Right off the bat, 'Captains Of The Sky' let's you know this is something different from his Owl City material. With greater use of acoustic instruments, the music leans toward a folk sound. 'Captains Of The Sky' doesn't offer many surprises as far as subject matter goes. All of these songs feel like dreams. Dreams Adam had and turned into mystical portals for the rest of us to peer through. With an uptempo beat and an almost marching rhythm section, the song carries you along from start to finish. It's followed by the breathy 'Brielle'. This song is one of my personal favorites. It's a lovely picture postcard of a blossoming but ill fated love and it's sheer poetry makes it one of the strongest songs on the CD.
'Steady As She Goes' and 'Explorers' are both acoustic guitar driven numbers. Both are wonderful, but 'Explorers' is the better of the two. It tells the tale of two friends exploring nature and discovering they could breathe underwater. They decide to stay in the sea and never come up for air. The world up there falls apart without them, but they live in peace below the waves. 'A Little Opera Goes A Long Way' is a song I thought I'd hate when I saw the title; but the tune is actually catchy and the lyrics are fun! It's another upbeat number and it's easy to get caught up in the music.
'Tennis Elbow' is the next song and it's my favorite on the disc. Right off the bat, the lyrics are interesting and catchy. There's a great play on words in this song. But my absolute favorite part is toward the end. He sings, "We are lost, in the sound
Close your eyes, and I will twirl you around"
A bell motif begins and actually twirls the music all the way to the end of the song. It's simply lovely and a musical highlight for the record.
'Blue And Red' is a dreamy ballad. The song makes me think of sleep. 'Alaska' is another acoustic number. The first time I heard it, I thought of Sarah Palin because of Alaska... But the song is so much more meaningful and it has the distinction of replacing a negative Sarah Palin association with a more positive one.
'I Live Alone' is a song that makes me think of being 21. And being 41. At 21 I was out to capture the world and at 41 I'm living alone. It's a bittersweet number for me. Filled with longing to connect and distance. 'Take Me Somewhere Nice' is another acoustic number. It's a short and hopeful number. It's followed by a lullaby: 'Sailboats'. This song is absolutely magical. The album title comes from this track and let me tell you, it's simply beautiful. The piano is delicate, the vocals are almost whispered and the drums are an equal combination of increasing and decreasing intensity. The tempo of this song changes a few times or seems to. It's a musical illusion. The build is in sound layers not actual speed. It's followed by 'Flowers Of The Field', another great number, but 'Sailboats' is the better final track.
Oddly enough, the biggest fault I find with Adam's work is his choice for final track. He has such majestic songs to end on and yet he chooses to finalize his discs with somewhat mediocre songs. 'Sailboats' is a better choice as a closing track and would leave the listener feeling whimsical.
Ok, that's my opinion... and this is another CD I listen to from start to finish. I sing along with every number, harmonizing each note. I find it enchanting, calming and refreshingly different from what's happening in music these days. Although I love Owl City, I'd certainly pick Sky Sailing as a project I'd like to hear more of. I would buy a new Sky Sailing disc before I'd pick up a new Owl City. My final words: PEACEFUL AND PROMISING ACOUSTIC POP... PERFECT.
SKY SAILING - AN AIRPLANE CARRIED ME TO BED
01. Captains Of The Sky
02. Brielle
03. Steady As She Goes
04. Explorers
05. A Little Opera Goes A Long Way
06. Tennis Elbow
07. Blue And Red
08. Alaska
09. I Live Alone
10. Take Me Somewhere Nice
11. Sailboats
12. Flowers Of The Field
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