronic music, don't listen to the new sensation that is owl city. Please for the love of god listen to something good like-
swimming with dolphins JJ Tycho The Flash bulb ect ect
I enjoy Owl City, though I guess my mood these days prefers something light-hearted. I have way too much music that doesn't have this straight-up happy feel. The buzz around its similarity to The Postal Service is kind of funny, since many such similarities surround other artists as well.
I don't really understand the displeasure surrounding the lyrics. I've worked with lyrics for a while (I appeared in TL's 4th BOB as five.seven.five) and I could scratch out more complex lyrics than Owl City's before breakfast. Still, however much exposure or ability I have with lyrics doesn't seem relevant to whether certain sets of less complex lyrics detract from the enjoyment I get from their songs.
Criticisms of peoples' listening backgrounds also strikes me as distasteful. What exactly is accomplished here? If successful... the censured one is... humbled? And the pundit is... superior? Hardly productive. People are slothful and prideful; if you order them (to expand their horizons, do research) while insulting them (regarding their experience, knowledge, skill), a positive response is unlikely. I see the plain criticism into plain rebuttal archetype spiral all too often into some juvenile ping pong match regarding homework that should be done. My point is this: if you want someone to do his homework, give him at least some instructions.
Someone mentioned Neutral Milk Hotel. Some of their lyrics offer thought provocative complexity, but they still present deep questions via plain language. Take one of their well known songs, The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1. Mostly very simple and direct images, but the lyrics both build context and unfold through the context of this and the other parts.
Not the best recommendation, since the discussion of lyrics... is modular yet insular compared to the discussion of music. The OP will probably be more receptive of recommendations that offer similar musical texture.
My sister got me to listen to Owl City and I thought they sounded a bit like a band I liked back in high school called Relient K. Turns out they've been working with each other lol. The similarity is basically just lyrical; they both are sort of playful and light-hearted.
Hmm, gave this a whirl. Triple dose of listening. Light-hearted style indeed, don't mind it at all. The lyrics definitely are not anything special, quite mediocre. Perhaps they don't resonate with me? I like to give all music a few listens, see if I end up liking it.
I first heard Designer Skylines a year or so ago and imo it's still his best song. A lot of his other stuff sounds pretty much the same now. And if I hear Fireflies playing in a mall one more time :r
On January 13 2010 04:35 GGQ wrote: My sister got me to listen to Owl City and I thought they sounded a bit like a band I liked back in high school called Relient K. Turns out they've been working with each other lol. The similarity is basically just lyrical; they both are sort of playful and light-hearted.
Oh i didn't know about this.. I can see why people say it's basically Postal Service but I think it's a bit closer to Relient K in spirit if not in sound
I dunno about you guys, but my only criterion for determining "good" music is the tune. I don't really give a shit about lyrics, as long as they're not ridiculous (like just repeating 1 word over and over again). Hell, classical music doesn't even have lyrics. As long as the notes sound good to my ears, I'll like the song. As for originality, if something sounds similar to something that I already like, all the better.
I really didn't like that song that much. It sounded almost like a fireflies clone with alot less going on. It really annoys me when artists get something amazing then instead of trying to create new awesome songs, they just write songs similar to the first to extend the life of their original hit, leaving it to a long slow painful death.
It's 2am so that may have been a little overdramatic.
its not like relient k at all imo... relient K is not electronic, far from it.
i think the music is similar to postal service, but c'mon they are the same genre, you can't expect every band to be different. the mood of owl city is more happier than postal service, and much more faster paced. so it does not =postal service. I still think its good music because I listened to them a long time ago and liked it.
one reason why people don't like owl city is that some of their songs gotten mainstream. and then "indie elitest" people look down on those type of music that gets played on the radio. you know, the type that "sold out". if owl city stayed unknown and threads like this don't come up, then people will be just fine. owl city would be just some little indie band trying to make it big and has some talent. rather than some no talent rip off band that got famous off one crappy song. its all about perspective.
On January 13 2010 04:41 snowbird wrote: not my cup of tea and why is his voice sounding so synthetic and auto-tuned?
Because its modern music. Do you expect anything less?
hell no, lol. he can actually sing and play instruments. a couple of post's have a point, but he does have a broad vocab, each verse is very different from the other in every way.
owl city's biggest problem, for me, is that the songs reveal a musician who is very far from being an artist- his lyrics are completely without meaning, and often seem constructed specifically for vagueness and devoid of a true emotional risk. the arrangements are similar, from what i've heard, in that they are completely banal: he makes no choices musically, in his instrumentation, in his song structure, in his melodies, that would reveal an artist willing to take risks in order to create true art. so for me, at least, his music is entirely without value, and i can't imagine why on earth anyone would waste their time listening to such mundane, pedestrian bullshit.
On January 14 2010 07:04 Sunny Afternoon wrote: owl city's biggest problem, for me, is that the songs reveal a musician who is very far from being an artist- his lyrics are completely without meaning, and often seem constructed specifically for vagueness and devoid of a true emotional risk. the arrangements are similar, from what i've heard, in that they are completely banal: he makes no choices musically, in his instrumentation, in his song structure, in his melodies, that would reveal an artist willing to take risks in order to create true art. so for me, at least, his music is entirely without value, and i can't imagine why on earth anyone would waste their time listening to such mundane, pedestrian bullshit.
Because other people have tastes that are different than yours? =\
i don't like them. first time i heard fire flies i was interested, but after a few listens of that and their other stuff I was truly annoyed with them.
EPT
, if you didn't think i didn't know anything about ben gibbard or what the fuck i'm talking about.
