Owl City

Christian music has its place in the world and I have no problem with the idea of fusing one's spiritual beliefs with their creative endeavours — that's cool. Being inspired to make high-quality tunes when you believe strongly in something is admirable. Spiritual optimism is a hard sell in this day and age though and unfortunately for one-man band Owl City (Adam Young), the strength of his religious beliefs doesn't coincide with the strength of his music. It's not that Young is untalented — his tunes are well executed and intricate — but they provide nothing new to the already overwrought cutesy MySpace pop scene. His new LP, Ocean Eyes, sounds like it was scooped directly from the Postal Service's repertoire, only Give Up was a far more solid record. There may be a nuanced place for Owl City with the 14- to 17-year-old crowd, and maybe that was Young's intention, but his penchant for the most annoying elements of emo pop, such as Auto-tune, abrasive synthesizer parts and pop lyrical drivel, makes listening to this record a brain-numbing experience for anyone that doesn't have a diary or listens to Lights.