Owl City - Ocean Eyes (2009)

First off, this is not my usual cup of tea. I'm really not too big of a fan of this boy band type vocal sound. That said, news of this band has been everywhere I turn, and they have done a couple of good songs. So, I decided to check out the new album. It's not bad. The band has a sound somewhere between Relient K and Breathe Carolina. Relient K without the Christian lyrics and more electronic sounds, but Breathe Carolina without the fast paced techno sound behind them (and minus the screamo they get into at times). They're also a lot like a more upbeat Postal Service. Now as far as Ocean Eyes in particular goes: Introduction track Cave In is an echo-y, drifting song with electronic synthesizer runs playing along in the back, with some interesting little melodies. The Bird and the Worm is a less electronic pop song with a poppy acoustic rhythym guitar sound and some Seabearesque keyboard ding. Hello Seattle, which is apparently the most popular song from the album, sounds kind of like Such Great Heights if it was done by a poppier, more upbeat band. Except for the chorus, which isn't really similar at all. The song continues in this direction, with some songs owing a bit more to bands like aforementioned Breathe Carolina, with a more techno/house drum beat and that growing wind sound that kicks the music up a notch, or using acoustic guitar to create the melody. Dental Care makes Adam seem pretentious to me: He talks about how he's scared of the dentist but his perfect smile is too important not to go. I guess it's supposed to be funny, but it's not. Overall, I'd say the album isn't bad, and you'd probably really like it if you're into that new boy band type sound, but it's definitely not something I'd listen to much. So in fact, I'm not even sure why I put this on here; I guess I listened to it to see what all the hype was about and didn't want to feel like I wasted 45 minutes of my life on a band playing a style of music I really don't particularly enjoy.