Owl City
Owl City is an American music project. It consists of Adam Young, who describes himself and his standing in the background as a band " Owl City ". Young started in his parents' basement to make to music, which, according to his words was a result of his insomnia.
Young's influences are disco music, European electronic music and synth pop of the 1980s. After two independent albums without a label and a growing awareness by Owl City's MySpace profile, the band reached the mainstream and national popularity with their major label debut Ocean Eyes in America. The album is the number -one hit Fireflies, which was more successful than any Electronic / alternative tracks before. The album Ocean Eyes topped the U.S. electronic charts, and was among the top 10 of the official Billboard 200
- 4.1 Singles
- 4.2 Studio albums
- 4.3 EPs
- 4.4 Other Publications
- 4.5 Working Together
Band name
In an interview, Adam Young, the band's name originates from the fact that in the second class a classmate, whose family bred owl, an owl (English: owl ) brought in the social studies classes. As this this but got out of the cage, the bird freaked out and flew wildly, while the children ran screaming and laughing through the classroom. This image had impressed itself upon him, and was has always been an inspiration for the band name.
History
The beginnings (2007-2008)
Owl City was founded by coming from Owatonna, Minnesota Adam Young. Owl City increased its popularity through his MySpace profile, which received more than 8.6 million plays through songs like Hello Seattle.
Published in 2007, Owl City Of June EP and 2008 album Maybe I'm Dreaming. Of June reached # 20 and Maybe I'm Dreaming No. 16 on the Billboard Electronic Album Charts.
The first two albums to Young without the help of a record company. However, in early 2009, it was known by the music industry Web site Crazed Hits that Owl City has in the major label Universal Republic signed.
Ocean Eyes (2009)
The second album from Owl City was first released digitally on iTunes on 14 July 2009 and 28 July 2009 on CD. The album Ocean Eyes debuted at # 27 in the Billboard 200 and peaked in the first week of iTunes release second place in the category " Top Albums ". After two weeks, the album had reached over 2600 reviews with an average of 5/5 stars. Owl City also published in advance of the release of Ocean Eyes 4 singles, Hello Seattle, Hot Air Balloon, Strawberry Avalanche and Fireflies.
Young has created Ocean Eyes, with some exceptions entirely in-house. He has recorded almost all instruments and arranged, was a producer and engineer the album.
Young is accompanied by Breanne Duren in some songs; best heard in 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).
Also the singer of Relient K, Matt Thiessen, worked with Owl City on several songs together. Young produced the Relient K song terminals in return. Thiessen also announced that it was very likely that he and Young will produce a side project with the name ' Goodbye Dubai ' in the future.
The song Fireflies was released as a free download on the iPod / iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge 3. Prior to the iTunes release of Ocean Eyes on July 14 and the Fireflies Single Steve Hoover was hired as a director for the Fireflies music video. The video was released exclusively on MySpace, but found illegally hours earlier its way to the video portals ' Dailymotion ' and ' YouTube '. Fireflies became a surprise hit and rose to 1 November 2009, even up to square one.
Owl City contributed a song with the name Sunburn to the soundtrack of the television series 90210, which was published on 13 October 2009. In addition, the song The Technicolor Phase is included in the soundtrack of Almost Alice. Owl City was in November 2009 along with Cobra Starship on a tour of China and Japan. Owl City has toured with The Scene Aesthetic and Brooke Waggoner.
In early 2010 Fireflies was released in Europe. In the UK it was originally supposed to go on sale in mid-February; but after already made cover versions of the song of the year in the download charts high sales, the launch was brought forward at short notice and within two weeks took the song in the UK charts # 1 a.
On September 21, 2010 Owl City released the song "To the Sky". On 25 October 2010 is published on the blog of Owl City a cover of the song " In Christ Alone ". And on November 22, a Christmas single was released with the name " Peppermint Winter".
All Things Bright and Beautiful (2011)
The first official song of the new album, "Alligator Sky", was released on 12 April 2011 and the accompanying music video, celebrated on 6 May 2011 premiere.
His album All Things Bright and Beautiful was released on June 14, 2011 (June 10, 2011 in Germany ). On 23 May 2011 the third single " Deer In The Headlights " from the album " All Things Bright and Beautiful " was released as a download. On June 22, 2011 was the site online. The video for " Deer in the Headlights " had on 30 June 2011 premiere.
In June and July 2011 concerts took place in North America. In September and October, Owl City has toured Europe. It has given concerts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden. The German stations of the "All Things Bright and Beautiful World Tour" were in Munich, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg.
On August 30, 2011, a song by He Is We released entitled " All About Us", where Owl City participated as guest vocalist. Owl City also appeared on the song "The First Noel " by TobyMac as a guest singer who has appeared on October 4, 2011. On 28 November 2011, the music video appeared to " Youtopia " by Armin Van Buuren feat. Adam Young.
The Midsummer Station (2012 )
On January 2, 2012 Young said via his blog that in the summer / autumn 2012, his fourth studio album erscheint.Des He also said that he wants to work with several other artists.
On February 3, 2012, the first DVD released by Owl City in Germany. This DVD shows the concert in 2011 in Los Angeles.
In an interview with Billboard.com on February 28, 2012 Adam Young said he was finished with the new album to 80-85 percent. But he was not sure in what respect the song I Hope You Think of Me with would be on the plate. For the album he has collaborated with Dr.Luke, Stargate, JR Rotem, Brian Kennedy and Emily Wright.
For a charity event Adam Young published on 5 March 2012 a song with the name Here 's Hope. Has also sung the title of Jewel and Jay Sean.
With Mark Hoppus of Blink -182, Adam Young released the song Dementia ' on 17 April 2012. 4 May 2012 Adam wrote on Twitter that on May 15, 2012, an EP will be released, which contains four songs from the fourth studio album. The tracklist of the EP, he has to also disclosed. Among the four songs including the single Dementia is included.
On May 25, 2012, Adam Young announced on his Twitter account that the new album is called The Midsummer station and is available worldwide on August 14, 2012.
On the new album Schiller - Sun is a song (" Alive" ) that Adam Young has taken over the vowel. In addition, Adam Young released in March and in collaboration with the Malaysian singer Yuna, the theme song to the film The Croods: "Shine your way ."
Influences
Young mentions, among other things, Imogen Heap, Relient K, Boards of Canada, The Album Leaf and Armin van Buuren as influential for his style. This has also been influenced by the New Wave of the 1980s, but he does not mention any particular band of that time as an example.
Owl City is very often compared to the band The Postal Service and sometimes with Ben Gibbards main band Death Cab for Cutie. The comparisons grounded in the similarity of the voices of Gibbard and Young, in her influenced by the 1980s electro-pop and the use of female guest singers in some of their songs.
Owl City is also compared with the artist Lights, with their songs Drive My Soul and February Air Canada was announced in 2008. Both went together on a European tour in early 2010.
Discography
Singles
- Hot Air Balloon (2009)
- Strawberry Avalanche ( 2009)
- Vanilla Twilight (2009)
- Fireflies (2009)
- Umbrella Beach ( 2010)
- Peppermint Winter ( 2010)
- Alligator Sky ( 2011)
- Galaxies (2011)
- Deer in the Headlights (2011)
- Lonely Lullaby (2011)
- Dreams Do not Turn to Dust (2011)
- Shooting Star (2012 )
- Good Time ( Carly Rae Jepsen & Owl City, 2012)
- When can I see you again? (2012)
- Gold ( 2013)
- Shine your way (feat. Yuna, 2013)
Studio albums
- Maybe I'm Dreaming ( 2008)
- Ocean Eyes (2009)
- All Things Bright and Beautiful (2011)
- The Midsummer Station (2012 )
EPs
- Of June (2007)
- Shooting Star (2012 )
Other Publications
- Sunburn ( From Ocean Eyes [Deluxe Version] as a soundtrack for the TV series 90210 )
- The Technicolor Phase ( from Maybe I'm Dreaming for the Almost Alice Soundtrack)
- To the Sky ( Written for the film " Legend of the Guardians " )
- Peppermint Winter
- Enchanted ( Answer / Cover of ' Enchanted ' by Taylor Swift)
- Beautiful Mystery ( Demo)
- Paper Tigers ( Demo)
- Sleepwalker ( Demo)
Work together
- Middle Distance Runner ( Chicane feat. Adam Young)
- Youtopia ( Armin Van Buuren feat. Adam Young)
- The First Noel ( TobyMac feat. Owl City )
- Eternity (Paul van Dyk feat. Adam Young)
- Alive ( Schiller feat. Adam Young)