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==Musical styles and influences==
==Musical styles and influences==
Owl City has been stated to play within the musical genres of [[indietronica]], [[emo-pop]], and [[alternative rock|alternative]].<ref name="leahey1">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gcfixz95ldhe|title=Owl City > Overview|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|work=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|accessdate=2009-11-05|quote=He eventually combined those diversions into a blend of electronica and emo-pop, ...}}</ref> Young has stated that he is inspired by [[disco]] and European [[electronic music]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |title=Hot New Band: Owl City |url=http://www.spin.com/articles/hot-new-band-owl-city |publisher=''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' |date=2008-06-01 |accessdate=2009-11-27}}</ref>
Owl City has been stated to play within the musical genres of [[indietronica]], [[emo-pop]], and [[alternative rock|alternative]].<ref name="leahey1">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gcfixz95ldhe|title=Owl City > Overview|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|work=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|accessdate=2009-11-05|quote=He eventually combined those diversions into a blend of electronica and emo-pop, ...}}</ref> Young has stated that he is inspired by [[disco]] and European [[electronic music]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |title=Hot New Band: Owl City |url=http://www.spin.com/articles/hot-new-band-owl-city |publisher=''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' |date=2008-06-01 |accessdate=2009-11-27}}</ref> It also sounds exactly like the [[Postal Service]], just with [[lamer beats]].


==Other projects==
==Other projects==

Revision as of 21:05, 24 May 2010

"Adam Young" redirects here. For the novel with a similar title, see Young Adam.
Owl City

Owl City is an American synthpop musical project by Adam Young. Young started out making music in his basement in his hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota, later developing a following through his MySpace profile before being signed to Universal Republic.

Young's influences are disco and European electronic music. After two independent albums, Owl City gained mainstream popularity from the 2009 major label debut album Ocean Eyes, which spawned the hit single "Fireflies".

History

Early years (2007–08)

Owl City was started by Adam Young in his parents' basement while he worked at a Coca-Cola warehouse,[1][2] turning to music as a result of his insomnia.[3] Young received a lot of attention for songs he had uploaded to MySpace, the "viral popularity" of which would later result in his signing to Universal Republic.[3][4] In 2007, Owl City released an EP titled Of June, followed by the 2008 release of the album Maybe I'm Dreaming. Of June reached #20 on the Billboard Electronic Albums chart, and Maybe I'm Dreaming peaked on the same chart at #16.[5]

Owl City's first two records were released while Young was unsigned. In early 2009, music industry website "Crazed Hits" leaked that Owl City signed with the major label Universal Republic.[6]

Ocean Eyes (2009)

Owl City's third album Ocean Eyes was released on iTunes July 14, 2009, with the physical release following on July 28, 2009. The album debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200. Owl City has released five singles, "Hello Seattle", "Hot Air Balloon", "Strawberry Avalanche", "Vanilla Twilight", and "Fireflies".[7] "Fireflies" topped the US and Canadian charts and became the most-downloaded song on iTunes in the US. Ocean Eyes reached the top ten on the US album charts and topped the US electronic charts and also reached Amazon MP3's top 10 most downloaded album list. By December 2009, it was certified Gold in the United States. On 24 January 2010, Owl City reached the number 1 spot in the UK Top 40 Singles chart with "Fireflies".

Young is joined by Breanne Düren on several tracks; the most noted being "The Saltwater Room." Owl City's live band consists of: Breanne Duren (background vocals/keyboards), Matthew Decker (drums), Laura Musten (violin), and Hannah Schroeder (cello). He will likely collaborate with Lights in early 2010 on his new tour in the US, Asia, Australia and Europe.[8][9]

Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen has toured and collaborated with Owl City on several tracks including in the hit single "Fireflies", where Matt can be heard as the backup vocals. Young also produced Relient K's song "Terminals". Thiessen stated that it is very likely that he and Young will produce a side project called Goodbye Dubai in the future.[10]

"Fireflies" was released as a free download on the iPod/iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge 3 by Tapulous. Prior to the July 14, 2009 internet release of Ocean Eyes, and the "Fireflies" single, Steve Hoover was hired as a director for a music video for "Fireflies". The video had an exclusive premiere on MySpace,[11] but was leaked onto the video viewing websites, YouTube and Dailymotion hours earlier. "Fireflies" became a big sleeper hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for the week ending November 7, 2009.[12]

Owl City is featured on Soundtrack 90210 with a song titled "Sunburn", which was released on October 13, 2009.[13] Owl City has toured with The Scene Aesthetic and Brooke Waggoner. He was also guest featured in the soundtrack to Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland with a song that was already featured in his debut album, "The Technicolor Phase" .[14] On Monday, December 7, 2009 Owl City was shortlisted as one of the 15 acts for the BBC Sound of 2010.

Owl City is currently touring with Lights and Deas Vail. He announced on March 31st that he would be supporting John Mayer starting on August 18th. [15]

Musical styles and influences

Owl City has been stated to play within the musical genres of indietronica, emo-pop, and alternative.[16] Young has stated that he is inspired by disco and European electronic music.[17] It also sounds exactly like the Postal Service, just with lamer beats.

Other projects

Young is also the lead of five other projects, Port Blue, Windsor Airlift, Dolphin Park, Insect Airport, and Seagull Orchestra, each of which are based around a specific genre, such as ambient sounds and oceanic music. The majority of these projects consist of songs entirely constructed from the sounds produced by a synthesizer, and do not include accompanying lyrics.

A new project named Sky Sailing uses mainly guitar and piano accompaniments.

Concert tours

Main article: Owl City concert tours

Discography

Main article: Owl City discography
Studio albums

References

  1. ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (2009-02-17). "Whooo's Owl City?". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (20 November 2009). "Adam Young, aka Owl City, Finds Pop Success". New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b Frenette, Brad (2009-07-28). "Band of the Day: Owl City". The National Post. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  4. ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Owl City — Biography". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2010-01-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |CITY&sql= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Owl City > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
  6. ^ Wilhelm, Alex (2009-02-07). "Owl City signs to Universal Republic". Crazed Hits. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
  7. ^ "Free Download Owl City's new track: "Hot Air Balloon"".
  8. ^ "Winter 2010 US Announced, plus debuts in Asia, Australia and Europe". 2009-10-12.
  9. ^ "Winter 2010 Tour Pre-sale Has Begun!". 2009-10-16.
  10. ^ "Interviews | Relient K". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  11. ^ "Info On MySpace premier of Fireflies Music Video off of an Owl City Fan Website".
  12. ^ Pietroluongo, Sylvio (2009-10-29). "Owl City's "Fireflies" Lands at No. 1 on Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  13. ^ "Sunburn". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  14. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Alice-Various-Artists/dp/B00342VGSG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274487571&sr=1-1
  15. ^ http://owlcitymusic.com/shows.aspx
  16. ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Owl City > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-11-05. He eventually combined those diversions into a blend of electronica and emo-pop, ...
  17. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (2008-06-01). "Hot New Band: Owl City". Spin. Retrieved 2009-11-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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