Review Summary: Owl City is back, and it isn't just some one time deal either.
Owl City has been one of those artists where music fans have come to love to hate, and with good reason. Ever since his bubbly debut in 2008, the synth-pop project has delivered quite the awful plate of albums like his last one The Midsummer Station in 2012 - conjuring mostly relaxing, pulsating production with peaceful atmospheres with terrible lyrical basis. The latter has been the foundation of the hate amongst music fans, extending along with some Owl City fans even, along with the Postal Service comparisons that continue to be made. Founder Adam Young however has been promising as of recently, with his 2014 EP Ultraviolet being his best set in material since his debut in '08 and delivers Mobile Orchestra, continuing the solid momentum Young has been on over the last year.
Easily the best thing about Owl City is his way of making a track have more of an enhanced visual aspect thru his instrumentation, and that continues in Mobile Orchestra. His biggest collaboration to date with Aloe Blacc on the sun-bathed graduation anthem "Verge" takes off as one of Young's best singles, possibly his best since "Fireflies". The pulsating electric guitar mixing with roaring bass lines and colorful, sparkling synths - paired with Blacc's warm, emotive vocals make for one of the more underrated summer singles of the year. It is one of the few Owl City songs that fire on all cylinders without having those awful head-turning, face-palm moments as before. In the Japanese edition, the dedication to the country's capital with "Tokyo" is another solid track with cool, bustling synths fitting to the activity within the city along with a nostalgic string section that nods to the country's ancient heritage.
One of the big negatives that Adam has faced in the past and still does, is his lyrical content. His attempt to blend the enhanced visual aspect of his work with his lyrics to coincide hasn't fared well, with the bulk of Ocean Eyes as framework on what not to write. In Mobile Orchestra he doesn't struggle as much as before. "Verge" isn't just a excellent track musically, it also shines lyrically - something that hasn't been evident in the past. Lines like "out on the verge for the rest of our lives" are empowering, blending well with the track's rare intensity. His spiritual collaboration with Christian singer Britt Nicole in the flowery, gorgeous "You're Not Alone" features the same - with emotive, inspiring lines like "you come to my aid/and strengthen my soul" that resonate while also having a bit of those head-turning moments. Fortunately it's very minimal here.
Mobile Orchestra continues the positive momentum that Owl City has been on lately, delivering the essence of summer well with its sun-bathed, glistening production while also managing to feature decent lyrical basis as well. It also features his most collaborations as well to date, featuring Hanson, Japanese singer Sekai No Owari and country star Jake Owen as others who paired with the synth-pop project. While there are songs like "Unbelievable" that drag the album down a little bit, its up there with Ultraviolet as his best set of material to date - jumping his candy-colored debut as his best album release in spades. It is definitely time to say that Adam Young has returned to the good graces of the music world, and it isn't just some one time deal either - he's here to stay for good.
