These days, technology has allowed us to share and distribute music pretty easily, anywhere in the world. So it came as a bit of a shock to me that the Owl City album was released in July 2009 over in the States, yet it is only in the past month that most of us have even heard of them. Their huge single Fireflies has dominated the charts, staying at number one for 5 weeks since entering, keeping those ’superstars’ Jedward at bay from getting a number 1. Yes people, these are the charts, and people do give up their hard-earned cash on two Irish people who can’t sing.

Owl City is the brainchild of Adam Young, and his blend of synth-pop electronica with dance may make some people weep and pray for change, but there is no way in denying it isn’t catchy. Having been compared and criticised heavily for sounding like The Postal Service, I actually thought it was the lead singer to begin with. The album opens with Cave In, starting with an embarrassingly cheesy synth line, leading into his ‘trademark’ pitch perfect auto-tuned voice, which can be a bit scary sometimes. Hello Seattle is another pop number, with blippy, intricate synth parts and glitchy, well thought out drum programming.

The album ranges from really uptempo dance numbers such as Umbrella Beach to much more chilled tracks like The Saltwater Room, which has child-like qualities to it, with some great female double harmonies and guitar work. Dental Care reminds me of something bands like Alphabeat would do, and is the kind of track you put on when you’re about 12. The lyrics are also about, yep you guessed it, dental care, and I think it lets the album down slightly.

This album is a good mix of what Young is capable of, ranging from the emotional slow numbers, to big dance numbers, to pure and simple pop tracks like the single. If you like synth-pop with a huge slice of cheesy gorgonzola on it, then this stuff is for you. I think it might be a bit of a guilty pleasure for some people…

By Mark Allen