Owl City

The musical merit of Owl City is a hot topic of debate amongst fans and critics. Most critics you talk to would say that the music of Owl City, the solo project of Adam Young, is pretty much a clone of fellow electro-pop outfit The Postal Service. It’s impossible not to hear the similarities between The Postal Service’s only album, 2003’s Give Up and Owl City’s most recent release Ocean Eyes. The fact that Adam Young’s vocals sound almost identical to those of Postal Service vocalist Ben Gibbard only helps strengthen the argument. But despite the glaring similarities between Owl City and The Postal Service and the critical backlash it has created, this has not stopped fans from making Owl City one of the more successful acts around today. What started out as Adam Young making music on his laptop in the basement of his parents’ home in Owatonna, Minnesota basement quickly turned into a classic MySpace success story. One of Young’s early songs “Hello Seattle” quickly racked up over 6 million plays on his MySpace page and helped build a loyal fan base. Those devoted fans made Owl City’s major label debut Ocean Eyes a huge commercial success and also helped make the song “Fireflies” one of the biggest singles of 2009.
Sat., April 10, 5:30 p.m., 2010