Talk:Owl City/Archive 1

Edit protection
I want to hopefully redo this entire wikipedia page with the most correct information about Owl City possible. If it is possible, can you keep the page locked so no further disputes will occur, but I can still keep the page updated? Thanks for your time.

What I would like to do is add a complete biography, discography, and more. All sourced and credited of course.

Some information should be added about Swimming with Dolphins. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.243.151.27 (talk) 17:53, 24 November 2009 (UTC) About Swimming With Dolphins, he actually produced a couple of those songs, as well as sing in them. Everything's A Miracle and Silhouettes are the two favourites, and he sung in both of those. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TeRRa4 (talk • contribs) 20:34, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Icecreamfreeze (talk) 08:11, 7 July 2009 (UTC)
 * What you can do:
 * Write the article in your user area, e.g. at User:Icecreamfreeze/Owl City, making sure it satisfies the concerns of the two deletion discussions:
 * Articles for deletion/Owl City
 * Articles for deletion/Owl City (2nd nomination)
 * Open a deletion review, linking to your article and explaining why it is suitable for inclusion.
 * &mdash; Martin (MSGJ · talk) 11:34, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

LittleWick58 18:00, 9 August 2009 (CST)
 * I have added the Adam Young Discography. The information included is from the actual discs, the various MySpace pages, virb.com and personal conversations and experience.  We live just down the road from Adam and have been following his various projects since late 2006.  I hope I didn't make any mistakes by doing the editing the way I did but after a couple of hours of trying to work my way through the instructions I took a path that seemed to work.  Please lt me know if there is more information or editing required.

LittleWick58 (talk) 00:22, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

I like how the complete discographies of all his bands are listed. However, the list is a bit confusing for first-time readers. Is there anything we could do about that? Appreciate your hard work! Wikiisawesome (talk) 21:54, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Rename to "Adam Young"?
Seeing as this page doesn't only include info on Owl City, adding a little more information about Adam Young and his other projects and renaming the page seems like a good idea. Or, create a new page specifically about Owl City? Musicguyguy (talk) 23:55, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Leave it like it is. For an example similar to this, please check out Iron & Wine. 「ɠu¹ɖяy」 ¤ • ¢ 23:58, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

Sorry if I'm confusing things with this blurb- but I'd just like to note that Owl City is NOT Port Blue, but a separate project altogether. Port Blue should not be redirected to the Owl City page. I didn't know where else to make this known. Sorry if its bad placement. 72.23.224.17 (talk) 17:10, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

Voice types?
I saw the voice type has been listed as a tenor, that doesnt sound right, can someone please check. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.180.84.62 (talk) 20:24, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

He's a tenor. I can sing "Hello Seattle" in a bass voice ("He-llo Se-" using F2-Bb2-D3) and he sings an octave above me. Musicguyguy (talk) 03:08, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

he's definetely a tenor. the only change that you could possibly make would be to call him a counter-tenor, but he doesn't quite sing that high. Saksjn (talk) 17:13, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

Style?
(from on his MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/owlcity) That's in the Musical style section... is that relevant to what is being talked about, or a source? 131.151.26.13 (talk) 20:10, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

I think that synthpop is not an accurate description of Owl City's sound. Synthpop has a certain 80s influence - akin to Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.46.173.206 (talk) 22:27, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

The problem is that the style of his music ranges so much that it is difficult to choose one "Style Name" Some of his music has been referred to as electopop, synthpop, and many others. Some people even go as far to say some of it is indietronica. It would be difficult to specify exactly what his genre is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.70.30.132 (talk) 03:26, 17 June 2011 (UTC)

Owl City and AutoTune?
I've read a lot of comments on YouTube about how Adam Young uses AutoTune. Perhaps with a verifiable source this can be put on the page? Musicguyguy (talk) 03:11, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Autotune is absolutely worth mentioning. Personally I find his relentless use of autotune to be an irritating crutch that highlights his limited vocal and melodic style. Maybe there's a less grumpy way to say that though. 74.106.69.230 (talk) 07:52, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

There's some good information (facts, quotes, etc) in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/arts/music/21owl.html - if anybody is interested in improving this article Kevin chen2003 (talk) 04:07, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Oh, yeah, and some guy on a forum says it is not Auto-Tune.
 * "actually, it is NOT auto tune.
 * It is a very similar plug-in, but it's called Celemony Melodyne.
 * I use it myself. It is very similar to auto-tune, but with ALOT more controlling options.
 * and yes, i am %100 sure that it is in fact Melodyne.
 * But yeah..... a lot of compression haha."

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=244509 Can anyone find some more sources? Kevin chen2003 (talk) 04:14, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Frankly, I would actually refer to other pages to see how this topic has been handled within those pages. I know some artists such as T-Pain have relied on Auto Tuning a lot, though I haven't taken the time to check to see how that has played out on that page. I don't see any harm of adding in this type of information though. U21980 (talk) 01:33, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

I found an interview in which he states he uses [Antares] Auto-Tune, not Melodyne. It doesn't really matter that much though, they're the two industry standard pitch correction systems. Source: http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/qa-owl-city-reveals-live-and-studio-setup-i-use-auto-tune-238845/3 --88.159.114.64 (talk) 16:07, 17 March 2012 (UTC)


 * You should add it to the article then. --Walter Görlitz (talk) 03:56, 18 March 2012 (UTC)


 * He uses both Antares and Melodyne. -- andy4789 ★  ·  (talk?   contribs?)  10:43, 18 March 2012 (UTC)

Huh?
"The fastest selling electronic/alternative song ever". Really? What does that even mean? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.196.192.7 (talk) 16:43, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Seconded, needs much more clarification. Also, somewhere in the article, it says that Owl City and Lights follow each other on Twitter. Most of that section seems to need revision, too much irrelevant information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.205.229.73 (talk) 15:17, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Ocean Eyes
Ocean Eyes is the 2009 sophomore album from Owl City, a project consisting of synthpop artist Adam Young. The album features guest vocals by Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen on the number one single "Fireflies", "Cave In", "The Bird and the Worm" and "Tidal Wave." It was released on July 14, 2009, to iTunes, and on September 1, 2009 to stores with a photograph of the Burj Al Arab as its album artwork. On July 14, 2009, the song "Fireflies" was chosen as the Single of the Week by the iTunes music store. This led to a huge success as the song was downloaded over 650,000 times and helped the album reach #2 on the US store. This success also led to the record company pushing back the release date of the physical copy of the album to July 28, 2009 from September 1, 2009.[2] The album sold approximately 18,000 copies digitally in its debut week. The album has since sold over 180,000 copies worldwide and reached the top ten in the US peaking at #8 the same week its lead single "Fireflies" topped the Hot 100.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Adam Young, except where noted. 1.	"Cave In" (featuring Matthew Thiessen)	 	4:02 2.	"The Bird and The Worm" (featuring Matthew Thiessen)	Young, Matthew Thiessen	3:27 3.	"Hello Seattle" 	 	2:47 4.	"Umbrella Beach" 	 	3:50 5.	"The Saltwater Room" (featuring Breanne Duren)	 	4:02 6.	"Dental Care" 	 	3:11 7.	"Meteor Shower" 	 	2:14 8.	"On the Wing" 	 	5:04 9.	"Fireflies" (featuring Matthew Thiessen)	 	3:48 10.	"The Tip of the Iceberg" 	 	3:22 11.	"Vanilla Twilight" 	 	3:51 12.	"Tidal Wave" (featuring Matthew Thiessen)	Young, Thiessen	3:10 iTunes Bonus tracks 13.	"Hello Seattle (Remix)" 	5:53 14.	"If My Heart Was a House" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.188.225.27 (talk) 01:00, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
 * 1) 	Title	Writer(s)	Length
 * 1) 	Title	Length

Unproven categories
Owl City is placed under some vegetarian, Christian and "bedroom musician" (??) categories, although the article text does not claim he is any of those, let alone provide any supporting references. These categories should be removed unless some proof is provided. 65.95.171.151 (talk) 04:20, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Took out the categories for which there was no mention in the article. The categories can be added back if WP:RS can be cited and supporting text added. Dl2000 (talk) 04:26, 27 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Liner notes for Ocean Eyes say "All praise & glory to Jesus Christ, to whom I owe everything." His music may not be Christian rock, but he is definitely a Christian musician. 169.231.38.39 (talk) 08:33, 30 November 2009 (UTC)

Postal Service rip-off
Re this edit, note that a number of publications have accused Owl City of "ripping off" The Postal Service, referenced. I also added that Owl City denies the claims, referenced. It is, per WP:NPOV, a "significant [view] that [has] been published by reliable sources," and by providing the other side of the argument, is presented quite fairly. How is this not NPOV? Perhaps the wording could be changed (something like "with a number of publications going as far as claiming [...]"), but the point is still significant. -M.Nelson (talk) 06:45, 26 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I haven't got a chance to look at all the references, but the 4th one (in the article, 2nd one below, "Whooo's Owl City?" says "His home recordings are a charming takeoff -- OK, sometimes they sound like a blatant rip-off -- of the Postal Service." which is by no means an actual accusation of being a rip off, so someone needs to go through those references and delete those not appropriate, or rephrase based on what the references actually say and not what those who referenced them want them to say. Valethar (talk) 11:24, 31 December 2009 (UTC)


 * These comments are petty mud slinging from the those who don't like Owl City. The articles take a clear bias stand towards Owl city and easily sensual nit-picking criticism. These quotes are vague at best and should not be on Wikipedia. Yes, Postal Service and Owl City are the same style of music. That doesn't mean they ripped them off. So what does rip-off even mean and the articles aren't clear. If your talking about stylistically; everyone rips off someone in some forum. Postal Service didn't invent this genere of music they stole parts from people and maybe made a small bit original content. If your saying Adam Young sat by his CD player listening to Give Up then wrote his music. I personally I think there enough Adam Young style is enough to give him his own style. If no one gives me a good argument this needs to be changed but I can't. Radoodle -3:53 2/16/10 Radoodle (talk) 20:53, 16 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Like I said, it's a significant view that has been published by reliable sources (WP:NPOV). It doesn't matter what editors think; it matters what external sources say. Each of the references does refer to Owl City ripping off Postal Service (in more gentle or harsh terms). Perhaps "accused Owl City of 'ripping off'" could be changed as these may not all be "accusations", but the idea should remain. -M.Nelson (talk) 00:26, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

I removed all but two citations for this point - providing that many sources for one claim in the article itself is essentially editorializing that the view is correct. For what it's worth, though, I completely agree that Fireflies at least is a huge, huge ripoff. ItsDrewMiller (talk) 06:28, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I certainly have no bone to pick in this fight, though I did listen to the Postal Service cd (I assume they only released one) and the first thought in my head certainly wasn't Owl City. I wonder if Adam will ever be able to get away from these type of claims in the future.U21980 (talk) 01:36, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Owl City is not ....
...alternative rock. Nirvana is alternative rock. Radiohead is alternative rock. Owl City is not rock. Now, he MIGHT be considered alternative, but he's definitely not alternative rock.

...Emo. Owl City is emo influenced, yes, after all, Matt Thiessen of Relient K is basically an unofficial member of Owl City. You might say Owl City is post-emo.

...indie ROCK. Owl City is indie, yes. but he's not rock. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DriveMySol (talk • contribs) 22:28, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

What does it mean that his synths are more like late 90s rave music? That doesn't even make sense.64.81.167.213 (talk) 00:56, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. and the comment about late 90s rave music must have been written by someone with very little (if any) knowledge of music. The Prodigy, Aphex Twin, sound absolutely nothing like this pop singer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.150.32.5 (talk) 04:53, 6 January 2010 (UTC)

Owl City is not emo. He's Christian. Why would he be emo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.255.245.33 (talk) 03:39, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Owl City is not emo by any circumstances. Emo is dark, slicing your arms open stuff, Owl City is happy and upbeat. Adam Young does not cut himself, wear tons of black, or wear eyeliner, a.k.a, HE IS NOT EMO!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.100.208.13 (talk) 21:20, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

I agree. I was going to remove it but I was faced with a vandalism warning. I've started a discussion at the bottom to hopefully decide on genres once and for all if anybodys interested. Zylo1994 (talk) 13:03, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

I think that when people say EMO, they always think that they cut themselves and hate everybody and always wear eyeliner and stuff... I'm one of those people and that is not true... EMO means that are emotional which is what EMO stands for... your emotions change easily and can be easily depressed and stuff like that... it can't be too hard to understand — Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.58.11.78 (talk) 13:34, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

Guys, Owl city ISN'T INDIE
Indie means independent from major labels. Owl City is signed to Universal Republic, which is owned by Univeral Music Group, a MAJOR LABEL.

He was actually never indie. Of June and Maybe I'm Dreaming were first released by himself, not by any record label, which means he was UNSIGNED at the time. Then, they were re-released under Universal Republic, which is part of a major label.

So he isn't indie.

Salamibears58 (talk) 20:16, 12 July 2011 (UTC)Salamibears58

Awkward Construction?
Sorry. I'm not well versed in how to edit Wikipedia pages, but could someone who is somewhat skilled at using this site rewrite the following: "Owl City is an American synthpop musical project by Adam Young. Young started out making music in his parents' basement in Owatonna, Minnesota[4] which he claims is a result of his insomnia." The way that this intro is worded suggests that his parents' basement is the result of his insomnia. I think that something like this might work a little bit better: "Owl City is an American synthpop musical project by Adam Young. Young claims he started out making music in his parents' basement in Owatonna, Minnesota[4] as a result of his insomnia."

Wikinovice828 (talk) 01:11, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Early Birdie
I just saw a music video on youtube for the song Early Birdie and it was deffinately Adam in it so I wondering was that song released as a single? Is there some way to find this out? As a side note I remember when Fireflies was #1 his other two albums were selling within the top 100 of iTunes so maybe they entered the billboard top 200? here's the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUxLpFilyNM&feature=related 209.91.47.198 (talk) 18:15, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

I think that it was more of a promotional single, or a song that they decided to create a video for, you can see that with Superchick and Tobymac, even Lady GaGa. Superchick made a video for " Cross the Line", Tobymac made a video for "Tonight", Lady GaGa for "Beautiful, Filthy, Rich" despite them not being "official singles". Antiquated Electro (talk) 19:32, 14 March 2011 (UTC)
 * It is doubtful that it would have been a single since Ocean Eyes is considered the offical debut of Owl City (though this doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't).U21980 (talk) 01:38, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Influences?
Lets be honest. His only influence is The Postal Service. Its sounds like Give Up is the only album he's ever heard in his life. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.63.46.64 (talk) 03:22, 3 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Do you have a source? BOVINEBOY 2008 ) 05:51, 3 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Boards of Canada certainly only seems to have been added for trendiness. There is no similarity whatsoever. Can't really see where Imogen Heap would fit in either. 85.224.116.248 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:09, 19 February 2010 (UTC).

His influences definitely include BoC, you can tell it is in his music by Port Blue and Insect Airport, Give Up is definetly not the only album he's ever heard.

Maybe he doesn't have any influences... Unlike the Postal Service, Owl City is more pop than ambient or sub pop. Owl City is also more upbeat, light, and bright. Also, adam incorporates instruments like acoustic guitars. Imogen heap is more dark and electro, it even has hints of singer/songwriter. Antiquated Electro (talk) 19:35, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

separate biographical and musical project article?
Should there be a separate article on Young himself? This is his project and so it should only include minimal information about him (only his influences) and more on his music. Just a suggestion 121.91.95.130 (talk) 07:16, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Young is only really notable for his work as Owl City. All press, etc, relating to him is about his music; even if there was an article about him personally, there would not be enough sources to write a personal biography with. -M.Nelson (talk) 16:12, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

If this article is biographical, it should include some basic biodata like date and place of birth, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SysZero (talk • contribs) 16:33, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Owl City is NOT EMO
emo is a category of a music genre UNDER ROCK. Since many have contested that Owl city is not rock, therefore, owl city is not emo since emo is a sub-category of rock. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lonerguy 87 (talk • contribs) 11:02, 18 January 2010 (UTC)


 * What you're doing is simply original research and music critiquing on the talk page for a music article; these are two things of some that annoy Wikipedians the most. — There are a total of two sources that back-up that statement that Owl City is classified under the emo genre. So… basically you're out of luck; because that's what the sources say (WP:SOURCE). • GunMetal Angel  08:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Well personally I think owl city is not emo, well that doesn't change anything now. If the sources says so, the rules says so, but if you do find any sources that say it's emo please do cite to strengthen the claim. Ok, Owl city is emo. Lonerguy 87 (talk) 10:15, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Saying Owl City is emo doesn't even make sense. There's nothing emo about happy music that lifts spirits and makes you feel warm and bubbly inside. Emo music is dark, loud, most likely makes your ears bleed, and is NOT Owl City. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.100.208.13 (talk) 21:26, 28 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Yeah, EMO means Hardcore Punk with emotion... Do you people running this page believe that Owl City is Hardcore Punk with emotion? And, if you look on any genre site, it says that Owl city is Alternative INDIE Rock... which just means indie rock. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RickWilliams75 (talk • contribs) 00:59, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

I completely agree. I mean Owl City is nowhere near emo. So far, all Owl City is, would be Synth-pop. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.8.251.242 (talk) 20:12, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

Hey Gun Metal Angel, I'm gonna go make an Owl City Website right now. I'm going to classify them as rap. So, are you going to change the genre to rap? It's a pretty good source... Now, I know you get my point. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RickWilliams75 (talk • contribs) 04:59, 19 March 2010 (UTC)

GunMetal Angel, what according to you is a good source? If I write in my blog that Owl City is hip-hop or heavy metal, can I change it here? We need some clear guidelines on what is a reliable source. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SysZero (talk • contribs) 16:05, 18 May 2010 (UTC)


 * See here: Reliable_sources. (Also, please sign your posts with four tildes at the END of your post.) ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 16:23, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Face It!! He's Not Emo but a "normal" music producer! K? --Masterlink12345 (talk) 23:58, 29 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure what your conception of emo is, but regardless, multiple reliable source identify his music as such, so we have to include it, whether or not we agree with it.--Invisiboy42293 (talk) 05:42, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I have to agree that I don't see the connection between Owl City and emo music, though I guess the bigger question is: what is emo music?U21980 (talk) 01:40, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Firstly, to those who said that emo music "makes your ears bleed" and is dark and loud, I assume you are talking about an offshoot of the genre emo, popularly known as "screamo", and actually, not all emo music sounds like that. Emo-pop is also a sub-genre of emo, which is expressive and emotional but doesn't incorporate screaming vocals. It all depends what emo means, and the definition is varied according to who you ask. Owl City could possibly be some sort of emo depending on whose opinion. On the wiki page for Owl City, they were put under the genre of Emo-pop until it recently got removed.Young5789 (talk) 06:48, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

Edit Request w/Matt Theissen
In the "Ocean City (2009)" section of this article, it should be included that Matt Theissen helped produce "Fireflies" & "Tidal Wave", as well as performed vocals on "Fireflies", "Cave In", "The Bird and The Worm", and "Tidal Wave".

All this information can be seen on page four of the booklet that comes with the cd.

I believe Owl City have pioneered their own genre, "Electro-Sad" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.92.149.65 (talk) 22:37, 21 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Do you happen to have a way to verify this, other than just the booklet?  fetch  comms  ☛ 22:49, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Genre change
I was going to fix the genres to generalize them per Template:Infobox musical artist but since the hidden note said to get "permission" (I think "consensus" would be better seeing as this is the encyclopedia anyone can edit, but whatever), I should probably discuss these changes here though.


 * Alternative rock and emo are both subgenres of rock music.
 * Electronica is a subgenre of electronic music.
 * Synthpop is a subgenre of pop music.

Therefore, I propose the listing be changed to "Electronic, pop, rock." Does this settle well with everyone? – Chase  ( talk ) 22:52, 22 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Cite Reliable Sources to meet the Verifiability policy. No Original Research. kiac.  (talk-contrib) 00:41, 23 January 2010 (UTC)


 * How is this original research? It's generalizing the genres that are currently there and likely have sources to back them up. – Chase  ( talk ) 01:36, 23 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Looking again at the article, it appears that all of the genres which I am proposing to generalize have sources to back them up. Per Template:Infobox musical artist the ones currently here should be generalized into broader genres. – Chase  ( talk ) 01:43, 23 January 2010 (UTC)


 * I certainly do not hear anything to do with rock music when listening to Owl City. If you're really desperate for some links to rock music then I suggest you use powerpop or indie. I found an article herethat could be used as a source to back up pop and electronic. I was going to add it in to the article but apparently adding accurate genres with reliable sources is vandalism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zylo1994 (talk • contribs) 12:29, 7 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Suggest adding a catagory to WP:NOT which is "Wikipedia is not a platform for kids to show off about the bands they like or dislike" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.190.34.196 (talk) 17:41, 5 April 2010 (UTC)


 * Agreed - that's what Facebook and Myspace is for. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.97.181.51 (talk) 11:27, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

Indie rock?
I've heard Owl City before and he sounds indie-rock-ish. I wonder if he is reaally indie rock, or his music is just indie-rock-tinged/focused on indie rock. Please post here! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rose64bud (talk • contribs) 14:50, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
 * No original research. Cite sources. kiac.  (talk-contrib) 09:46, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

Yeah. He is Indie, especially in his Myspace days. So yeah, he is Indie. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.34.227.173 (talk) 05:48, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

He is not rock for heaven's sake. He is electropop, synthpop, indie pop, alternative pop, and maybe even singer songwriter... okay maybe not... but he is NOT rock. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Antiquated Electro (talk • contribs) 15:21, 26 January 2011 (UTC)

Early Years
Is it perhaps premature to name the period 2007-2008 (three years ago and only lasting one year) as 'Early Years' in terms of this project?

Suggest changing this heading to 'Beginnings' —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.97.181.51 (talk) 14:09, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Other Projects
I just added a section titled 'Other Projects', about Adam's other four side-projects. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveWiilliams (talk • contribs) 11:40, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I thought that the fact that Owl City has a song on Almost Alice, called 'The Technicolor Phase' should be mentioned somewhere. Ignore this if it was mentioned, and I just missed it.

Added. OAVJunior (talk) 00:25, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Genres: Lets have this out
Theres been a lot of talk of genres here. I personally do not think that Owl City is emo or alternative rock. People agree with me. People disagree with me. I think instead of threatening people with vandalism warnings, we should simply discuss this like adults right here. As some of you may have noticed, I gave the genres a bit of a clean up. I personally think Owl City can be summed up as powerpop and electronic but I saw that some people think otherwise. To meet in the middle how about instead of alternative rock (seriously...rock?) we just keep it as alternative? How about instead of electronica and synthpop we simply just have electronic? I can see how Owl City can be considered alternative rock but think powerpop is more accurate so I'll be looking for a source for that. So to sum up, lets talk about this like adults, meet in the middle and find 3 or 4 suitable genres that sum up Owl City (with references) and then leave it at that. Zylo1994 (talk) 12:45, 7 March 2010 (UTC)


 * It feels like deja vu. No original research. Cite sources. What you personally think is insignificant. kiac.  (talk-contrib) 14:01, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
 * To clarify, make sure they're Reliable sources. Not last.fm (users) or Alt2Punk (pirating blog). Common sense! Think about it. kiac.  (talk-contrib) 14:04, 7 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Unreliable sources are surely better than no source at all. You've changed my edits back so that the genres are, once again, innaccurate and opinionated. So many people on this talk page have said how they do not think Owl City is alternative rock or emo but they are ignored. When somebody actually thinks to try and find some sources (fair enough they were unreliable) and sort the genres out to something more accurate, they are ignored as well. I suppose I should get to my point...how about something like a voting booth? In this section we can all say what genres we think best sum up Owl City and they can be the genres that stay? I think 'electronic' and 'powerpop' do the job best. Also, kiac, I noticed my tone sounded a bit rude, I just want to make sure you know I'm working with you and not against you. Zylo1994 (talk) 15:03, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Actually, how about indietronica? It's a mix of pop, rock, electronic and indie which is a pretty good compromise for all of us. Zylo1994 (talk) 15:49, 9 March 2010 (UTC)


 * As much as I hate it... Both Allmusic and Rolling Stone have run articles that cite Owl City as 'emo' or 'emo-synth'... I utterly disagree with this BUT if this respected music "entities" say so, it is a applicable. Also, you must remember, Emo doesn't necessarily = Hardcore Punk. Emo is short for "Emotional," which, considering Owl City sings about happy subject matter, INCLUDES LOVE. Therefore, Owl City is technically emotional music, thus, Adam Young could be considered an Emo Musician. Remember, there were three waves of Emo, 1st Wave was the underground Hardcore Punk Scene centering around in Washington DC (scary...), the 2nd Wave was in the mid-to-late 1990's (think "Pinkerton" by Weezer, one of the most influential '90's emo albums), and 3rd Wave that emerged near the turn of the century (i.e. Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Paramore... etc. Basically, 3rd Wave Emo is a fun term for Pop Punk). If Owl City is indeed 'emo' as Rolling Stone and AllMusic states, than Owl City is definitely a 3rd Wave "Emo" band, as it is NOT a Hardcore Punk band (1st Wave), or a mid-90's band (2nd Wave).--Gen. Quon (talk) 02:54, 10 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your input. So emo stays. What about alternative rock? I think that Allmusic just categorised it as that because they have set categories that they use for everything so because Owl City was pretty hard to label, they just put it in loads of genres (I've seen it before with Allmusic). I still think Indietronica fits so well. Zylo1994 (talk) 07:08, 10 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Indietronica, that is interesting, and, in my opinion would be more appropriate than emo, can we find a citation/source for it though? I personally don't think Owl City is very Alt rock-based, owing to the fact that Adam Young rarely, if at all, uses a guitar, which, in my opinion, is a key component of alternative rock, but since I don't have a source, I really can't validate that. I honestly think changing the genres to Pop/Rock (to solve for Emo and Alt. Rock), Indietronica, and Synthpop would be acceptable.--Gen. Quon (talk) 00:18, 11 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Yeah sources are the biggest problem. We already have sources for synthpop and pop/rock but indietronica is a pretty far-out genre and I doubt we'll find any...I will look though. I think that accurate genres could come first and sources could be found later on. Also, I'm still having a problem with Owl City being considered any type of rock. I just don't see it. I would have thought that powerpop or alternative would be more accurate? Anyway, at least we're making progress. Zylo1994 (talk) 07:11, 11 March 2010 (UTC)


 * So if I changed the genres to 'Indietronica' and 'Synthpop' and Pop rock nobody would change it back? I know somebody would...come on guys this discussion is here to solve this problem! As somebody above (in the Owl City NOT EMO section) has said, sources, even if they seem reliable, aren't always the most important thing; I think we need to agree on some genres first (citation or no citation) so that we can work together to find reliable sources for our agreed genres. This can only work if you contribute. Zylo1994 (talk) 07:09, 19 March 2010 (UTC)


 * I'll give it to the 7th April. Unless there is some sort of massive, fair objection, I will change the genres as we have discussed. Please do not change them back: we had the sense to discuss them like adults and find ACCURATE genres. In what world are Owl City emo?! Anyway, 7th April. Zylo1994 (talk) 14:08, 30 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I think that's fair! Glad we arrived at this. Do you think we should at least mention that several major magazines mention Owl City as emo in the article itself?--Gen. Quon (talk) 20:17, 17 April 2010 (UTC)


 * Sure. They call him emo-pop though. I spend a lot of time at the Avril Lavigne articles and her genres are just as controversial. Ever since we had a real discussion and sorted out two solid genres that best describe, we've had no more genre problems. Instead, we made added all the genres she is considered and all her influences into her 'Music career' section. I think a similar thing for Owl City would work. I just want to thank you for your support as well! Zylo1994 (talk) 20:38, 17 April 2010 (UTC)


 * No problem, as you can tell, I too hate arguing over what people think is the right genre.--Gen. Quon (talk) 19:57, 19 June 2010 (UTC)

Biographic info
Basic biographic information is needed, such as birthdate. -- Beland (talk) 16:37, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

Adam Young should have an article of his own, separate from Owl City the band. Adam's life is not all owl city, and owl city is not all about Adam Young. Redirecting 'Adam Young' over here would mean that the only thing about him that matters is his band. We need a separate biographical article which gives biodata about Adam. --SysZero (talk)16:01, 18 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Owl City as a band is notable, Adam Young as a member of a band is not notable by himself, unless he's done something notable outside the band. See here: Notability (music). (His article was created once and deleted soon after, btw.) ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 16:49, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

I think Adam Young was born July 5, 1986. --Masterlink12345 (talk) 00:02, 30 September 2010 (UTC)

Emo?
Quite frankly, I see no way to defend this. There may even be sources claiming this, but it's kind of like putting Black Sabbath under Gangster Rap. I mean... I guess I've only heard "Fireflies," and if anyone knows an Owl City song that could be put into the same genre as... I'll be loose here and say MCR. Mind you, whether or not MCR/Fallout Boy/etc. are actually emo themselves is debated frequently. (Albert Mond (talk) 08:43, 10 April 2010 (UTC))
 * Doesn't matter what your opinions are, several well-credited magazines and websites mention him as "Emo-pop" and thus, the genre labels have been set.--Gen. Quon (talk) 19:58, 19 June 2010 (UTC)
 * On a more polite, productive note, Albert, I see you're point completely but they do have sources. It is listed as Emo-POP. Emo = emotional and confessional and personal and a lot of Owl City's music fits into all of those categories without mixing with the usual rock genre that comes with Emo. Do you see what I mean? Zylo1994 (talk) 21:38, 19 June 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from 108.99.229.234, 11 April 2010
editsemiprotected

Owl City's live band:

includes Daniel Jorgensen (guitar, vibraphone)

108.99.229.234 (talk) 03:09, 11 April 2010 (UTC)


 * Until we have a source for this, there is not a need to change the article. Please let us know when you have a good source, and we will make the change.
 * Avicenna sis @ 04:07, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Nothing To Do!!! It's Synthpop And Not "Hardcore", Not "EMOtional HARDCORE"!!! I'm Going To Change It Now... 187.116.181.187 (talk) 16:04, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

Inconsistency about genres
I read the discussion above about the genres, tl;dr as it was I'll assume you made a good point. The problem is that the article itself states almost entirely different genres, so you'll either have to change the infobox or the musical styles section. I know the info in the latter comes from AllMusic and I've noticed they're often more full of crap than wikipedia, I've seriously considered complaining about AllMusic being considered a reliable source.

Either way, User:Zylo1994 may want to ease up on threatening and patronizing other editors. ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 21:33, 13 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Sorry. I didn't at all mean to patronize or threaten anyone. I thought the worry of being reported as a vandal might keep the genres untouched and maybe some real progress could be made with this article. So yeah, sorry if I've offended anybody I just want some teamwork and in the dicussion above I tried to reach a compromise. Can you see my point though? When you don't contribute to a discussion for over a month and then just go ahead and change genres?


 * Anyway we really need to sort this out. As the discussion above stated indietronica, pop rock and synthpop were agreed on. Personally I hear nothing to do with rock in his music but it was about reaching a compromise. I think indietronica, synthpop and emo-pop would be a good list. Like you said, AllMusic is pretty vague when it comes to genres and has a mile long list; just because that lists tons of genres doesn't mean we have to. Look at the Avril Lavigne articles; there were about 10 genres in her article but we managed to cut it down to two and simply list the rest in a musical styles section. Why can't we do the same here?


 * So are we gonna have a mini-vote (again)? Indietronica, synthpop and emo-pop are my favoured genres for Owl City which also have citations. Zylo1994 (talk) 06:20, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * If they have citations then we don't have a problem, just add them to the musical styles section so it says the same as the infobox.
 * I didn't look at the talk page before, just the edits, and "these genres have been sourced in the musical styles section" made far more sense than "me and someone decided on some genres AND ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IS A VANDAL". I reverted it once, and probably because of your "vandalism" report I got a warning from an admin about the three-revert rule. Is this fair? ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 07:46, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * When I made the vandalism report I did say that I believed it was probably too much for just one edit but I believed that in the long-term it would warn people away from pointlessly changing genres. I left it up to the judgement of those higher up than us and it was not at all a personal attack on you. Zylo1994 (talk) 15:29, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * The admins aren't too much "higher up" than us, anyone can apply for adminship and then they're too busy doing admin-stuff to actually look into things, which was apparently the case here. If he did look at my edits he wouldn't have given me a 3RR warning. It's your responsibility to be correct in your reports; accusing regulars like me of vandalism may cause resentment towards the site and that won't be good for anyone. I'm not saying I'm such a valuable community member but I think I do a good job at reverting actual vandalism every day.
 * People pointlessly change genres all the time, what you do is revert it back when there's no explanation. A commented warning may help to reduce pointless edits but it can't be something as uncivil as "DIDN'T DISCUSS? THEN YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN!" ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 17:38, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * But you were the one who changed the genres in the first place right, despite the warning (as uncivil as it may have been)? Anyway I don't want to carry this on anymore. Forgive and forget, we're only dragging this article down even more with our squabbling. As soon as I can, I'll change the warning from "DIDN'T DISCUSS? THEN YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN" to something less blunt. Zylo1994 (talk) 17:47, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * No, my first edit here was this one . ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 18:06, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * This was brought to my attention via a request for protection of the page. I protected it to prevent either of you reaching 3RR which, from the way your edit summaries were going, was fast approaching so, in a sense, I did you a favour rather than let you keep reverting and have to block one or both of you. Now, to the point, if you guys can decide what the genres are to be here and promise not to keep reverting you, I'll be more than happy to unprotect the article and do anything I can to facilitate discussion. HJ Mitchell  &#124;  Penny for your thoughts?   17:56, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Then you shouldn't have warned me for reaching 3RR, because I didn't. I don't want warning templates on my talk page especially if I haven't deserved them. And I happen to know what edit-warring means, I wouldn't have gone that far, so no thanks for the "favor". ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 18:06, 14 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I re-read what the template said, it didn't say I'd reached 3RR, but it did accuse me of edit-warring, which I didn't do. ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 18:15, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Thank you HJ Mitchell. I did set up a genre discussion above which seemed to be ignored...but hey, third times a charm right? XD. Anyay, thanks for your concern, if you could un-protect it, that would be great. Zylo1994 (talk) 20:03, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * There, I fixed the inconsistency. ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 07:09, 17 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Allmusic has a very broad genre list and it certainly does need to be cut down if it's used as a source. While I actually agree and personally like the genres you've chosen, it doesn't reflect other peoples opinions. For example, in the talk I created above, everyone who contributed had their say but that no longer seems to be the case.
 * My point is that even though you and me like those genres, other people might not and the genres in the infobox don't reflect the discussion on this page. Zylo1994 (talk) 16:50, 17 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia isn't a democracy, it's not about everyone having their say, and voting and stuff like that. It's not even about truth. Wikipedia is about verifiability. We're not supposed to be discussing here what we feel or think are the right genres, we're supposed to discuss the sources and which ones to use, etc, and it seems like we only have one source, so there isn't much to discuss. I tried to pick ones that aren't too repetitive, say, I chose indietronica and left electronica out. If you have any better ideas on how to change it according to available sources, go ahead and edit it. ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 18:12, 17 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your help. It will be nice to have someone on my wavelength helping to keep the genres steady. Zylo1994 (talk) 18:19, 17 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Aw. :) I was afraid I'd come off too bitchy. Alrighty, I think the article is good for now. ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 18:30, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

Help, please? Sky Sailing
Agreed. The information is currently inaccurate. It was a previous musical project, which is only now being released. That is certainly not understood from the current info there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mjr26 (talk • contribs) 03:53, 3 July 2010 (UTC) Mjr26 (talk) 03:56, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

My brain short-circuited while trying to edit this so I hope someone else could do it. I think Sky Sailing should be mentioned in the other projects section. It is already but it's unsourced and oddly phrased.   ×××BrightBlackHeaven(talk)××× 21:54, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm not even sure this should be inculded on this page. Or any of Adam's other projects, besides Owl City. Maybe its finally time to make a seperate 'Adam Young' page--Andrewmpitts (talk) 17:57, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Separate Page
I'm currently working on a 'List of Adam Young Projects' page because someone keeps deleting 'Aquarium, El Uno Clarence, The Grizzly, Novel, Nuclear Suplex, Apes With Gunz, American Jesus, Eleazer, Yesterday's Tomorrow, Beat Master Deluxe, Slam Dance, Can You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking?, Join The Dark Side You Knob, Half Nelson Flying Corkscrew Clothes Line, The Atlantic, The Sports, Tombstone Piledriver, Slingshot Powerbomb, Understory, The Wellington Giggle-Bomb Experience, Spinning Skull Smash, The Perfect Theory and Redeemed.' from the 'Other Projects' section. This page will be completed within a week. --SteveWiilliams (talk)

Edit request from 77.75.163.200, 19 July 2010
The redirect info:

should probably be removed, since Adam Young no longer redirects to Owl City.

77.75.163.200 (talk) 13:20, 19 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes check.svg Done Spigot Map 13:29, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

Breanne Duren?
Why does Breanne Duren redirect here? She's a separate singer releasing albums independent of Owl City's. In fact, she was only featured in The Saltwater Room with a few others; she isn't that associated.

See: http://breannedurenmusic.com/

75.71.222.111 (talk) 19:51, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Owl City has more members?
A recent Youtube video I watched show Adam with a couple other members of their "team" called Owl City. In the Infobox, it states Owl City's only member is Adam Young. Obviously in the video that is not true. Can someone please clarify? Here is the Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDuC6itzhLE --Michaelzeng7 (talk) 21:23, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

Adam Young makes all of the music by himself, but for concerts, he has a live band that plays violin, cello, keyboard, drums, etc. Also, that video is from a while ago, and he has more live band members now. 66.60.208.177 (talk) 23:56, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

One-man band or pseudonym?
It strikes me as awkward to refer to Owl City as a "musical project by... Adam Young" or to refer to Young as "the sole member of Owl City." Earlier on the talk page, someone offered Iron & Wine as a comparison. Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that Owl City is the stage name (or, per the I&W page, "stage and recording name") rather than considering it a one-man band or project? Owl City might regularly tour with a band, while Iron & Wine "occasionally" does so, but the situations seem comparable. "Other projects" are discussed, but it seems to me we're really referring to other stage names. It's certainly not unprecedented for one person to have multiple pseudonyms in a professional capacity. Just a thought. The current way we're handling it sounds pretentious, which I realize isn't necessarily an argument for change. --BDD (talk) 22:13, 25 March 2011 (UTC)

Windsor Airlift
Windsor AirliftBold text

An Adam Young Project Videos on the band can be found on AirliftProductions on YouTube

Windsor Airlift released a new album entitled Flight which can be found via iTunes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.252.152 (talk) 02:09, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Windsor Airlift
"Windsor Airlift'''

Adam Young is one of the band members as well as Andy Johnson and Anthony Johnson

Videos on the band can be found on AirliftProductions on YouTube

Windsor Airlift released a new album entitled Flight which can be found via iTunes.

Many people have released videos from Windsor Airlift on YouTube including: Saltwaterloveee and EdgesRecordsG2, both of whom are on YouTube.

EdgesRecordsG2 has released a video entitled Skyscape Planetarium - Windsor Airlift - Dedicated to Christina Taylor Green in early January 2011. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.252.152 (talk) 02:17, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Windsor Airlift
Band Members: Andy Johnson, Anthony Johnson and Adam Young

Adam Young has a wide range of side projects that include: Dolphin Park, Sky Sailing, and the world famous: "Owl City". They released a new album, in late 2010 is entitled: "Flight" which was also released on iTunes. The band's members are located in Owatonna, West Des Moines and Minnesota, and also they formed Windsor Airlift on December 15, 2005. They are closely releasing new music via Myspace Music, and as the music is getting better, Adam Young is also releasing a new album under his "Owl City" name, the album is entitled: All Things Bright and Beautiful, and will be released on June 14th, 2011. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.252.152 (talk) 02:34, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

One Hit Wonder
Hey everyone, I have an issue with the following sentence in bold:

Due to the immense success of 'Fireflies' in relation to the other singles released (though Vanilla Twilight's video has received 30 million hits on YouTube despite its poor chart performance), Owl City is sometimes accused of being a one-hit wonder; [28] '''however, Owl City has a very large and strong fanbase which precludes him from falling into that category. [29]'''

After following the link to the one-hit wonder Wiki page, I found the following definition of a one-hit wonder:

In the U.S., a "pure" one-hit wonder is an artist that manages only one song on the Billboard Hot 100, regardless of the song's peak position. However, most American music industry insiders consider a song in the top forty positions of the Billboard Hot 100 to be a hit. Thus, any performer who recorded only one song that reached the Top 40 is, technically, a one-hit wonder, regardless whether another song peaks in the "bottom 60." However, the term is more generally applied to musicians best known for only one song.

So my question is, does Owl City's "very large and strong fanbase" play any role as to whether Adam is considered a "one-hit wonder"? Also I followed the link for the information to the source, which happens to be a music blog with no information about Adam's fan base. Can anyone verify the existing information in the paragraph through another source? U21980 (talk) 06:32, 9 June 2011 (UTC)


 * Actually the entire paragraph was based on that single music blog which brings up questions of the use of verifiable sources. Also, the entire issue seemed irrelevant to include into the "Musical Styles" section, so I went ahead and got rid of it. Please let me know what you think! U21980 (talk) 14:32, 12 June 2011 (UTC)

Organization Issue
Is there any reason why the following paragraph is found in the Ocean Eyes section as opposed to the Musical Influences section?:

Adam Young suggested in a 2009 interview with The New York Times that Ocean Eyes is perhaps the "next chapter" after American band The Postal Service: "[The Postal Service] released a record in 2003, and that was it. There was really nothing to compare it to until some one else came along and wrote the next chapter. Maybe that's this record. Maybe that's this band."

I wonder if it would be more appropriate to move this to the Musical Influences section since the band's relation to the Postal Service is discussed there as well. What do you guys think? U21980 (talk) 06:38, 9 June 2011 (UTC)
 * Due to the lack of response, I went ahead and moved the quote to the Musical Style section to the paragraph about similarities with the Postal Service. Let me know if this is problematic. U21980 (talk) 14:30, 12 June 2011 (UTC)

Auto Archiving
Hi Everyone, I have been navigating this page for the past few months and have seen several topics on the talk page that are no longer active discussions. Would anyone object to auto-archiving material on the talk page that has not been actively discussed within the past 15 days? U21980 (talk) 21:15, 30 June 2011 (UTC)

Ah yes, the not-to-be-forgotten 2005-2009 "era"
sure beats that dull Paleozoic era — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.128.26 (talk) 13:25, 16 July 2011 (UTC)