The sky before Owl City

An Airplane Carried Me to Bed, Sky Sailing Sky Harbor Records/Universal Republic Records, 2010

Adam Young (more popularly known as Owl City) performed a one-night-only concert last March, and my one regret was that there wasn’t a press conference for the shy frontman.

On the heels of the international hit Fireflies from the album Ocean Eyes, a curious mix of young and old music lovers crammed the Mindanao parking lot of Trinoma mall for a fun, indulging evening of catchy tunes piggybacked on Young’s signature delicate, vulnerable singing.

Owl City is predicated on the congruence of melodic, pop sensibilities (and, come to it, darn good songwriting) with the electronic medium. Now, finally, more people know that electronica need not always be dance, and it need not always rise to a din as in thumping, smoke-filled bars with DJs and scantily clad, gyrating women.

The music of Adam Young soothes and inspires because it is so undeniably positive and bereft of negativity and prurience — delivering, instead, lush narratives of life and scenes — from the “sandy bottom of Puget Sound” of Seattle (Hello Seattle) to “mountains in the Midwest” (Designer Skyline).

Before the success of Owl City, Young says that he was “a metalworker, working 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a warehouse in (a) little southern Minnesota town. I was creating, thinking, imagining and breathing music with every second I had to spare.”

Armed with an “old Dell computer, Reason 2.5, a friend’s borrowed Behringer C-1 condenser, a Behringer eight-channel analog mixer, and (his) uncle’s old Alvarez,” Young recorded songs in his parents’ basement in the wee hours of morning. He called himself Sky Sailing — the precursor to the now insanely famous Owl City.

“I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but I was a dreamer and music was my escape so I gave it everything I had. Never expecting my music to be heard anywhere but by my parents through the floorboards above, I wrote for my own ears,” he continues on skysailingmusic.com.

Young promises his fans he is working on the next Owl City album, but in the meantime, perhaps An Airplane Carried Me to Bed should tide them over.

One might ask why the 11-song compilation wasn’t chalked up as an early Owl City album anyway. Perhaps it is Young’s nod to a simpler, innocent time before he and music connected to so many souls — only a few years removed from those sleepless nights.

As one would expect, many melodies and themes on An Airplane sounds like Owl City — or rather, more correctly, Owl City sounds a lot like Sky Sailing.

Young’s songwriting gift for lyrics and melodies shines through more clearly on Sky Sailing’s more acoustic renditions unlike many the synth-heavy Owl City tracks. Even Sky Sailing’s keyboard sound hews more to traditional piano musings as opposed to warm and bright sounds of Owl City.

Young displays some great acoustic guitar work on A Little Opera Goes A Long Way which, truth be told, sounds like a Dashboard Confessional song. Meanwhile, the beautiful simplicity of songs like Tennis Elbow and Take Me Somewhere Nice showcase Young’s pop sensibility tempered with restraint. The accordion sound of the latter ditty also gives a hint of the recurring keyboard musings and melodic lines of Owl City tunes.

Brielle stands out with its memorable guitar plucking and piano melody — to say nothing of its poignant lyrics. “When the new sights grow old and I start to feel cold, I’ll sail home again… I’ll be back again, so until then I wish you well. I love you, darling. Farewell, my dear Brielle.”

Sailboats closes the collection with a delicate, simple engagement of vocals and piano and images of flight and travel. “Once in 1964, an actress ran on the shore. Though you’ll never return, I love you Audrey Hepburn, sometimes I can see your face in the crowd,” sings Young.

Sky Sailing is not only a precursor of Owl City. It stands apart as a brilliant effort of a man soaring the heights of music and emotion in the unlikely venue of his parents’ cellar. Expect An Airplane Carried Me to Bed to do more than tide you over till the next Owl City album. Expect and anticipate. You wouldn’t be disappointed.