(November 12, 2009) -- “Fireflies,” “Strawberry Avalanche,” “Hello Seattle.” A few funky names, no? His song titles are what first caught my eye, and even now, I enjoy Owl City’s songs. Adam Young’s career began in the basement of his parent’s home in Owatonna, Minnesota. Whenever he had trouble falling asleep, he would go downstairs where he had several instruments and a computer. There, he made his own unique beats by blending in electronica with emo-pop. He would then add his own lyrics to a bubbly, upbeat rhythm, creating a sweet escape for listeners.

After Adam completed his first few songs, he uploaded them onto MySpace, where he quickly became a phenomenon. His fans grow in number by the day, but there’s still a group of anti-fans.

“[Owl City’s songs] make you happy, but I don’t like the guy’s voice,” junior Ryan Roach said. But for all the fans of Owl City, he has a few concerts coming up in North America. I personally was looking forward to attending his concert on Oct. 22 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, but to my disappointment, the tickets were completely sold out. One of the songs he sang at his concert and one of my favorite songs of his, “Hello Seattle,” actually earned him a contract with Universal Republic. His first official album, Ocean Eyes, was released this year in July.

All his songs are very soothing, and I can’t help but smile when listening to them. Just listening to the lyrics makes me laugh because sometimes they are so random and optimistic. This one-man band described in one word is…spellbinding. I’m listening to his songs as I’m writing this article, and I just can’t stop myself from singing along to his lyrics. I’m laughing as Adam’s singing, “You would not believe your eyes, if ten thousand fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep.” I could imagine this right now as his lyrics draw a visual in my mind, a very pleasant dream. His songs also don’t use any profanity in the lyrics. That’s what I love about Owl City: Adam adds a new twist to his songs while being very original.

“His songs are very pretty and unique because his lyrics aren’t cliché like many other songs,” junior Andrea Lau said. “And his songs give me a light, floaty feeling.”

Owl City stands out from the rest in so many different ways and it’s not a surprise that Owl City is quickly climbing the music charts. Every day the number of fans of Owl City is growing, and the reason was obvious to me when I first started listening to his songs.

“To ten million fireflies, I’m weird ‘cause I hate goodbyes.” Very random, but very lovable. No?

Link to Owl City's Website:

www.owlcitymusic.com/home.aspx