The Musical Genius of Adam Young
By Jacob Carr
Rarely in the history of music have we found artists who have effectively created their own sound. We have some artists that define their generations, Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley come to mind. Some artists span and create an entire genre of music, like the Rolling Stones or the Sugarhill Gang. Yet it is much less seen to change the landscape of music in its entirety, changing what’s possible with an instrument and a vision. One of these few who can claim they changed music forever, is singer/songwriter Adam Young.
Electronica as a genre was in existence, but in the era and year Adam debuted in, 2006, was largely ruled by punk-rock and boy bands, with some artists that held different roles; Britney Spears was incredibly popular for being the opposite of a boy band. Young’s music was a breath of fresh air, with creative lyrics planting a seedling of dreamy worlds paired with an electric sound locally made with a keyboard and synthesiser in the aforementioned basement. Certain songs would use sounds sourced from household objects; he would crash an empty glass jar, record it, toy with its pitching, and fit it in his songs. This is only one example, but he was innovative and ahead of his time with his suite of everyday items utilized in his music.
Since Young’s musical career began, he’s composed and released music under multiple different names. Port Blue was his first project, this music being instrumental and calming; Owl City, his main project, known for songs like ‘Fireflies’ being a synth-pop sound; and Sky Sailing, an acoustic themed music for his fans. His long and varied music projects span over 15 years, ranging from small instrumental EPs to full scale albums of incredibly high quality. His career began sometime in 2006, under the name Port Blue. Before Owl City became mainstream following the release of the album Ocean Eyes, Adam was suffering from insomnia while working at a Coca-Cola factory. Young would compose melodies and sounds in his head, then record his ideas in his parents basement. Adam would make instrumentals, with the intention of “creating a soundtrack for his dreams.” His first album, done under Port Blue and titled ‘Arctic’, never saw an official release, but can be found online with a simple search. His first official release under Port Blue was ‘The Albatross’, followed a year after by ‘The Airship’. Around this same time, he also produced an EP (short for extended play, this term was first used as one of the three categories to separate vinyl records and CDs; a single was only one song, an extended play was 4 or 5 songs typically, and an long play, or LP, was a full album) for a separate project, ‘Swimming With Dolphins,’ titled Ambient Blue.
Young would eventually devote his focus to Owl City music, which he would post to MySpace (a popular social media platform relevant before Facebook or Instagram). Gaining unexpected traction, he would go on to release his first project under Owl City, Of June in 2007, followed one year later by Maybe I’m Dreaming. While these two did quite well, considering the independent releases, they wouldn’t quite compare sales-wise to the success he found when releasing his second full album, Ocean Eyes. Headlined by the chart-topping six-time platinum single Fireflies, Ocean Eyes would go on to sell over 1 million units, top the iTunes charts, and be Young’s biggest success so far and yet after.
In 2010, Adam introduced Sky Sailing with the release of An Airplane Carried Me To Bed. Instead of the electronic style he became established for, he largely used acoustic guitar and piano to make this album. His side project work is less known than his magnum opus Owl City, but is just as substantial, or more so, than his most known music.
His next few albums, releasing in 2011 (All Things Bright and Beautiful), 2012 (The Midsummer Station), 2015 (Mobile Orchestra), and 2018 (Cinematic), were less heralded, but just as well done as his most known releases. Around this time, Young started toying with his style; he had always been known for dreaming up illustrious landscapes with electric tunes to boot. In 2016, after the release of Mobile Orchestra, Adam announced he would be taking a break from Owl City to make instrumental music full time, produced simply under his own name. He would release 11 scores, all imagined as soundtracks relatable to a real life setting. He composes music around the first ascent of Mount Everest, the Apollo 11 mission, Omaha Beach, the voyage of the Titanic, among multiple other scenes. For Young, instrumental music held a certain magic for him; it whisked him back to a simple time of simply making music for enjoyment, while also bringing him into a place where he can lose himself in the music.
His instrument skills further enhanced his music; he plays guitar, drums, keyboard, and piano exquisitely, along with usage of the synthesiser I’ve never seen, before or after Young. It’s never overdone in his music; perfectly is autotune used to pitch Adams’ voice to his liking, just the same as a electric jingle used for the main sound of a song. It's all brilliantly designed, crafted with love and pure joy; you can feel the unadulterated fun Adam Young has when he composes all of his music, regardless of genre or sound. Another small, yet important fact is his music doesn’t sound different live; take his 2011 Live From LA concert. He plays songs from Ocean Eyes and All Things Bright and Beautiful and they sound absolutely wonderful, and not only are they wonderful, they sound just about the same. However, being played live in front of an audience with little autotune gives the music a certain sound; hearing the audience cheer after any of his songs, the seamless transition from ‘Swimming in Miami’ to ‘Umbrella Beach’, hearing him consistently compliment the LA audience after every song is just such an endearing experience. Even 10 years after the concert took place, you can feel the energy of the audience and the pure joy Adam is showing as he performs.
Before I found Adam’s music, I had gone through quite a few musical phases. I listened to everything my parents played in the car, before eventually exploring my own musical taste. One day, I decided to play Ocean Eyes while playing a game, and I was formally introduced to the absolute treasure of music he’s composed within his musical career. I knew he was good, but I never knew just how fantastic his music was. I would eventually listen to everything he’s ever released, across all of his projects. I couldn’t comprehend the sheer number of sounds I was experiencing across all of his art, the beauty of his keyboard or guitar perfectly matched with his voice that sounds just as lovely as the whole creation. And this is why I say Adam Young is a musical genius; his undisputed impact on the indie-music scene, electronica, and creation of music as a whole forever changed how music could sound. His music broke stereotypes of the indie genre (generally being lesser quality) and electronica (being energetic pick-me-up music, similar to house music or EDM), while also inventing his own sound, which I simply call Owl City music. There’s certain trademarks, but across multiple artists and ideas, one thing will be a constant; there’s a certain level of personality embedded in the sounds, a level of creativity, embellishment. But most of all, there’s a true sense of love within the music. And that’s what sets Adam Young and his sound apart from the rest of music.
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