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
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