WASHINGTON, November, 21, 2011 —Electro-pop bands tend to originate in isolated areas. At least it seems that way. The inherent nature of the music lends itself to isolation usually being the product of a sole creator, a single person or possibly a small collective, but never something that resembles a defined band.
Which makes sense since the sound in general relies heavily a mixture of synthesizer and sampling.
For all intents and purposes Adam Young, who hails from Owatonna, Minnesota, is Owl City. There are a few guest artists on his new album All Things Bright and Beautiful, but everything flows through the mind of Young.
It’s always a bit odd to see essentially a solo project take the form of a band, but that’s more so the artist can identify different projects as separate entities. Although during his set at the 9:30 Club, Young did everything in his power to make it not seem like a solo project.
On his most recent album, and all his previous albums, there’s a strong electronic current throughout each of the songs. It’s subtle and doesn’t overwhelm the listener. Even when he uses more traditional instruments, the production still gives the song an electronic gloss. No matter what though, Owl City never feels like the work of a collective, it is definitely the vision of Young.
This makes his live show something of a more interesting and somewhat confusing affair than it probably should be.
At first glance, aside from a large fan base, the 9:30 Club doesn’t seem like the ideal place for Young to put his musical abilities on display. His music tends to take on more of an upbeat club vibe. It seems best suited for a smaller, intimate atmosphere than the relative wide open space the 9:30 Club provides. With exception of maybe a few supporting vocals, it’s easy to envision Young trotting out by himself, accompanied by only a synthesizer and keyboard, while performing Owl City songs.
So it was a little curious to see a rather large and diverse band when Owl City’s set started. This seems to betray the inherent mission statement Young has developed here. Owl City has always felt like a string of personal moments for Young. The songs are never overwhelming in terms of sound or lyrical content, but with a larger band they feel bigger than usual. The emotional resonance is always intimate and doesn’t seem to lend itself much to a band designed to create this larger sound.
Still, certain concessions have to be made when deal with an audience the size of one that would sell out the 9:30 Club. To have the quiet, understated and somewhat insular sound of Owl City’s albums play in a venue that size might seem a bit underwhelming, especially considering the crowd. So it’s understandable why it might feel necessary to incorporate a bigger sound.
Young manages to hit all the notes because he’s moving away from the more intimate sound he’s known for, the tone feels a bit off. It feels like he’s slightly betraying the template he created with Owl City to accommodate his surroundings rather than making them work for him.
The eagerness to please attitude is just an extension of Young and Owl City. He is genuinely excited to be in the position he’s currently in. This attitude would win over even the most jaded crowd. Young creates an inviting sound at the 9:30 Club, although maybe not one everyone would associate with him.
Stephen Bradley is an avid music listener. Read more of his work in Riffs at the Washington Times Communities.
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