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JFH Music Review


Owl City
Maybe I'm Dreaming



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 12 tracks: 47 minutes, 47 seconds
Street Date: March 17, 2008


The story of Owl City, Adam Young's one-man-band from Minnesota, has been a rocket ship ride from anonymity to celebrity. Before his big break across the airwaves, Young enjoyed making music on a synthesizer and posting his tunes on MySpace. When his music began attracting online hits, he compiled the songs into two albums.

The second of these is Maybe I'm Dreaming. The most noticeable of the fourteen tracks featured are early editions of "On the Wing" and "The Saltwater Room." Both are solid songs, though they're slightly longer than the versions featured on his mainstream debut, Ocean Eyes.

Other highlights include the fantasy of "My Super Honeymoon" which pines for a good wife and an amazing honeymoon. "Dear Vienna" harks back to a simpler time. "Early Birdie" has an ethereal vibe, with echoing synth and a progressive raindrop effect. The song itself focuses on the necessity of public transportation. "West Coast Friendship" feels much like "Tidal Wave" from Ocean Eyes, an upbeat song with a sense of finality.

The biggest issue with the album is the consistent overlong feel of the songs. Young is a clever lyricist, but sometimes it feels wasted when the songs go over four minutes. All too often the songs just felt like background music - nice to hear, but not enough to really grab and hold my attention. On the other hand, Owl City's music isn't about a sit-up-and-take-notice sound: it's about deceptively simple songs that lift your mood.

Overall, Maybe I'm Dreaming is fine, although I still greatly prefer Ocean Eyes. You can feel Young's potential, but I would rather wait for new Owl City material than look back to his old stuff.

JFH Reader Review: Review date: 12/7/09, written by Sean Cunningham for Jesusfreakhideout.com



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. Record Label: None
. Album length: 12 tracks: 47 minutes, 47 seconds
. Street Date: March 17, 2008
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. On the Wing (5:05)
  2. Rainbow Veins (4:41)
  3. Super Honeymoon (3:22)
  4. The Saltwater Room (4:56)
  5. Early Birdie (4:16)
  6. Air Traffic (3:02)
  7. The Technicolor Phase (4:27)
  8. Sky Diver (2:45)
  9. Dear Vienna (3:58)
  10. I'll Meet You There (4:17)
  11. This is the Future (2:53)
  12. West Coast Friendship (4:06)

 

 

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This Friday, November 14, 2025
ALBUMS
Bethel Music We Must Respond (Deluxe) [Bethel]
Emery White Line Fever (Remastered) - Disc One (independent)
FYR FYTR Snow After Fire - EP (independent)
HolyName Three Bar Cross - EP (independent)
Jake and Mates Songs of Deliverance (independent)
JERICKO Ups and Downs - EP [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope Asaph's Arrows II EP [BEC]
VIC LUCAS The Journey (Deluxe Version) [Syntax]
Ronnie Martin Evergreen Melodie [Velvet Blue]
NF FEAR - EP [Capitol]
Blessing Offor To All A Good Night [Capitol CMG]
Rave Jesus I MET GOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR [Provident]
Kristian Stanfill Come to Jesus [sixstepsrecords]
We Are Messengers Rejoice! (A Celtic Christmas) [Curb]
The Young Escape Not Done Yet [BEC]

SINGLES
ADRIEL CRUZ & JAMIL Praying For My Enemies - Single [Syntax]
BILL B. My Lord - Single [Syntax]
Biscuits Drifting Off (Hayloft) - Single [Circle Back]
Holly Brand Tennessee Christmas (feat. Warren Peay) - Single [Integrity]
Leanna Crawford Still Waters (Strings & Choir Version) - Single [Provident]
Melvin Crispell III, Jason Clayborn Whatever It Is - Single [Tyscot]
CUTRIGHT, ZIPPY, & QEW Pick it Up - Single [Syntax]
DRENAE Like U Do - Single [Syntax]
Eighteen Mile What Mercy Means - Single [Mountain Home Music]
His Kingdom Suffers There's No Light In This House - Single [Charon Collective]
KNALADEUS, SELAH THE CORNER, & AYO SHAMIR Let it Be (ft. JOSEPH SD) - Single [Syntax]
LEXLY NIRVANA Perdoname - Single [Syntax]
Richard Lynch Why Me Lord - Single [MTS]
Jamie MacDonald My Family - Single [Capitol CMG]
NEEDTOBREATHE Where You Call Home - Single [Omnivore]
Hunter Plake Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Single [BEC]
Skillet O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Single [Hear It Loud]

Next Sunday, November 16, 2025
ALBUMS
Bir Witness 26.13 (independent)

Next Thursday, November 20, 2025
SINGLES
The Rocky Valentines Happy Thanksgiving - Double Single [Velvet Blue]

Next Friday, November 21, 2025
ALBUMS
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Ellie Holcomb I'll Be Home for Christmas - EP [Magnolia]
Joseph Habedank The Great Adventure: A Tribute to Steven Curtis Chapman [Daywind]
Andrew Marcus Christmas - EP (independent)
Stryper The Greatest Gift Of All [Frontiers]

SINGLES
Cliff & Antoinette Murray Happy Thanksgiving - Single [DREAM]
Good Weather Forecast Little Christmas - Single [DREAM]
Jake MacAdam, Mark & Sarah Tillman Christ Has Come - Single [Ocean House]
Life.Church Worship A Thousand Blessings - Single [Ocean House]
Seph Schlueter Cling To The Cross (feat. Matt Maher) - Single [sixsteps]

VINYL
Stryper The Greatest Gift Of All Vinyl [Girder]


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