Once upon a time Lee Abrams in creating the Album Oriented Rock format decided that certain bands fit and others (Ramones) did not.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 3 November 2009 17:17 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
of all the people that might have an effect on whether a song becomes a mainstream hit, radio programmers working at top 40 stations must rank somewhere in triple digits
― et tu, omas? (some dude), Tuesday, 3 November 2009 17:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
I mean radio programmers elsewhere who tell the stations what to play. Do any top 40 stations these days make their own decisions on songs to play? I'm guessing it is rare
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 3 November 2009 17:47 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
I can only imagine how much the publishing cos and labels have made from "Pocket Full of Sunshine" and other retail-ready songs, so I can understand why they'd push this one to the top.
― (nutty nuggets at HEB) (Eazy), Tuesday, 3 November 2009 18:19 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Top 40 is kind of by definition the radio format with the least amount of autonomy, and is kind of dictated by what's already charting or being released by established stars, or being requested by listeners. Genre-specific formats are where songs still at least have a fighting chance of bubbling up from grassroots or semi-underground movements without music industry machinery behind them, and even there it's not very easy.
― the tuppence takes manhattan (some dude), Tuesday, 3 November 2009 18:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
(It's cute. And I like the chiptuney elements.)
fruityloops is not chiptunes
― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Tuesday, 3 November 2009 18:33 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
no, there's a circuit-bending app now
― the tuppence takes manhattan (some dude), Tuesday, 3 November 2009 18:33 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
I'm not saying chiptune sounds are unachievable in fruityloops, but I don't hear anything w/a grainy low bitrate in owl city
― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Wednesday, 4 November 2009 01:55 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Inside dope: he is a reason user FYI
― PHEAR MY POORAPULT (jjjusten), Wednesday, 4 November 2009 04:04 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
this song wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't for the cloying furryness of it.
― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, 4 November 2009 06:02 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
reason makes even more sense
― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Wednesday, 4 November 2009 06:11 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Tuesday, November 3, 2009 5:55 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
it's quite possible that you have no idea wtf you are talking about
― swagless price (The Reverend), Wednesday, 4 November 2009 07:42 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
fucking christ...OWATONNA. i'm literally...wow....what a shithole town.
― my gangsta ain't NEVER been on trial (M@tt He1ges0n), Wednesday, 4 November 2009 22:59 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
lol i learned of this song today only after gf and i heard it in the car over the weekend and debated whether it was postal svc or not
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:17 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
what was that thing punks used to snarl...something like "this is music for students"...that was my reaction to this song.
― Euler, Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:20 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
it's basically postal service for ppl that were put off by how heavy and raw postal service was
― my gangsta ain't NEVER been on trial (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:49 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
lolllll
― k3vin k., Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:54 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
It's Postal Service for people who are too young to remember Postal Service! Owl City's fanbase is firmly teenage.
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:54 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
i am actually almost impressed by how closely he mimicked ben gibbard's singing mannerisms
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 5 November 2009 16:58 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
tbh i think the vocal similarity is a little overhyped -- there are Death Cab songs i had a harder time distinguishing from Built To Spill than i did telling the difference between OC and PS
― some dude, Thursday, 5 November 2009 17:01 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
It's only Postal Service-y until the middle bit where he gets out the stadium rock guitars. I can never make it past that point in the song.
That link that Ned posted above is quite interesting, though - in that it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts, boo hoo hoo.
― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Thursday, 5 November 2009 17:45 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
― GEDDY LEE JAZZ MINT (Future_Perfect), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:00 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
owl city adult onesie
Is this the moment that owls in pop culture jump the shark?
― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:04 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
I very much doubt Chris was trying to make that point.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:12 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Thursday, November 5, 2009 12:45 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
there's absolutely no "boo hoo hoo" tone in that article, and you accusing someone else of having an obsessive gender politics agenda when talking about music is fucking rich (xpost)
― the goondock saints (some dude), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:13 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
BTW, guys, the "boo hoo hoo" bit was a joke?
― Persian Pickle (Masonic Boom), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:16 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
oh man if this turns into pitchfork thread mk III i am going to start banning peeps from this thread left and right
― PHEAR MY POORAPULT (jjjusten), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:18 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
it tries to make some political point about how under represented white indie males are in the pop charts
does he, really?
My point in deconstructing all this is to designate “Fireflies” as a truly rare bird, a huge boy-pop hit without a home format. When a song by a solo female scales the Hot 100, that’s notable but less surprising — Top 40 is the most female-centric of radio formats, and so their gender there is a help; if they’re Beyoncé or Mariah, they have urban radio helping out, too. Most male acts live on either rock or urban radio, where they dominate. But Adam Young somehow has scored a Hot 100 chart-topper with little to no assistance from the big “guy” formats, and without American Idol.
It leaves us with one inescapable conclusion, whether we think the Postal Service wuz robbed or that “Such Great Heights” sucked and “Fireflies” is worse. People really just like this song. Hey, occasionally, it happens.
no, he doesn't.
― goole, Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:20 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
here's an idea, why don't we all be even more po-faced about hyperbole
― The Dance at the Crossroads (HI DERE), Thursday, 5 November 2009 18:28 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
you can't appreciate this song, a shameless rip off of postal service/death cab, until you realize that its on the soundtrack to the reboot of 90210, a shameless derivative of the oc. and the main character of the oc's favorite band was, who else, death cab.
i like to think that adam young realized this and fireflies is some sort of joke in this context
― killah priest, Thursday, 5 November 2009 19:47 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Morning show on the local MOR station ripped on Owl City for sounding like the talent show conclusion from "Revenge of the Nerds:"
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 5 November 2009 20:15 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
minus Lamar's awesome rap
― Euler, Thursday, 5 November 2009 20:18 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Yeah, I mean, we can't have everything! A perfect world would spoil us too much.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 5 November 2009 20:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
It sounds like The Muppets singing a sped-up Creed song?? (Not production-wise.)
― billstevejim, Friday, 6 November 2009 01:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
― swagless price (The Reverend), Wednesday, November 4, 2009 2:42 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I don't? you tell me where the chiptunes sounds are in owl city.
― But no hope for norwegian posters, sorry. (Curt1s Stephens), Friday, 6 November 2009 03:00 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
mr. smarty pants
On the night before my 16th birthday I ate too many mushrooms and was convinced I'd gone Insane For Life as the darkness of my bedroom filled up with thousands of tiny, singing Popples.
I was reminded of that night after hearing this on Mix 106.5 on the way to work today.
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Friday, 20 November 2009 15:46 (Yesterday) Permalink
Insane For Life.
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Friday, 20 November 2009 15:47 (Yesterday) Permalink