The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

On Owl
City’s third album All Things Bright and Beautiful, singer Adam Young interprets
more sparkling pop tunes with his distinctive vocals. Compared to his previous
albums, Young focuses less on the auto-tuned, synth tracks, for the most part
anyway.

The song
‘Alligator Sky’ is a great contender as
Owl City’s new ‘Fireflies’, and it’s only fair that at least one of the three
versions of the song ends up a hit. Two of the versions feature rap solos by B.O.B.
and Shawn Chrystopher, both of whom add a more subtle rhythm along with the
welcomed chorus of violins. Listeners can almost tell that there are real
instruments being played in the background in addition to Young’s computer.

‘Honey and The Bee’ may give listeners a sense
of déjà vu, as it’s almost the same song as ‘The Saltwater Room’ from the last
album Ocean Eyes. Not only does it
feature Breanne Düren again, but the two songs are far too similar in terms of
melody, lyrics and instrument arrangements.

The album
then shifts to a slower pace with ‘How I Became the Sea’ to turn enthusiastic
again with ‘Dreams Don’t Turn to Dust’ and ‘The Yacht Club’ featuring Lights on
Young’s familiar synthesized structure and repetitive chorus that drag on too
long.

Though the
album might seem at first to have twelve variations of the same song, some tracks
will stay in your head after a few listens; Young is a good songwriter even if
his voice sounds like a recorded message sometimes. There are improved
additions to All Things Bright and Beautiful, yet it still preserves his
signature sound of futuristic, synthesized music.