Musical Obsession-Adam Young

He goes by many names: Port Blue, Swimming With Dolphins, Sky Sailing, but you most likely know him as Owl City. 

I know what you're already thinking, why that guy? He's only had like, two top ten hits, three top ten albums, and he's just a rip-off of The Postal Service. Well, all of those might be true, but still, I can't help but fall into an epic man crush whenever I hear his music. Call me a softy, everyone has at one point or another, but there's something about this reclusive guy that makes him so alluring. At least to me. Here, let me break it down for you.

So I'll start off with his personality. Quirky is a good term to use, as well as off-beat, interesting, weird...so...he's kind of just like me!! In several interviews he's discussed his past of being bullied and ostracized from his peers when he was younger...kind of just like me!! And he's also so detailed in his words, however strange they may be, and even if his stream-of-conscious thoughts don't make sense, his coy demeanor makes it charming...so...he's kind of just like me!! I use 'kind of' a lot because there are a few differences in our personalities, mainly he has Asperger's and I don't (although I have been examined for it many times), and his weirdness is intentional, built-in to his persona, I'm not naturally all that complex, I just can't pronounce my thoughts well, it's like they get lost in the raging sea that is my brain. But anyway, I can relate whole-heartedly to his struggles of fitting in with society, us off-beats just don't cut it sometimes. I happen to think that he's hilarious, and every word that comes out of his mouth is amazing, like a poet in a way.

Hey, I did say that I have an epic guy crush on him, but to be fair, I also think about Michelle Branch in the same way (but I'll save her for another day *wink wink*).

So besides his perfect personality, I also think that he channels it into some pretty awesome songs. When I first heard "Fireflies", I was blown away, it's like he knew how to take me to another world, one that's not riddled with hardships and disease. He combined electronic music with a pop/rock sound, added a vibraphone for good measure, and created what's still one of the most significant records to ever hit number one. He has never equaled that song, but he has created songs that come pretty damn close. Like "On The Wing", which I did a post on earlier; it's so great it makes me leap for joy whenever I hear it. And all of the songs 
on "Maybe I'm Dreaming" are excellent, astounding. "Air Traffic", for example, has harmonies that make my heart soar, while "This Is The Future" rings so true with my life, that whenever I listen to it I can't help but shed a tear or to. It's like he gets me, like he created this music knowing that I would one day listen to it. At least his earlier work suggests this. Sky Sailing's album "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed" has the awesome "Sailboats", which has to be one of the best arrangements in a song I've ever heard in my entire life. No matter what song he does, Adam always provides a simple, catchy melody supported by lush harmonies and intricate backdrops of sound, whether it be acoustic or electronic. I'm sad that his newer stuff is starting to suck so bad, but that still doesn't make me like him any less than I do. 


Now just to address this quickly, I do realize that Owl City has a resemblance to The Postal Service, but that is in no way an excuse to write him off. Adam is so sweet and innocent, I highly doubt he's intentionally ripping them off, but even so, The Postal Service is its own project, and Adam Young is his own man, so why don't we cool it with the hate comparisons, alright? 

Anyway, it's still my dying wish to meet this wonderful guy. He's just so relatable, down to earth, talented, and soothing that I can't help but obsess over him day and night, because you know...he's kind of just like me!!! He's almost as good as Kelly Clarkson...but only almost ;)

ADAM YOUNG FOR LIFE.
OMG.
I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT.
ok I'm good now.

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Sky Sailing-"An Airplane Carried Me to Bed" Review

Adam Young has already made a name for himself through his synth-pop project Owl City, coming to prominence in mid-2009. However, unless you're an avid MySpace user, there was no way to know that he had in fact been creating music since 2004 under many different monikers such as Port Blue, Swimming With Dolphins, Seagull Orchestra, and the only project to ever put out a full-length, Sky Sailing. This is no accident: if Owl City is an updated version of The Postal Service, then Sky Sailing is a redux of Death Cab for Cutie. "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed" certainly recalls their earlier work --ironically, their debut album "Something About Airplanes"-- as the lyrics are spread over the guitar-driven tracks like syrup and pianos add glimmers of shy, dreamy effects. This is not to say that Sky Sailing is a complete departure from Young's work as Owl City, if anything, these projects are essentially identical. Sky Sailing turns Owl City inside out, putting the acoustics at the forefront while retaining the disjunct lyrics and emo-pop melodies. The opening track "Captains of the Sky" is a perfect example of this set-up, beginning with a heavy guitar-stroke and complete with electric-piano solos. Elsewhere, the excellent closing track "Sailboats" brings in absurd comparisons ("sailboats wish that they were stars") and an Audrey Hepburn reference for good measure, all while being backed up by hushed piano passages that bring to mind "This is the Future" from Owl City's "Maybe I'm Dreaming". Both that album and "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed" are built upon the same blueprint, with numerous odes to love. But "An Airplane" is much more effective than "Maybe I'm Dreaming", not only because its acoustic sound is more open and lets the songs take root and grow, this is the most personal that Adam Young has been in his music, ever. He mentions an ex-girlfriend by name ("Brielle"), and recalls a passionate past love ("I Live Alone") with details that could just be his imagination at work, but it's hard to tell with his vocals pushing the emotion forward and driving the melody. This record is pretty straightforward with its intent, but it does give Adam Young further complexity as an individual, bringing to mind a humanity not at all felt in Owl City's work. His artistic abilities peak in "Maybe I'm Dreaming", but there's enough hooky songs here to make this record his most genuine.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Captains of the Sky       2. Brielle                   3. Steady As She Goes
4. Explorers    5. A Little Opera Goes a Long Way       6. Tennis Elbow
7. Blue and Red                     8. Alaska                     9. I Live Alone
10. Take Me Somewhere nice 11. Sailboats

ONE WHOLE YEAR!!

On November 12, 2012, I decided to finally implement a plan I've had for awhile, which was to create a site that celebrated, dissected, and critiqued music. I actually tried a website first, but those things cost money, which I don't have, since I'm in college...and we're a broke bunch. A blog was free and it didn't have to be perfect, this is all from my mind and unfiltered. I can't believe I've been maintaining this blog for over a year, it hasn't been easy, but I'm still so excited to check back in and see what ya'll are saying. I'm closing in on 8300 views, less than two-grand from my 2013 goal of 10,000! But before I go forward, let's take a look back and see how the year's gone by:

Let's start with some stats!
These are my top five most viewed posts:
Funny Quotes From "Pitch Perfect" (101 views)
Miley Cyrus-"Can't Be Tamed" Review (77 views)
Christina Aguilera-"Stripped" Review (75 views)
Billboard Chart Review-4/25/13 (74 views)
Billboard Chart Review-4/11/13 (74 views)

Most Active Month: January 2013 (48 posts)
Least Active Month: September 2013 (8 posts)

First Post Ever: Christina Aguilera-"Lotus Review" (16 views)

Favorite Event: The MaestroBlog Awards! (50 responses)

Favorite Type of Post: Album Reviews!

Posts Abandoned: Billboard Chart Review, Music News, Playlist Mondays

Posts I Wish I Could Do More Of: Song of the Day, Artist You Should Know

Post I Promised But Never Did: Musical Obsession (it's coming, don't worry)

Some General Things:
Overall Satisfaction? Mmmm, about 92%, I'm still working the kinks out

Do I Regret Anything? Nope

And How About That Lady Gaga? Still love her, sorry! :P

Please forgive me, I couldn't really think of one type of event or post to specifically celebrate MaestroBlog's one year anniversary, maybe the next year. But all in all, it's been quite a good year for me and this blog, I've gotten much support and am gaining knowledge that will help me with my future plans. Just a quick update on me: I'm now a sophomore at UW-Eau Claire, I'm majoring in Music Liberal Arts and Minoring in Journalism. Captain Obvious says: I would like to become a music journalist!

Before I wrap things up, what's to come for the rest of 2013?

• In Defense Of
• Musical Obsession
• Musical Dissection
• Song of the Day
• The Top 25 Albums of 2013
• The Top 40 Songs of 2013
• The 2nd Annual MaestroBlog Awards!!!!

Be excited, be VERY excited!! And as always, thanks for reading my verbal diarrhea, and for believing in my weird-self! Let's hope for another fantastical-tabulous year! (Yeah I'm a bit camp, so what??!!).

Lady Gaga-"ARTPOP" Review

It's hard to call "Born This Way" a stumble, but its straightforward messages of individuality and political asylum paled in comparison to the effervescent, carefree pop culture collage of "The Fame" and "The Fame Monster". It was ultimately reduced to be an artifact of its time, rather than a piece of art that transcended. Even from a commercial standpoint, "Born This Way" didn't exactly follow through in burning up the charts --it sold less than half of what her Grammy-winning debut did, spawned a couple hits, and left the face of the earth by early 2012. By the time "Marry The Night" failed to make headway, little monsters were already starving for new music, they wanted Gaga to return to the simple, uncomplicated songs of dancing and fashion, to once again consume music that celebrated their lives. The two year wait between that record and "ARTPOP" seemed like an eternity compared to the seemingly small three-years between "Born This Way" and its predecessor. Obviously, some change of pace was needed, but Gaga wasn't quick to abandon what made her a star in the first place. If anything, "ARTPOP" is her record that retreads back to fashion and pop culture, to further expand on "The Fame" but without replicating it. She achieves this in a couple key ways, the most notable was giving up the bid to recontextualize Madonna's 80s-persona for a post-modern era. Instead, Gaga creates a sound that straight 2013, in the thick of EDM, where all sounds are synthesized rather than man made. She's always been a dance artist, so while this sound is familiar enough for her to reshape it, she doesn't necessarily make any progressive statements here. The clash of hard synth and heavy piano in "Dope" may come as a surprise, and the pulsating hip-hop grooves of "Jewels N' Drugs" are certainly new, but the rest of "ARTPOP" is not unfamiliar. This is exactly where Gaga should have taken her music after "Born This Way".

It may sound disappointing to hear that this record is not the earth-shattering phenomenon it was so carefully structured as, but it still does play as something rather different. "ARTPOP" is filled with absurd lyrical asides and stream-of-consciousness, this is what gives it a distinctly modern flavor, but none of it would make any sense if the music didn't support it. Lady Gaga is hardly incompetent, even at her worst --no matter how hard it tries, "MANiCURE" is not an enjoyable segue from one artist assisted track to another ("Jewels N' Drugs" to the solid R. Kelly R&B-pop "Do What U Want")-- she is able to push the hook and emphasize rhythm, combining both elements into something reluctantly irresistable. This, along with the fusion of dense synths, the placid vocals and a pan-global approach, turns "ARTPOP" into a 15-song set that's widely accessible yet hermetically sealed, sounding as neither part of the underground nor the mainstream. This is music designed for numerous plays, as it's intricate enough to define a persona for Lady Gaga, yet faceless enough to be heard in movie soundtracks, airports, and malls. "ARTPOP" recaptures the joy of "The Fame" yet retains the deep architecture of "Born This Way", offering a credible expansion of both records while sharpening Gaga's strengths as a songwriter and vocalist. This was missing on her last record, so it's a delightful return to form. Yes, this record was supposed to be more than just entertainment, but that's hardly an excuse to dismiss it, not with the heavy arsenal of songs that are more hooky, stylish, and durable than Gaga has been in recent years. "Aura" opens the album with a rush of sound and a set of disjunct lyrics, "G.U.Y." and "Sexxx Dreams" offer a much needed sense of humor, there's the title track which glides on a retro-beat and a simplistic, catchy hook. Then, of course, we have lead single "Applause", which might be formless on its own, but it offers a superb end to this kaleidescope of fashion and art. That's the greatest strength of this record, in the fact that it is a cohesive, entertaining set of songs from start to finish. There are stumbles, but they're interestingly recorded and fascinatingly written. No song here will retain its musical integrity without the others around it, turning "ARTPOP" into the fashionable entity Gaga wanted it to be. It's better executed on "The Fame", but it's still the most fun you'll have listening to a record this year.

 

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Aura                       2. Venus                    3. GUY

4. Sexxx Dreams    5. Jewels N’ Drugs     6. MANiCURE

7. Do What U Want8. ARTPOP                 9. Swine

10. Donatella              11. Fashion!                12. Mary Jane Holland

13. Dope                      14. Gypsy                   15. Applause

Avril Lavigne-"Avril Lavigne" Review

It didn't deserve it one bit, but "Goodbye Lullaby", Avril Lavigne's phenomenal 2011 record dedicated to her split from Deryck Whibley, was a flop, selling a bismal fraction of her preceeding albums and spawned only one mild hit. It could've come down to the fact that she waited four years to deliver that album, but the scene didn't change so drastically to the point of rejecting an Avril comeback. Maybe it was the mellow, heavily acoustic-driven sound that scared off potential consumers, or maybe it was all just a matter of timing. Whatever the reason, "Goodbye Lullaby" just didn't click with the critics or the public. A stumble like this naturally would've sent an artist back to the drawing board, but Avril Lavigne is still a brat at heart, unwilling to let anything trump her spirit. That disappointment seemingly fueled her desire to keep fighting the clock, to maintain the irresistable spunk that broke barriers back in 2002. She doesn't ditch the softer sounds of "Lullaby" altogether, not in the excellent "Hush Hush" or the pretty-good break-up ballad "Let Me Go", which ironically features new husband Chad Kroeger, but she does sharpen her hooks in the livelier songs, such as the fist-pumping "Rock N Roll" or the embarrassingly fun "Here's to Never Growing Up". And it's no surprise hearing Avril in a better mood than she was two years ago --a rebound marriage will have that effect-- but what is surprising is how cohesive "Avril Lavigne" really is. As it bounces back between bratty anthems and sweeping ballads, it can feel pretty languid, and things get pretty weird by the Marilyn Manson assisted "Bad Girl" (which as as filthy as it reads, and as it very well should be). But pacing issues aside, there's not much to dislike about this record. Each song is worth a listen, and Avril Lavigne can still wring emotion out of every given note and solidify the hooks that are nevertheless there. It's actually quite nice to see Avril break from tradition --since this is her fifth record, one would normally expect a waiting period of five years (one more year than the gap between "Goodbye Lullaby" and this), and a collection of hollow bubblegum-punk. Since she split the difference between adult and brat, she's widened her cross-cultural appeal, winning over new, younger fans, while maintaining the interest of her core audience of young adults and those who have just entered the lame realities of a grown-up world. "Avril Lavigne" finds her in full control of her artistic abilities, and it would've been perfect had it been able to churn out a pair of anthems like "I'm With You", "Complicated" or "Girlfriend". Overall, the impression is that regardless of whether or not this record will be a bigger success than "Goodbye Lullaby", it's still one of her best works to date, and it's further proof that the skater-punk we all fell in love with a decade ago is still here rumble.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Rock N Roll         2. Here’s to Never Growing Up 3. 17
4. Bitchin’ Summer   5. Let Me Go            6. Give You What You Like
7. Bad Girl                8. Hello Kitty              9. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
10. Sippin’ on Sunshine         11. Hello Heartache               12. Falling Fast
13. Hush Hush

MaestroBlog Update

Before I start, I will let you know that I intentionally did not update this blog on October 31st. I was really tired and decided to do it on November 1st. Well that didn't work out, seeing as how I've been on an Orchestra tour for the past three days and was swamped with a music history project. All in a day's work, but still, I'm sorry I couldn't get to this sooner.
I'm still able to pull up the numbers from October, so don't worry about that! So during October, MaestroBlog pulled in 798 views, bringing the grand total to 8137 views. The views-per-post average is now 34.5, up 1.6 from last month. I had 12 posts in October, so it's understandable to see an increase in both areas. And now I'm less than 2000 views away from my end of the year goal!!

So, I can tell that November is going to be an informative kind of month. Musical dissections, song of the day, In defense of, all that good stuff will be coming back, as well as reviews of the most anticipated albums of the year (ARTPOP!!!!). And the 1-year anniversary will be on November 12, which just so happens to be my sister's birthday! I hope I think of something really awesome to do, because right now I've got pretty much nothin.

But anyway, I hope you keep enjoying my blog, I know the last three months have been heavy on album reviews, so I promise to switch it up for the end of 2013! And as always, thanks for reading, here's to another great month!