All Things Bright and Beautiful (album)
Encyclopedia
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by American electronic
act Owl City
. It was released on June 14, 2011.
roots; however, he also dabbles in indie rock
, folk
, European trance in "Galaxies" and on "Alligator Sky", rap. Guest musicians on the album include Shawn Chrystopher
, Matthew Thiessen, Lights, Breanne Düren and Adam Young's mother, Joan Young.
The album was originally planned to have a worldwide release date of May 24, 2011. It was then changed to May 17. On April 6, however, Young posted on his official site that the release date had been bumped to June 14, 2011. He stated that the reason for this was, "In an attempt to better connect the dots and ensure that every cloud in the sky is stitched together with its own special silver lining", and "with school finally out for the summer, it'll be a perfect time to sit back and watch the fireworks."
On the introductory track to "Galaxies", entitled "January 28, 1986" (the date of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
), Ronald Reagan
's State of the Union
speech is sampled.
", which features Californian rapper Shawn Chrystopher
, was released on March 22, 2011. There are currently four versions of the track. The first version features Shawn Chrystopher, the second features different lyrics and Chrystopher's vocals are omitted, a third version featuring Atlanta rapper B.o.B
leaked online, and finally a fourth version featuring vocals from Big Boi
of Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast
also leaked onto the internet.
An exclusive single, "Lonely Lullaby", has been released to all members of Owl City Galaxy, a club that you automatically became a part of when you pre-ordered the album. The song mentions an "Annmarie" many times, a reference to Adam Young's ex-girlfriend, Annmarie Monson. This song, however, is not actually part of the album.
On April 19, 2011, "Galaxies" was released as the second single from the album, and was made available for purchase and download on iTunes
. It is the band's highest charting single on Billboard Christian Song Chart, peaking at number 39, and surpassing Fireflies, which peaked at number 44 (2010
). It has since then re-entered the chart at number 48 in the week of September 24, 2011.
The third single to be released was "Deer in the Headlights", released on May 24, 2011 (but as an iTunes Exclusive, was made available for download the previous day). The single was announced in a different way than what is considered traditional. Starting May 16, 2011, every day of that week part of the song would be added to the sneak peek. It was originally just called "New Song", and fans had to guess the new song. The first part of the song to be released were the drums, followed by the addition of bass, guitar, synthesizer, and vocals over the next four days. On the final day, the title for the song was announced.
"Lonely Lullaby" was released as a single on July 19, 2011, making it officially available to people outside of Owl City Galaxy. The song has been a surprising success, being one of the higher charting singles.
Young has confirmed in an interview with Sugarscape that on October 10 "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust" will be the next single from the album, although it is uncertain if it will be released in the UK only.
.
chart selling 48,000 copies. In Germany, the album only reached No. 69 for one week before falling off the chart, charting lower than Ocean Eyes
, which charted for 9 weeks and peaked at No. 7. In the United Kingdom, the album reached No. 30 in the midweek chart
on June 23, only to fall off before the official chart later in the week. Ocean Eyes peaked at No. 7, and stayed in the top 75 for 14 weeks.
.
Additional musicians and production
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
act Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
. It was released on June 14, 2011.
Writing and development
The album sees for the most part Owl City leader Adam Young staying true to his synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
roots; however, he also dabbles in indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, folk
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
, European trance in "Galaxies" and on "Alligator Sky", rap. Guest musicians on the album include Shawn Chrystopher
Shawn Chrystopher (rapper)
Shawn Chrystopher Garrett, II better known by his stage name Shawn Chrystopher, is an American rapper and music producer. He first gained major attention with the release of his debut mixtape "I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses" in 2008, which was sponsored by urban-clothing powerhouse LRG...
, Matthew Thiessen, Lights, Breanne Düren and Adam Young's mother, Joan Young.
The album was originally planned to have a worldwide release date of May 24, 2011. It was then changed to May 17. On April 6, however, Young posted on his official site that the release date had been bumped to June 14, 2011. He stated that the reason for this was, "In an attempt to better connect the dots and ensure that every cloud in the sky is stitched together with its own special silver lining", and "with school finally out for the summer, it'll be a perfect time to sit back and watch the fireworks."
On the introductory track to "Galaxies", entitled "January 28, 1986" (the date of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
), Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's State of the Union
State Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
speech is sampled.
Singles
The first official single released from the album was "Alligator SkyAlligator Sky
"Alligator Sky" is a song by American synthpop artist Owl City from his third studio album All Things Bright and Beautiful. It was released as the lead single from the album on April 12, 2011...
", which features Californian rapper Shawn Chrystopher
Shawn Chrystopher (rapper)
Shawn Chrystopher Garrett, II better known by his stage name Shawn Chrystopher, is an American rapper and music producer. He first gained major attention with the release of his debut mixtape "I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses" in 2008, which was sponsored by urban-clothing powerhouse LRG...
, was released on March 22, 2011. There are currently four versions of the track. The first version features Shawn Chrystopher, the second features different lyrics and Chrystopher's vocals are omitted, a third version featuring Atlanta rapper B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
leaked online, and finally a fourth version featuring vocals from Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
of Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
also leaked onto the internet.
An exclusive single, "Lonely Lullaby", has been released to all members of Owl City Galaxy, a club that you automatically became a part of when you pre-ordered the album. The song mentions an "Annmarie" many times, a reference to Adam Young's ex-girlfriend, Annmarie Monson. This song, however, is not actually part of the album.
On April 19, 2011, "Galaxies" was released as the second single from the album, and was made available for purchase and download on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. It is the band's highest charting single on Billboard Christian Song Chart, peaking at number 39, and surpassing Fireflies, which peaked at number 44 (2010
2010 in music
2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music...
). It has since then re-entered the chart at number 48 in the week of September 24, 2011.
The third single to be released was "Deer in the Headlights", released on May 24, 2011 (but as an iTunes Exclusive, was made available for download the previous day). The single was announced in a different way than what is considered traditional. Starting May 16, 2011, every day of that week part of the song would be added to the sneak peek. It was originally just called "New Song", and fans had to guess the new song. The first part of the song to be released were the drums, followed by the addition of bass, guitar, synthesizer, and vocals over the next four days. On the final day, the title for the song was announced.
"Lonely Lullaby" was released as a single on July 19, 2011, making it officially available to people outside of Owl City Galaxy. The song has been a surprising success, being one of the higher charting singles.
Young has confirmed in an interview with Sugarscape that on October 10 "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust" will be the next single from the album, although it is uncertain if it will be released in the UK only.
Reception
Critical reception
All Things Bright and Beautiful has received mixed reviews, gaining a 49/100 score from Metacritic, an 8/10 score from IGN and a score of 5/10 from SpinSpin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
.
Commercial performance
In the US, the album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart selling 48,000 copies. In Germany, the album only reached No. 69 for one week before falling off the chart, charting lower than Ocean Eyes
Ocean Eyes
Ocean Eyes is the second full-length album by electropop act Owl City. It was made available for download on July 14, 2009, on iTunes, and on September 1, 2009 it was released in stores with a photograph of the Burj Al Arab as its album artwork. A vinyl edition and a two-disc Deluxe Edition of the...
, which charted for 9 weeks and peaked at No. 7. In the United Kingdom, the album reached No. 30 in the midweek chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
on June 23, only to fall off before the official chart later in the week. Ocean Eyes peaked at No. 7, and stayed in the top 75 for 14 weeks.
Track listing
The track "Lonely Lullaby" is included as a bonus track available after downloading the application Owl City Galaxy on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Personnel
Owl City- Adam Young – vocals, keyboards, guitars, drums, producer, engineer, art direction, audio mixer
Additional musicians and production
- Breanne DürenBreanne DürenBreanne Düren is an American musician, most notable for her work with electronic music project Owl City and her own solo work.-Early Years:Born as Breanne Elizabeth Dürenberger on October 9, 1987 , she shortened her name to "Breanne Düren" during college for performance purposes. As a child,...
– additional vocals on track 5 - Matthew ThiessenMatt ThiessenMatthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
– additional vocals on track 12 - Joan Young – additional vocals on track 9
- Shawn ChrystopherShawn Chrystopher (rapper)Shawn Chrystopher Garrett, II better known by his stage name Shawn Chrystopher, is an American rapper and music producer. He first gained major attention with the release of his debut mixtape "I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses" in 2008, which was sponsored by urban-clothing powerhouse LRG...
– additional vocals on track 10 - Lights – additional vocals on track 11
- Laura Musten – violin on tracks 4, 6, 10 & 13
- Hannah Schroeder – cello on tracks 6, 7, 10 & 13
- Daniel Jorgensen – vibraphone on tracks 4 & 7
- Steve Bursky – producer, management & hand claps on track 5
- Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
– mastering - StudioAKT – art direction
- Jack Joseph PuigJack Joseph PuigJack Joseph Puig is a Grammy Award-winning music engineer and producer with a long track record of successful productions, including the mid-1990s production of Tonic. Puig also worked with Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Green Day, The Counting Crows, No Doubt,...
– audio mixer - Joe Corey – audio mixer assistant
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
33 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 65 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
78 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
7 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
27 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
100 |
| German Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
69 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
31 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
33 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 92 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
40 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
52 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
6 |
| US Dance/Electronic Albums | 2 |