Greener Pastures; Bigger Basements

You may know Adam Young as the mastermind behind electro-pop sensation Owl City (or maybe even as the guy who bears an uncanny musical resemblance to The Postal Service), but backtrack five years and he was just known as the quiet kid who spent far too much time in his parents' basement.

Behind that basement door was Young's makeshift studio, consisting of little more than an old Dell computer and FruityLoops programming software. Somewhat lacking a social life, Young threw himself into music, citing unexpected influences (when considering his pop-ready sound) in Sigur Rós, Explosions In The Sky and Boards Of Canada.

Taking comfort in the anonymity of the internet, the shy teen made his music available online, resulting in more 'friends' (albeit virtual) than he could poke a stick (or mouse) at.
Despite now having a triple-platinum single and platinum album to his name, the 24-year-old still can't seem to leave the basement. But as Young told Alternative Press last month, these days he has a place of his own… and a basement four times the size.
“In my parents' house, the basement was much smaller and really constrictive,” he said. “The furnace always made so much noise, so I used to unplug it and sometimes forgot to plug it back in. You'd wake up in the morning and the whole house would be a giant icicle. My parents got really mad. Having my own space allows me to do things on my own time. I can be as loud as I want when I want.”

Hailing from Owatonna, Minnesota, Young's rise to fame reads like a typical small-town success story. Having played venues big enough to house his hometown's entire population, Young would probably be forgiven for wanting to migrate to the 'big bad city'. But if touring has taught him one thing, it is that Owatonna is home.
“In high school, I couldn't wait to get out (of Owatonna). I felt very cooped up,” he said. “You see what the real world is like and miss where you're from. Looking back, I never really appreciated it until I left. This town was the only thing I knew growing up. When I finally got a chance to see the world, it really put things into perspective that this is a guarded, shielded, safe community. It makes what is around you a bit more valuable.
“When I visit New York, it's like an anthill. You feel less important, like cattle being herded through everything. When I come back here, I still feel that sense of peace. It's the right place for me.”

In fact, it would seem that much of Young's early lyrical inspiration was derived from his hometown, and consequential separation from the “outside world”.  
“When I first started, my approach to writing lyrics was, 'I'm from a little town. I've never been anywhere. What better time than now to write about things I've never experienced, things I've only read about?' It's almost my unbiased view of things.
“I wanted to experience these things so much that I made up what I thought they were. That might be why the early lyrics don't really add up to real places. I had seen a lot of photos of these places, and I had ideas in my head of what they'd be like,” he said.

“When we did start touring, especially overseas, it was so weird that I got on a plane and ended up in some place I had thought about and imagined and never thought I'd see. It was hard to blend what I had envisioned and what I was seeing together and put a place to a name. It was a strange thing for me to figure out at first. It still blows me away.”
As Young readies to release 'All Things Bright and Beautiful', he can't help but reflect on the complete “whirlwind” of the last couple of years. In an interview with MusicRadar.com, Young said he was feeling a little older, and all the wiser.
“It's kind of a funny thing to come to grips with what happened to me in the past couple of years, the whole whirlwind of zooming from 0 to 60 and then going back to create this new record. I feel like I've lived two different lives recently, and I'm just trying to find my way.

"But it's been great, though. I'm so excited looking forward to this new release. I feel as though I have a bit more resolve, a bit more of an idea what to expect. If the record bombs, if no one likes it, I still feel good about this next chapter."
Pulling its title from the Anglican hymn of the same name, 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' is said to showcase Young's love of abstract hip-hop, while upholding the enchanted dreamscapes that Owl City is synonymous with.
Considering the mammoth success of 2009's 'Owl Eyes', question must be asked as to whether Owl City's latest offering will hold its own. Young told Billboard of the many sleepless nights leading to the album's completion, but with his self-diagnosed “insomnia”, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Everyone always says that the sophomore release built on freshman success is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do. I've definitely lost a lot of sleep worrying about it,” he said.
With newfound maturity, a new album around the corner and quite possibly, a new onslaught of The Postal Service comparisons, Young admitted similarities to Alternative Press, but maintained musical innocence.
“I definitely can see the comparisons, but it was never my intention to sit down and copy that album,” he said. “I feel like a lot of the indie crowd thinks of me as this little wimpy kid on his laptop, and those types of listeners might not give me a chance... But I think what I put out is a good representation of me, and I hope kids take that as it is.”

'ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL' IS OUT JUNE 17 ON UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC. OWL CITY'S AUSTRALIAN TOUR KICKS OFF AT THE TIVOLI ON AUGUST 15.