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It started out in a Minnesota bedroom, and now Owl City, a one-man project by Adam Young, is invading the pop singles chart. "Fireflies" is filled with whimsy from its lyrics about ten million fireflies to the sweetly simple melodies. It's difficult to listen to "Fireflies" without a smile creeping across your face.

Pros

• Playful synthesized electronic pop melodies

• Lyrics of fanciful play
• Uniqueness in the mainstream pop world

Cons

• Thin vocals

Description

• Written by Adam Young
• Produced by Adam Young
• Released July 2009 by Universal Republic

Guide Review - Owl City - "Fireflies"

From the first synthesizer blips that kick off "Fireflies," you feel yourself being taken off to a playful and fanciful musical world. It's no surprise then that the song's lyrics unveil thoughts about such unlikely top 40 songs topics as lightning bugs, dancing, and insomnia. Some may find the content a bit twee, but it could also be seen as a refreshing turn to elements of real life devoid of the intense drama of love and relationships.

The synthesized melodies gradually crescendo to a cathartic chorus giving the music some gravity just when it could drown in a sea of sugary sweetness. Recording effects help Adam Young add interest to vocals that otherwise could feel rather ordinary. The power in "Fireflies" is not simply in its whimsy. Creative musical arrangements distinguish Owl City from a crowd of solo musical projects.

The success of "Fireflies" demonstrates both the power and the vitality of social networking communities. Adam Young came to the attention of the pop music world through posting of his creations to MySpace. It is difficult to imagine discovering music like this in any other way, and the world of "10 million fireflies" is not one we would want to miss.