Artist: Owl City
Album: Ocean Eyes
Label: Universal Republic Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: July 14th, 2009
Overall: 7.5
Music: 8
Lyrics: 7
Production: 8.5
Maybe it’s getting to hard to make music nowadays, it seems that any kid with a laptop can make beats in his basement and croon some sweet nothings (complimented with auto-tune of course) and can snag himself a couple of bucks and some groupies. This genre is littered with so many bad acts that it is even hard to acknowledge the ones that do it well. Enter: Owl City, the one-man band that uses all of these characteristics in a hated genre with good results (he’s your girlfriend’s favorite band you know?)
Owl City’s major label debut Ocean Eyes is a collection of every thing he can do well. From the acoustic/piano combo of “The Bird And The Worm”, the abstract yet catchy lyrics of “Hello Seattle”, the boy/girl vocal combo of “Tip Of The Iceberg”. There’s so much to be heard on the album and so many assets to utilize that it’s hard to believe this can all be done by one person.
There’s no doubt that the album is all very cutesy and sugary in it’s lyrically content, whether it be from songs about going to the dentist (“Dental Care”), or romancing songs about bright-lit insects and dreams (“Fireflies”). But who says music can’t be optimistic? Although a sad slow song might allow Owl City the room to grow and mature it can wait because this album only finds the happy in life.
Ocean Eyes is made for someone who likes to look on the sunny side of things and doesn’t dwell on the negative. Someone looking for something new and something better from the electronic hipster music out there will be blessed to happen on this release. Not only will this album take precedent in the playlists of every single teenage girl in love, it does so without a faux smile because everything feels real and meant the way it’s said.
I’m digging this album. It definitely falls into the happy category.
love ocean eyes! best album i have heard in a long time! even parents i have talk to love fireflies!
Great album! Especially like the Hello Seattle remix, but this is one of those rare albums that is pure excellence through every track!
I love Owl City! He’s been getting a lot of airplay on the rock station where I live. The haters can hate all they want, but Owl City rawks my socks. He’s like the guy version of LIGHTS, and his tweets on Twitter are always goofy puns. Luvs it!
Totally! I actually heard about him thru LIGHTS fans. Every track is solid. I think these two need to tour together. It would be like a nerdburger love fest. 😛
here’s hoping that the beginning of this review threw people off and made them think i was gonna trash the album! playing mind games folks haha
Ocean Eyes was good, but Maybe i’m Dreaming was much better. I think that Ocean Eyes was a little bit more poppy than Maybe I’m Dreaming and Of June.
I want to like Owl City, he produces GREAT music but the lyrics are what is killing it for me. I think I’ll stick to listening to his instrumental stuff of Port Blue.
Give them time,it is too early to say where they are headed.Their style is catchy and people really follow them.They have a lot of promise in them.
Mature? mature into what? ugh,. if all you mature to his level this world would be peaceful.