Can we talk about that Owl City song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMr52bCXNdU

What. Is that the Death Cab guy? He should try to make songs that sound more like Kylie or whatever. None of this halfway stuff.

yeah but this is currently the #1 song on the Billboard chart

No shit. Never heard it before.

xp Ha, no, but:

Iain Forrester: True story: I got one of those “sorry you were out” cards through the letterbox yesterday, saying that I had missed a recorded delivery. I got up early today to collect it at the depot, but they couldn’t find it! Apparently postal workers are on strike and we have to make do with unskilled and inadequate substitutes.
[2]

Also lol @ Wikipedia page:

Numerous neophytes are initially confused over the band's members. Contrary to expectations Owl City does not include the likes of Ben Gibbard.

hahahahaha

http://www.billboard.com/artist/owl-city/998477#/charts/hot-100

...yeah

Miley covering Jonathan Richman.

Wonder if dude dotted his i's with hearts when he wrote the lyrics to this.

Didn't someone post about postal servicio album number 2 going to number one?

I like the video (and the melody)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hbUw

"cuz i'd get a thousand hugs / from ten thousand lightning bugs / as they teach me how to dance"

so deep, y'all.

sweet little tune. reminds me a little of electric president

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWz00tNb2IU

so deep, y'all.

― akaky akakievich

It's just a pop song not an entry in a poetry competition. But yeah you are kinda right, but I do not usually let lyrics steer me away if I like the rest of the elements of the song.

"cuz i'd get a thousand hugs / from ten thousand lightning bugs"

this doesnt make sense UNLESS each bug gives him 1000 hugs. so, ten million hugs. that just seems like too many i dont know.

no I uh think it takes ten bugs to make one hug but we should ask someone

TS: this pap vs. "100,000 Fireflies"

So after seeing this song at #1 on the Billboard chart, I have suddenly started hearing this song EVERYWHERE. Huh.

yeah, i think this is a situation where iTunes purchases led the charge, and then radio stations immediately went "huh? OK, put it on the playlist"

really funny finally hearing this, btw. this is an admittedly ridiculous question, but is this the most stereotypically 'indie' vocal ever on a US #1?

guilty pleasure music

is this the most stereotypically 'indie' vocal ever on a US #1?

looking back over the last twenty years, I'd say most definitely

All-American Rejects didn't hit #1?

Or REM?

Stipe's voice isn't that 'indie' to me.

yeah me either...

no and no, dan

closest competition i really saw was EMF and Plain White T's, though I don't know if I'd call either's subcultural affectations "indie" anyhow.

there are shitty indie songs that sound like Hey Delilah

that's probably why i brought them up

oh i thought you meant the opposite... my mistake

i just meant that, while certainly close on the pop family tree, hot topic whines and effete British sighs aren't quite as stereotypically 'indie' as an outright impersonation of ben gibbard.

"It's just a pop song not an entry in a poetry competition. But yeah you are kinda right, but I do not usually let lyrics steer me away if I like the rest of the elements of the song."

fair enough, but in this case i don't like any elements of the song. and the vocal delivery probably annoys me more than the cringe-inducing lyrics.

The vocal more resembles a clean metalcore reject than "indie."

Also, I wrote a bit about the track because I worry over how much it has permeated my head. I fear it may never leave, and I am certain that it does not deserve me as its host.

yeah, i think this is a situation where iTunes purchases led the charge, and then radio stations immediately went "huh? OK, put it on the playlist"

Well, it's at #1, but way down at #28 on the radio play chart (#42 last week). Its ascent to the top had to have been in spite of a lack of radio play.

Very much so -- Chris Molanphy at Idolator has a great piece up detailing what happened.

http://idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fireflies_cover.jpg

lol @ this cover

lol @ the star wars font

"Such Great Hoots" = A++ headline writing

says hoot smalley

Again, I can’t front: on a Top 40 radio dial awash in Black Eyed Peas’ faux-hop and Miley Cyrus’s shrill Autotunage, “Fireflies” is a nice contrast. But it’s basically The Postal Service for Dummies, Chris Molanphy from his nicely done Idolator piece

I can go with this.

Oh, my kid says I-Tunes was giving this song away for awhile, many months back (he does not like it btw).

garbage

i don't mind the postal service or ben gibbard in small doses but this guy's voice and delivery grates for a reason i can't quite pinpoint since it's pretty much a carbon copy.

Here's a theory: "Cool" christian kids will buy anything, so when this guy comes along sounding like the Postal Service but talking about "I follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. He is my life, my strength, my all." on his myspace page (captioning a picture of fluffy white clouds no less), he mobilizes a huge market of jesus campers who want credit in the "indie" world without sacrificing their savior (a market that could be more likely to purchase music from itunes rather than rip it, what with that whole "thou shalt not steal" thing).

those christian kids!

Alternate theory: deal with the devil.

i knew the kid was from owatonna but i had no idea he was christian. he sounds like the postal service, there you go. i think your theory is crap.

if someone who supposedly built their whole following from MySpace prominently declares their faith on their MySpace page then yeah, I don't think it's terribly far fetched to suggest there's a CCM element to their success.

hmm. yeah.

See, the kids who grew up around electrnica on TV, etc., are now starting college and nostalgic for their childhood...

Not that it went to #1 but have ppl already forgotten the existence of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-KQ1tp_qOQ&feature=player_embedded

It's not like shit like this hasn't charted before.

oh yeah, the whole indie electro thing has definitely had a lot of chart traction way before Owl City -- 3OH!3, LMFAO, etc.

ha I like to pretend 3OH!3 doesn't exist

a market that could be more likely to purchase music from itunes rather than rip it, what with that whole "thou shalt not steal" thing

I wonder about this.

Well, they've done so well with the rest of the commandments.

This song is of that perfect clean, bland, cheery template that insures it's gonna be on every in-store muzak channel in every middle class retailer for the next 14 years. Srsly I felt like I was selling clothes again hearing this.

Reminds me more of Ben Jelen than anything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOCRPrEAVxU

Owl City: Len minus the Andrea True Connection.

how dare u

oh come on. Len wasnt ripping off anybody. Leave Len alone.

Len is 1.7 billion times better than this fucking song.

I also detect that Tom Delonge dude from Blink 182/Box Car Racer in this guy's vocals..

I'd say 40% Blink & 60% Death Cab..

And by Death Cab I mean Postal Service.

haha thx to guitar store i am apparently like 2 degrees of separation from this dude (and have probably talked to him at shows).

i have never heard this song tho

Oh my goodness, so the MySpace guy that Unicorn Kid just supported all round the US is now #1 on Billboard? That makes me happy.

(It's cute. And I like the chiptuney elements.)

The Christian thing makes this dude's bio make a lot more sense to me. All these mentions of bands I've never ever heard of and if they're all Christian then it kinda crystallizes.

Why can't we live in an alternate universe where Max Tundra is #1 tho? I mean if bleeps and fey Sprechstimme vocals and mad pop hooks are all it takes, why this dude and not MT?

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

yeah this sounds nothing like max tundra

I have in mind the bridge/middle 8 of Max Tundra's "Number our Days" if I must defend my pipe dream further. Tundra can do sugary-sweet when he feels like it, but his structures are more capricious, hence, yeah fine, he sounds nothing like Owl City. Because Owl City is sugar piled onto honey with added treacle and saccharine and a side of twee sauce. I get why people hear this as a Postal Service clone, but damn it makes the Postal Service sound like Meshuggah by comparison.

bands coming out of nowhere and having big pop hits that sound like stuff cult indie acts have been doing for years happen because they're on different career tracks with different goals and different promotional methods, not because we live in a mysterious and unjust world

otm

no guys we live in a mysterious and unjust world come on work with me (hi my name is drew daniel by the way)

oh hey dude what's up you're not pygmy squirrel anymore?

nope, switched up my style / got new laptop and had to re-register and thought why not

bands coming out of nowhere and having big pop hits that sound like stuff cult indie acts have been doing for years happen because they're on different career tracks with different goals and different promotional methods, not because we live in a mysterious and unjust world

― et tu, omas? (some dude),

But with many top 40 stations owned by the same companies, and such stations following the directives of certain radio programmers, couldn't those programmers suggest act X instead of act Y?

Once upon a time Lee Abrams in creating the Album Oriented Rock format decided that certain bands fit and others (Ramones) did not.

of all the people that might have an effect on whether a song becomes a mainstream hit, radio programmers working at top 40 stations must rank somewhere in triple digits

I mean radio programmers elsewhere who tell the stations what to play. Do any top 40 stations these days make their own decisions on songs to play? I'm guessing it is rare

I can only imagine how much the publishing cos and labels have made from "Pocket Full of Sunshine" and other retail-ready songs, so I can understand why they'd push this one to the top.

Top 40 is kind of by definition the radio format with the least amount of autonomy, and is kind of dictated by what's already charting or being released by established stars, or being requested by listeners. Genre-specific formats are where songs still at least have a fighting chance of bubbling up from grassroots or semi-underground movements without music industry machinery behind them, and even there it's not very easy.

(It's cute. And I like the chiptuney elements.)

fruityloops is not chiptunes

no, there's a circuit-bending app now

I'm not saying chiptune sounds are unachievable in fruityloops, but I don't hear anything w/a grainy low bitrate in owl city

Inside dope: he is a reason user FYI

this song wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't for the cloying furryness of it.

reason makes even more sense

I'm not saying chiptune sounds are unachievable in fruityloops, but I don't hear anything w/a grainy low bitrate in owl city

― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Tuesday, November 3, 2009 5:55 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it's quite possible that you have no idea wtf you are talking about

fucking christ...OWATONNA. i'm literally...wow....what a shithole town.

lol i learned of this song today only after gf and i heard it in the car over the weekend and debated whether it was postal svc or not

what was that thing punks used to snarl...something like "this is music for students"...that was my reaction to this song.

it's basically postal service for ppl that were put off by how heavy and raw postal service was

lolllll

It's Postal Service for people who are too young to remember Postal Service! Owl City's fanbase is firmly teenage.

i am actually almost impressed by how closely he mimicked ben gibbard's singing mannerisms

tbh i think the vocal similarity is a little overhyped -- there are Death Cab songs i had a harder time distinguishing from Built To Spill than i did telling the difference between OC and PS

It's only Postal Service-y until the middle bit where he gets out the stadium rock guitars. I can never make it past that point in the song.

That link that Ned posted above is quite interesting, though - in that it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts, boo hoo hoo.

http://www.districtlines.com/designs/14519/onesie_front_mock.jpg

owl city adult onesie

Is this the moment that owls in pop culture jump the shark?

That link that Ned posted above is quite interesting, though - in that it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts, boo hoo hoo.

I very much doubt Chris was trying to make that point.

That link that Ned posted above is quite interesting, though - in that it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts, boo hoo hoo.

― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Thursday, November 5, 2009 12:45 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

there's absolutely no "boo hoo hoo" tone in that article, and you accusing someone else of having an obsessive gender politics agenda when talking about music is fucking rich (xpost)

BTW, guys, the "boo hoo hoo" bit was a joke?

oh man if this turns into pitchfork thread mk III i am going to start banning peeps from this thread left and right

it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts

does he, really?

My point in deconstructing all this is to designate “Fireflies” as a truly rare bird, a huge boy-pop hit without a home format. When a song by a solo female scales the Hot 100, that’s notable but less surprising — Top 40 is the most female-centric of radio formats, and so their gender there is a help; if they’re Beyoncé or Mariah, they have urban radio helping out, too. Most male acts live on either rock or urban radio, where they dominate. But Adam Young somehow has scored a Hot 100 chart-topper with little to no assistance from the big “guy” formats, and without American Idol.

It leaves us with one inescapable conclusion, whether we think the Postal Service wuz robbed or that “Such Great Heights” sucked and “Fireflies” is worse. People really just like this song. Hey, occasionally, it happens.

no, he doesn't.

here's an idea, why don't we all be even more po-faced about hyperbole

you can't appreciate this song, a shameless rip off of postal service/death cab, until you realize that its on the soundtrack to the reboot of 90210, a shameless derivative of the oc. and the main character of the oc's favorite band was, who else, death cab.

i like to think that adam young realized this and fireflies is some sort of joke in this context

Morning show on the local MOR station ripped on Owl City for sounding like the talent show conclusion from "Revenge of the Nerds:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx-g26tjFFM

minus Lamar's awesome rap

Yeah, I mean, we can't have everything! A perfect world would spoil us too much.

It sounds like The Muppets singing a sped-up Creed song?? (Not production-wise.)

I'm not saying chiptune sounds are unachievable in fruityloops, but I don't hear anything w/a grainy low bitrate in owl city

― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Tuesday, November 3, 2009 5:55 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it's quite possible that you have no idea wtf you are talking about

― swagless price (The Reverend), Wednesday, November 4, 2009 2:42 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I don't? you tell me where the chiptunes sounds are in owl city.

mr. smarty pants

On the night before my 16th birthday I ate too many mushrooms and was convinced I'd gone Insane For Life as the darkness of my bedroom filled up with thousands of tiny, singing Popples.

I was reminded of that night after hearing this on Mix 106.5 on the way to work today.

http://www.forum-auto.com/uploads/200410/oufwid_1098689173_popples.jpg

Insane For Life.

When a friend of mine carelessly admitted to a fratboy he dorms with that he suffers from insomnia and depression the frat guy brought my friend into his room to play him "Fireflies," and tell him to see if he can relate to it at all.

So five minutes ago I was expecting to hear some Linkin Park-style ear-cutting (and a few years ago he probably would'played LP for him instead of this) but I'm not sure how much of a step up this bland Magnetic Fields/death cab song is from that.

When a friend of mine carelessly admitted to a fratboy he dorms with that he suffers from insomnia and depression the frat guy brought my friend into his room to play him "Fireflies," and tell him to see if he can relate to it at all.

These gay porn scenarios are getting out of hand.

At this point I'm just copy/pasting the synopses, tweaking a word or two, and seeing which thread they best fit in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvSY4NYkySM

"i went out to the forest and caught
100,000 fireflies
as they ricochet around the room
they remind me of your starry eyes
someone else's might not have made me so sad
but this is thee worst night i've ever had"

s.merritt, 1991

If this guy's vocals are an imitation of the Postal Service, remind me to never ever ever EVER hear a Postal Service song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD7JsHWw3vg

Is this the first time ever that a huge commercial pop hit has had a singer that sounds like all those psych indie singers (Wayne Coyne etc.)?

vvvv this guy otm

Why can't we live in an alternate universe where Max Tundra is #1 tho? I mean if bleeps and fey Sprechstimme vocals and mad pop hooks are all it takes, why this dude and not MT?

Gotta say I had the same reaction so I dunno if the Tundra comparison is so off the mark. I definitely hear more of Tundra's celebratration of beeps and bloops in the instrumental here than I do of the Postal Service's more clinical/icy-midnight-anomie sounds. The vocal is pure Gibbard, but eh, whatever, I think it's a pretty little song. Not a hell of a lot going on lyrically though - how many times does the chorus repeat in this thing?

I am starting to suspect that the Traveling Wilburys of the 2020s will end up including people like this guy and Mika. I'm in favor of this only if Casinomania breaks out soon enough for me to cash in. NEW ALBUM 2010 Y'ALL

IOW, one reason i kinda like this song is that it's the kind of thing i wouldn't be ashamed to have come up with myself, and one reason for THAT is that i love love love Max Tundra and feel like on some level what i want to do musically is channel MT's "thing" into slightly more straightforward compositions. Turns out MT beat us all to it with "Which Song" and "Will Get Fooled Again." Oh well.

The first time I heard the chorus, I thought it was blandly pretty. This is the nicest thing I will say about it.

a totally original pop song might be asking too much. It sounds sort of refreshing compared to the last 15 years of r&b/dance/hop that's been monopolizing the charts.

Sure it's a little blandy and the vox are processed like American cheese food product, but my 10-year-old daughter is obsessed with it and I'm not going to trash it because at least (oh, god, here comes my Geir moment) it has a melody and the lyrics aren't "uh I wanna sex you all nite". It's kind of cute - I'd never put it on myself but compared to Britney's new tragesty or that ubiquitous fucking Sexybitch thing, I don't mind a little Owl City on the charts.

Me 10 years ago is boggling from afar but I would play Britney and Justin for hours and hours over this bulllshit. I'd rather hear a song that sounded like this that was actually enjoyable to listen to; diversity without merit is bullshit quota pandering.

I heard this in a clothing shop! My prediction was accurate.

OT but Britney's "3" could be sung by Beeker from the Muppets, alright?

worst song ever

"Such Great Hoots" = A++ headline writing

― uninspired girls rejoice!!! (Hoot Smalley), Monday, November 2, 2009 12:19 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

says hoot smalley

― cutty, Monday, November 2, 2009 12:29 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark

this cracks me up

OT but Britney's "3" could be sung by Beeker from the Muppets, alright?

and how is that different from any other Britney song

I dunno, like, "Hit Me Baby" had some texture and melody - this one is all like "Bloop bloop bleep, my voice sounds like a beep, it's got a samey beat and there's NOTHING GOING ON IN IT"

Don't mean to derail this faskinating thread with all that, tho. I'm just feeling peevish about "3" because it's needling me everywhere I go.

Saying there's nothing going on in "3" makes no sense considering the rhythmic and stylistic shifts in the song. Also, criticizing "3" for having a samey beat and then big-upping "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is like saying "Taco Bell is so fatty and gross, I'd much rather have Cinnabon".

(Then again, I am of the school of thought that thinks the harder Britney tries to "sing", the worse she is because she has a fucking terrible voice.)

i was trying to figure what the melody/structure of this song reminds me so much of and I figured it out:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2027750153

and there it is in the chorus lyrics:

"Oh, kiss me
beneath the milky twilight
Lead me
out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon sparkling
So kiss me"

the cramberries

My 5-year old daughter heard a Britney song on the radio and asked why the singer sounded like a bug.

This song came on my in-laws' stereo and it was far better than the Jason Mraz that followed and the MGMT that is on right now.

The mental image of what your in-laws are like based on that is slightly troubling, somehow.

Off topic, but I am amazed at how atrocious the 'snyth braek' is on this "Kids" song, sorry I'm late to the party, but it takes Christmas parties to really expose me to this stuff.

I love my in-laws. They are Filipino. They are cooking a pig right now and listening to MGMT. Come now, this is a magical time.

Can't go wrong with a cooked pig!

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this song sucks complite ass who the fuck would sing a gay song about fireflies if there is a god please let him be my friend and kill all who apose me and if you agrre then we must stop these fuckin posers from ruling the wolrd the war has started!!!! fuck you all!!!

if there is a god please let him be my friend and kill all who apose me

Hmmm...

My 5-year old daughter heard a Britney song on the radio and asked why the singer sounded like a bug.

This is now my second favorite piece of child art criticism that I've read recently. Tops is still "could be boring. also too stripey."

f you agrre then we must stop these fuckin posers from ruling the wolrd the war has started!!!! fuck you all!!!

man I gotta stop hittin the sauce & goin on youtube

don't you dare!

a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand hugs of lightning bugs in a broad and peaceful sky.

for all who love freedom and peace, the world with thousand of hugs, from tens of thousands of lightning bugs, is a better and safer place

2009: the year Braff-pop broke

I can feel my life changing already

http://20.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvossd1CCB1qz8ls2o1_400.png

I have to admit that this was the last thing I was thinking about when I heard that Owl City song.

you know, i'd be more annoyed at how much this guy sounded like the postal service if ben gibbard had actually ever bothered to do a follow up to "give up" - since he never did i'm starting to become resigned to making due with this postal service lite called owl city. i readily admit that the p.s. biting goes beyond just the timber of adam young's voice and the electronica sound, i'd say the lyrics are also pretty obviously influenced by gibbard's, this becomes clearer if you listen to the whole o.c. album. unfortunately on all 3 fronts owl city is a pale shadow of it's influence - such great heights is just as catchy as fireflies and has much better lyrics, and postal service has dark, soul searching stuff like "this place is a prison" to counterbalance the happy stuff, while the owl city album seems kinda unrelentingly quirky and upbeat...

but i still kinda like fireflies regardless - it's grown on me. if i call it a guilty pleasure, will it prevent the wrath of ilm descending on me for admitting i enjoy listening to it?

Are you sure that you're not experiencing some sort of stockholm syndrome of identifying with your captor?

The song is very catchy. The lyrics are for two-year olds. My radio is infested by the progeny of an earworm and a glo-worm.

if i call it a guilty pleasure, will it prevent the wrath of ilm descending on me for admitting i enjoy listening to it?

No.

If anything, that just calls for more punching.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. I got a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

lol

http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-img/comics/ptero/lightning_bugs1.png

(via)

I dunno, like, "Hit Me Baby" had some texture and melody - this one is all like "Bloop bloop bleep, my voice sounds like a beep, it's got a samey beat and there's NOTHING GOING ON IN IT"

Only just realised that you can sing your description over the chorus of the tune.

I got a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

Written down this looks like "Seasons in the Sun" ('goodbye papa, it's hard to die') scary.

That "Hot Air Balloon" version with the "cute" girl upthread wont leave head. not musically - just more the feeling that for some people, it is indie, underground, etc. i really can't occupy their headspace and i wonder what sociopolitical connotation the word indie has to them. i guess i could be writing this about grizzly bear too.

kids are conservative these days, arent they? i mean, its too easy to go say "this is bullshit go listen to (black flag/fugazi/beat happening)" but i dont think the kids who listen to this stuff feel that way about the world. which is weird to me. probably because i grew up in the 90s.

hell I would be happy if ppl would rediscover Opus III as opposed to big-upping Owl City, if you want glimmery optimistic vacuous synthpop with beatz

lol

i was going to say Annie but she is too arch methinks. vacuous on purpose is not vacuous i guess.

when i imagine people who like "hot air balloon" i imagine people who are in denial from massive childhood trauma, and agressively so.

ha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA2f7ZEbQZg&feature=player_embedded

does this redeem the song?

I thought you revived this thread to discuss the vanilla song.

no

xpost

THIS IS THE WORST SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

dyao I'm sending you a bill on behalf of my univ for the keyboard in the computer lab that I just threw up all over.

ten million fireflies could never make me pay you stevie d

i like the styx-like overproduction, some studio rat spent DAYS on the little details

Does the success of Owl City mean the kids will love Flaming Lips if they ever release something as shamelessly mainstream as "Yoshimi Vs. The Pink Robots" again?

I kind of want to answer this, but there's no non-Geirbot answer, is there?

ctrl-f owl shitty

bowel titty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIz2K3ArrWk&feature=player_embedded&fmt=18

SHAQ ATTACK!

omg @ the boyband keychange

i wonder if the lighthouse in that vid is a metaphor 4 smthn

gr8 song tho

that key change is a harsh buzz indeed.

dude is shameless. even the lyrics.

this song makes me believe that planet earth turns slowly

I look at my hands and feel sad

i'm weird 'cause i hate goodbyes

this dude is one of the most punchable people on Earth

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned

The silence isn't so bad
Til I look at my hands and feel sad
'Cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly.

like that key change though

LOL This is the kind of song that Magnetic Fields or The Postal Service could not possibly have made under any kind of circumstances. So much for those comparisions. :)

i'm not gonna even try to defend this one.

kinkade-pop

Yeah this shit is blatant now. I actually feel bad for Dntel dude, I mean obviously Gibbard is raking in the bank from Death Cab but Dntel should be getting royalties off this shit.

^ real talk

No, we cannot talk about that Owl City song.

lmao @ shaq

Just heard this on the radio in a taxi. Wha -- is there really a sense, ANY sense, in which this is "indie?" It is what I would call "lite rock," right?

In any event, it was horrible, the worst song I remember noticing on the radio since "Hey, Delilah."

Surely it rips "100,000 Fireflies" off or is there really a chance the perpetrator of this song hasn't heard the MF song?

I pulled up a Dr. Dre video on youtube and "Vanilla Twilight" started playing. I just about shat myself.

Wha -- is there really a sense, ANY sense, in which this is "indie?"

lolol at the music video - makes sense, owl city is the aural equivalent of a thomas kinkade painting

was hoping for the giant reveal to be that the massive trippy hole of light in the sky was actually GOD'S GOATSE

Wow. This song makes me want to strangle anyone who likes it.

kinkade-pop

― sean gramophone

Beautiful.

Best solo-male Hot 100 chart-topper since 2000 that didn’t also make the top 40 portion of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

then there's this...

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10370730&;server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10370730&;server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p>Paul Valéry (Music Video) from Blue Scholars on Vimeo.</p>

oh fuck me. how about this?

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10370730&;server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10370730&;server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10370730";>Paul Valéry (Music Video)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bluescholars";>Blue Scholars</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com";>Vimeo</a>.</p>

yeah, only youtube embeds happen here and those are all based off of posting the youtube URL

my bad. just blue scholars rapping down seattle hip hop's current fixation with "outer space" over a "fireflies" sample. okay message, questionable delivery mechanism.

all that "space muzik" shit >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> blue scholars

http://i39.tinypic.com/21eqcud.jpg

So this guy hates gay people too. Spread the word.

totally went ham on owl city tonight @ a party

jamie_atp, care to elaborate? i would love to see this douche outed as a homophobe if that's true.

i did originally think it was nice that the american charts were open to something as entryist as 'fireflies'? but after it hit here, as well, and after hearing it ~ 5-10x a week, i kind of see it as loathesome?

i can't really i'm afraid. i also hear he's a total prick regardless of the homophobia.

well, it takes special kind of guy to post mash notes to jesus on his myspace page captioning a picture of fluffy white clouds (ie, where jesus literally lives).

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Owl%20City

actually i'll save you the effort: one of the definitions is "the kind of guy that would cry after orgasm"

i think that's a line from the uncensored version of "fireflies" tho

the 'serious' definition is way more entertaining:

A Group made of 1 person
Adam Young
Owl City=Life♥
Sings mostly electronic, yet meaningful lyrics. fun to listen to with a group of friends

Because I'm the kind of guy
Who after orgasms, cries
And everything is never as it seems

Shaq cameo is kinda just there

Seriously, though, there is a lot of mainstream stuff that is worse than this. This sounds mainly like an attempt to make the kind of ballad that the likes of Backstreet Boys, Westlife and NKOTB are/were known for, but the vocals and synth sounds still secure that this is at least not any less credible. Generally, I would prefer the kids listening to Owl City rather than Beyonce. Owl City represent better the kind of music that should be more popular. Even if other acts do it much better than Owl City.

fortunately for music, nobody agrees with Geir

Indie needs to be more mainstream and pop oriented to make sure to take over the hitlists completely and destroy hip-hop/R&B forever.

(Which is what was great with Britpop, while the American 00s indie has still largely failed)

hongronist manifesto

btw not being playful, you're a chore

if 10,000 lightning bugs really hugged this dude, wouldn't he die of suffocation? are lightning bugs exothermic? what if they vibrated their wings together like japanese honey bees:

As the hornet enters the nest, a large mob of about five hundred honey bees surrounds it, completely covering it and preventing it from moving, and begin quickly vibrating their flight muscles. This has the effect of raising the temperature of the honey bee mass to 47 °C (117 °F). The honey bees can tolerate this temperature, but the hornet cannot survive more than 46 °C (115 °F), so it dies.

~thinkin baout things~

Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds,

Adam Young I am on to your fiendish plan

holy fucking shit @ honey bee thermal execution squad

crazy 588

I think the kind of singing and vocal processing done on songs like this will be one of the top "lol the noughties" trends we remember, years from now.

i bet this dude still wets the bed

Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too wet to fall asleep
(Ha-ha)

This song is remarkable. I don't think I've hears pop songcraft on this level since...probably fucking "Billie Jean," if I'm being honest here (AND I AM).

The lyrics may be silly but then again who was listening to "Good Vibrations" back in the day with a tear in their eye?

Heartened to see that a lot of people in place like this can understand that great music isn't about class or hipness or whatever - it's about coming together and celebrating!

Hank Kingsley, please stay a while

it's about coming together and celebrating!

I hear you can make money doing that.

Ned!

That's no way to talk to Big Jim Swells Hank Kingsley.

Ned, wrong thread:

Why can't I get a copy of the Pop Group's 'Y' on CD?

I don't understand; are you guys begrudging OC for making money?

That's not HIS choice - if people want to pay to hear "Fireflies," then that's THEIR decision.

It's not like we all stopped listening to Coldplay after they became the biggest band since the Beatles - far from it!

alright, ladies and gents, the game is SOCK OR TROLL...I trust you've all seen it before

As much as I detest "Fireflies" and find Hank's enthusiasm for it at best incomprehensible, can we not do the stupid bullshit meta attack nonsense?

I moved out of my old house last weekend and the "it's weird cause I hate goodbyes" line kept running through my head, to which I had to keep telling myself "no, it's not!"

Thanks, Have a slice of wine! I agree that there's no reason to cryptically abuse someone for having an opinion that differs from your own - especially when the vast majority of music listening Americans, clearly, agree with me

It's not like we all stopped listening to Coldplay

Well, to be fair, there are certainly those of us who never started...

I agree that there's no reason to cryptically abuse someone for having an opinion that differs from your own - especially when the vast majority of music listening Americans, clearly, agree with me

i'll pretend this is a sentiment that would be expressed by someone who wasn't either a) familiar with ilx and/or b) trying to get a rise out of people, and say that earnest music fan hank kingsley is on the the pipe.

sorry, i meant on matt johnston's pipe

I don't understand; are you guys begrudging OC for making money?

That's not HIS choice - if people want to pay to hear "Fireflies," then that's THEIR decision.

It's not like we all stopped listening to Coldplay after they became the biggest band since the Beatles - far from it!

― Hank Kingsley, Friday, May 21, 2010 6:00 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I love that there wasn't actually a post that provoked this

Has anyone ever studied the population of non-music-listening Americans? Like, just taken a head count...I'm curious.

5,000,000 Owl City Fans Can't Wet The Bed At The Same Time Or We'd Drown

It seems to me like some of you are doubting my claims of the mass, cross-demographic appeal of OC.

I'd direct you here: http://i45.tinypic.com/14kg0ba.png

And, further, two of my facebook friends are fans of his. One is white guy straight guy from Albany, while the other is a black gay gentleman from Los Angeles.

So I think it's pretty clear OC is a cultural phenomenon!

uh, duh. no one disagrees with you.

One is white guy straight guy from Albany, while the other is a black gay gentleman from Los Angeles.
this sounds like an awesome sitcom

i have to say i think hank has me thinking about owl city a whole new way

still, owl city is from owatonna

Hank Kingsley, what other music do you enjoy?

Welcome, btw.

This is my last.fm page info: http://i46.tinypic.com/a1mgpc.png

5,000,000 Owl City Fans Can't Wet The Bed At The Same Time Or We'd Drown

The Liars really fell off after this one, tbf.

It's an amazing coincidence that such a (dare I say) naive music fan would share a name with a character from such a cynical, meta-tastic show like Larry Sanders.

Hank is open and (typically) genial. Unlike Larry, Hank is more than willing to lend his name to commercial products and tries to cultivate a cult of personality through his little-read newsletters, fan club, and so on. Hank tends to be dense and is frequently the butt of the jokes of others without realizing it.

He is generally disrespected among his co-workers because of his ego and dimness. Hank will often act humble and unassuming, especially on camera or in front of media executives and other influential persons; however, he is condescending and often quite nasty to anyone whom he perceives to be "below" him in status. Hank spends considerable time focused on furthering his career, often endorsing questionable products and working behind Larry's back to ensure his enduring presence on the show, even when Larry is being scrutinized.

Yeah, usually people don't even mention that show (cause no one watched it!) so I don't have to deal with this BUT...

Hank Kingsley is my real name.

Sorry to disappoint!

Hey now!

Months after this song has fallen off the charts (I think), my daughters are still obsessed with looking up youtube tributes to it: lipsynch versions, mega-weak bedroom covers, sped-up and slowed-down homemade videos, whatever's out there.

i have tried twice to listen to this song on youtube, and twice failed to make it past the 1st chorus. i don't think i've ever heard it otherwise. and it is so awful. plus thanks.

if u couldn't make it past the first chorus, then u missed the lyrical excellency that is "i'm weird cause i hate goodbyes"

fyi

line is up there w/ "my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest"

it isn't my favorite owl city line, which will forever and always be "i look at my hands and i feel sad"

hahahahaha

it just makes me imagine that adam young is experiencing every situtation of someone realing their own futility that has ever happened, all at once. and that makes me smile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyasBBoQqCA&feature=player_embedded

I can't believe I ever defended this shit.

lol just came her to post that "electronic wuss" video

the oceans constellations make me cry

"Such Great Hoots" = A++ headline writing

― uninspired girls rejoice!!! (Hoot Smalley), Monday, November 2, 2009 12:19 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

says hoot smalley

― cutty, Monday, November 2, 2009 12:29 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark

this cracks me up

― hear shart attack (latebloomer), Monday, December 28, 2009 9:48 AM (4 months ago) Bookmark

still

lol Sundar!

This song is remarkable. I don't think I've hears pop songcraft on this level since...probably fucking "Billie Jean," if I'm being honest here (AND I AM).

Ehh.... I mean..... WTF!!!!

And I am among those who consider Owl City better than a lot of what is on current hitlists otherwise.... :)

hahahaha

Oh no.

"from the studio that brought you happy feet"

http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/mun2-images/news/whodat/whodat-owl-city.jpg

You laugh now, Matt, you'll be reading these books to your kid soon I'll bet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_Ga'Hoole

ILM = A place for a bunch of 90s fans who still hate the fact that the 90s have ended, and even more the fact that the years after Y2K have been more musically similar to the 70s and 80s than to the 90s.

Ga'ir Hoolegro

Argh, was gonna make that joke. :(

oh phew. was worried for a minute that owl city had broken up or something.

what a disaster for owl city

Ga'ir Hoolegro

I will <3 Geir forever if this becomes his new display name...

New holiday song entitled "Peppermint Winter" coming November 22. 'Tis the season. about 2 hours ago via web Retweeted by 100+ people

owlcity
Owl City

oh god. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9JykqziYQU

cant make this shit up

No kidding. I bet Weird Al hears this and is like "what do you want me to do?"

he would perform that style w morbid lyrics or something

sorry catching up on some bookmarks i havent checked in weeks

jesus christ @ that 30 second audio clip

christmas is ruined

LOL

*twirls through the driveway with angelic grace*

*lights speakers on fire*

markers why u h8 owl city? ;_;

lol at deej bookmarking an owl city thread

nakh, I actually like his first single, but that 30 second clip is O_O

this guy should totally be murdered

wait no i dont remember who this is only that i hate him for some reason

well kill him anyway

so much h8
sooooooooo much h8
;_;

haw. i bookmark anything i read

remove bookmarks only from, like, that rolling last.fm thread

but it's just a soundbyte he made for a gum commercial, i think, right

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm884vHyOP1qg3uqyo1_400.gif

Suggest Ban Permalink

THE LIST OF ADAM YOUNG PRIMARY PROJECTS

Owl City Ocean Eyes Album
1. Cave In 4:07
2. The Bird and the Worm 3:27
3. Hello Seattle 2:58
4. Umbrella Beach 3:51
5. The Saltwater Room 4:55
6. Dental Care 3:18
7. Meteor Shower 2:20
8. On the Wing 5:03
9. Fireflies 3:48
10. The Tip of the Iceberg 3:33
11. Vanilla Twilight 3:51
12. Tidal Wave 3:13

Owl city Ocean Eyes Deluxe Edition
1. Hot Air Balloon 3:33
2. Butterfly Wings 2:46
3. Rugs from Me to You 1:30
4. Sunburn 3:46
5. Hello Seattle (Remix) 2:58
6. If My Heart Was a House 4:07
7. Strawberry Avalanche 3:16
8. Fireflies (Adam Young Remix) 3:48

OWL CITY MAYBE I AM DREAMING
1. On The Wing 5:03
2. Rainbow Veins 4:44
3. Super Honeymoon 3:29
4. The Saltwater Room 4:55
5. Early Birdie 4:26
6. Air Traffic 2:58
7. The Technicolor Phase 4:27
8. Sky Diver 2:51
9. Dear Vienna 4:15
10. I'll Meet You There 4:16
11. This Is The Future 2:53
12. West Coast Friendship 3:51

OWL CITY ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL:
1. The Real World 3:42
2. Deer In The Headlights 3:01
3. Angels 3:38
4. Dreams Don't Turn To Dust 3:53
5. Honey And The Bee 3:45
6. Kamikaze 3:32
7. January 28, 1986/ Galaxy Live 4:42
8. Galaxies 4:00
9. Hospital Flowers 3:42
10. Alligator Sky 3:17
11. The Yacht Club 4:33
12. Plant Life 4:17
13. Alligator Sky with rap feat shawn chrystopher 3:05
14. How I Became The Sea 4:24
15. Lonely Lullaby 4:19
16. Shy Violet 3:53
17. To The Sky 3:40
18. Enchanted 5:04
19. In Christ Alone 3:28
20. Peppermint Winter 3:57
21. The Christmas Song 3:54

Of June
1. Swimming In Miami 6:21
2. Captains And Cruise Ships 3:28
3. Designer Skyline 3:34
4. Panda Bear 3:08
5. The Airway 3:23
6. Fuzzy Blue Lights 4:41
7. Hello Seattle (2007 version) 2:58
Owl City Episodes Ends....................

SKY SAILING Album
An Airplane Carried Me To Bed
1. Captains of The Sky 2:43
2. Brielle 4:06
3. Steady as She Goes 2:36
4. Explorers 4:10
5. A Little Opera Goes a Long Way 3:48
6. Tennis Elbow 3:45
7. Blue and Red 3:39
8. Alaska 2:36
9. I Live Alone 4:04
10. Take Me Somewhere Nice 2:47
11. Sailboats 4:19
12. Flowers of the field 4:06

PORT BLUE Album ALL EPS
The Airship, The Albatross EP, Artic, Unreleased, Bsides

Setting Sails 5.01
At Anchor 4.45
Deep Iceberg 8:01
The Grand Staircase 4:58
Pond Skater 4:15
Into The Sea 2:23
Arrival At Sydney Harbour 5:07
The Skybridge 6:04
Base Jumping 5:28
City Of Safe Harbours 2:07
Queen Annes Sail Boat 5:54
Silver Blueberry/ Reverse 1:20
An Enchated Eveining 1:50
Up Ship / Reverse 4:55
I Am The Aeronaut 4:49
Seagulls 5:03
Elephant Island 3:08
Over The Atlantic City 4:20
The Cargo Bay 3:20
In The Yatch 2:57
Of The Airship Academy 3:34
In The Dolphin Tank 2:13
Butterflies 1:28
The Snow Ballet 1:12
The Axial Catwalk 4:25
Under The Glass Observation Dome 2:55
Sea Horse 4:51
Over Lionsgate City 4:51
The Gentle Decent 1:46
june bug 3:54
Sunset Cruiser 7:31
Monorail 2:03
Chocolate Turtle 3:01
Aurora Borealis 4:54
Snow Fox On Glacier Coast 2:09
Juneau 7:40
Moonscape 5:00
Into The Gymnasium 1:33
Bay City 3:01
Of Japan 1:02
In The Control Car 1:37
Wintermint 4:49
Ice Hand 1:18
Frigid Airport Lounge 3:20
The Albatross EP 1:02
Glider 6:00
Shell And Wing 2:17

WINDSOR AIRLIFT Albums (6 Episodes)

The Basement EP
1. Intro 1:42
2. See You Soon 3:27
3. Joyride 2:16
4. My Regards 3:18
5. Disaster 3:19
6. My Best Friend 2:28
7. Boat 2:17
8. Jason 4:13
9. First Semester’s Over 0:55

Moonfish Parachutist
1. Moonfish Parachutist 2:33
2. What, Pantamimist? 1:54
3. No One Tells Me Anything 4:30
4. My French Voice Teacher, Luvelle 2:50
5. To Paris! A Lovely Excursion 1:46
6. Grandeur - Interstate Parkway 6:10
7. Ruby Fjord, Runway Beck 2:33
8. Operatic, Glacial Kirovgrad 2:53
9. White Tarn Sonata in Blue 1:57
10. Love 3:33
11. Heroism: Hazel & Dandelion 2:07
12. This is Television 3:40
13. A Trio of Talking Books 2:26
14. Oceanic? Staten Island, Oh Darling! 4:13
15. I Haven’t Any Money 1:55
16. You here! Hull, King of Swans! 1:47

Qiu!
1. Give Me Your Motorcycle 3:26
2. The Number Of Insects Is Tremendous 3:34
3. She And I Swam Down The Staircase 25:02
4. The Trouble With Bugs 4:25
5. Wake Up Boss, You’re Bald 3:23
6. We Shan’t Be Snorkelling, We Shan’t We Shan’t 5:05
7. A Wolf Am I, A Wolf On A Mischief Bent 4:17

Selections For A Fallen Soldier, Vol. 2 com
1. Cities, Stars, And Planes 7:35
2. Waves Spent on Breathing 4:17
3. A Fatal Storyline 9:42
4. Buzz The Spaceship! 8:50
5. This Face Alone Unveils Shadow 8:09

We Rule! com
1. The Babemeister 3:50
2. Landscapes 4:43
3. Ocean City Park 4:01
4. One & This Face Alone Unveils Shadows 5:22
5. The Theme For Moonglow 4:15

The Forest Sings to Distant Shores com
1. Nice Job With The Tents, Sturgis 11.48
2. One 6:51
3. I Hate Texas Taxes 13:01
Windsor Episodes Ends.....................

The Perfect Theory
1. Without You Baby 4:59
2. Prom Night 4:20
3. Do You Want to Date Me 2:58
4. Waldorf + CSU = Love 4:14
5. Would you be my Valentine (LQ) 3:53
6. Waldorf Sweetheart 3:50
7. Fast Food Relationships 3:36

Swimming with Dolphins Albums
Ambient Blue
1. Silhouettes 6:17
2. Pajama Party 3:51
3. Sunset, 1989 3:25
4. Everything’s a Miracle 6:16
5. Up In The Stars 4:56

Water Colors
1. Holiday 3:59
2. Easy 3:37
3. Sleep To Dream 3:28
4. Diplomat 3:28
5. Watercolors 3:16
6. Jacques Cousteau 3:37
7 I Was a Lover 3:34
8. Captured 4:27
9. Hapiness 4:47
10 Good Times 3:53

Addition Songs
1. Fast Cars 4:39
2. Jacques Cousteau 3:54

OTHER SONGS / REMIX / SOLOS
Owl City An Enchantedf Future 4:24
Lights Saviour Remix By Adam Young 3:15
Owl City helicopter moon 1:01
Owl City halcyon 1:54
Owl City happy valentines day 5:02
Owl City My Hope is Found/ In Christ Alone 3:23
Something Corporate I Woke Up in a Car adam young remix 4:11
Armin Van Buuren Feat. Adam Young - Youtopia 4:10
Think Again Radio Mix Kate Havnevik --
Terminals Relient K 3:08
Satisfy Radio Mix Vedera 3:19

Breanne Duren- Daydreams (Adam Young Remix) Lyrics HD

― Newgod, Sunday, November 20, 2011 2:16 AM (1 minute ago)

got a ysi?