All Things Bright and Beautiful by Owl City - A Review

Owl City is Adam Young...and friends


      With great song writing and bright composing, the music fits together "beautifully." What I have always enjoyed about Owl Cit is that it is electronica without sounding repetitive and is from "real" instruments like the violin, cello, vibraphone, and hand claps as performed on various songs. The songs have high and low rhythms that dance with the words sung.
      All Things Bright and Beautiful poses such a happy and "bright" sound; however, the subject matter is kinda melancholy and sober like the song "Galaxies." This song is a tribute to the tragedy of the Challenger explosion. This album is one of those occasions when just listening to the radio singles is a real shame. The track before "Galaxies" is called "January 28, 1986," and features a clip of the Ronald Reagon's speech to honor the crew of the Challenger. Now with the the album being called All Things Bright and Beautiful, but  most of the subject matter is of a tragic nature, one wonders if there is a deeper meaning to this pairing of title and song. Can tragedy be beautiful? Can humans cling to the hope of a brighter day after the dark of a passing storm? The song "Alligator Sky" is about two guys leaving behind a apocalyptic Earth for a new life elsewhere. The song could be sad; however, here the leaving of Earth is shown in a prespective that is opitmistic and adventurous. Now one should not worry, there is one fun light romantic song on the album called "Honey and Bees." It is such sweet love song.
      Adam Young lives in Minnesota were it snows about 6 months of the year and only reaches 90 F about 5 times in the 3 months of the summer. Where during t winter months, one could go days without seeing the sun, and when you see the sun it is only between the hours of 8:30am till 4:30pm. So Adam to be able to create such  bright and beautiful art, this Michigander removes her mittens, and then gloves, and applauds you. Your music is like the sun on a cold January day.