Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Electro-pop maestro Owl City has come a long way (considering his globe-trotting habits, a very long way) since his classic "Fireflies" hit in 2009. Since then, he's become a bona fide pop star, though someone that the hipster critics take delight in kicking around and words like "cheesy" and "anaemic" are continually levelled at his work. Prior to releasing 'Cinematic', he put out some of the tracks as singles. Four of them have made it to the Cross Rhythms playlist. Each of these - "New York City", "All My Friends", "Cloud Nine" and "Lucid Dream" - shows that they sound great on the airwaves. "All My Friends" was the first to get a music video and has a bit of Ed Sheeran in its structure and sound. "Lucid Dream" is possibly the most EDM-sounding track on the album, and with some clever lyrics ("I am a light sleeper but I am a heavy dreamer") shows that Adam Young, despite being a little too prolific for his own good (those monthly pseudo-cinema orchestral albums was surely stretching it a bit), is an exceptional pop talent. . . despite what the critics say.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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