Review Summary: Nostalgia is a dirty liar that insists things were a lot better than they seemed back then.
Allow me to start by saying, Swimming with Dolphins may not be for everyone but if you approach this album with an open mind and leave your preconceived notions at the door, I believe you can thoroughly enjoy this album. That being said this is a side project from Adam Young, the front man of Owl City. Now before you grab your torches and pitchforks just let me kick off the review.
Water Colours is an album that presents us with a very clean and natural sounding flow throughout the entire album, not so much as all the songs sound the same but in a way in which each song seems to belong and feel apart of something bigger. There is a very upbeat and uplifting feel to this album. It brings us back to those high school days back when you would whisper sweet nothings to your partner, it was all just about being happy back then. There really wasn't a care in the world.. and life was good. That being said, nobody really enjoys high school and when you really think back to it, it was a period of confusion, heartache, and experimentation. But we remember those good parts most of all. This album brings me back to those days. When you get right down to it, this album is really just a summer album, it isn't meant to be taken seriously. Its meant for you to jam out during those lazy summer days. A lot of the tracks on this album are innocent in nature in a way in which it brings us back to those positive high school moments. Tracks like "Holiday", "Diplomat", and "Water Colors". "Holiday" is the opening track and it kicks off this album perfectly, it bounces back between male and female vocals complimenting each other quite well. They sing about since finding each other it just felt like they were away on a holiday and never really back grounded in reality. It is an interesting take on love, but goes together well all the same. Then there is "Diplomat" which in my opinion is the best track off of the album, it starts off with a beat that's upbeat and right in your face, it infects your body and just makes you want to move around. But the song relates to something in which a majority of us have all faced. The singer laments about being forced into a profession in which his father wanted him to be in and he absolutely hates it, to the point in which one day he just drops everything and leaves and finds happiness. This is a position that is so familiar, and for some people their family forces them into their profession and its just sad. But the song does not come off sad at all, its in a positive manner and so are the beats. Its about doing what you need to do for yourself and choosing to do that can be one of the hardest choices you may ever have to make. The synth pop beats really add to the overall charm of this album, everything just really seems to fit into place. "Watercolors" is one of those songs that bring us back to the high school days, its about liking someone but you know they are not ready, or over to what has happened to them. The theme is longing to go back to those days when love was easy, it was in name only and you could say it without really meaning it. The days where puppy love was still a thing, and it was all around us. One of the best ways I can describe this album is an LP that is packed with candy coated tracks. You hear them and you think that it sounds good, but when you unravel them and look past them the taste really hits you. But its not all about positive feelings and good times, they are songs that are sad in nature. Songs like "Captured" is about someone being stuck in a relationship in which they both know its going to end but neither want to except it, and just enjoying it while it lasts. Its slowly paced but still has upbeat themes, which I can appreciate.
The album overall is pretty good, its enjoyable and does not drag on at all. It almost feels like a brief little adventure you go on. The beats never dwell over you, the vocals are crisp and clean and compliment each other perfectly. The only song that more or so gets to me every time is "Good Times" and that is primarily because there is a rapping segment that comes right out of nowhere. It is very jarring and I don't know exactly how to feel about it..
But all of that inside this is a very under looked album and I feel like it needed some attention. It isn't horrible, but its a good experience that has major pop influences and the electronica is just fantastic.
