All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by American electronica project Owl City. It was released on June 14, 2011. It recieved mixed critical reviews, but it still became a commercial success and reached the No. 6 slot on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The album's title is named after the hymn of the same name.
Background[]
Adam Young continues with his synth-pop style, as well as introducing styles of indie rock, folk, European trance in "Galaxies", and rap on "Alligator Sky". Other guest musicians on the album include Matthew Thiessen, LIGHTS, Breanne Düren, and Adam Young's mother, Joan Young.
Young originally intended the album to be released on May 24, 2011, but was then changed to May 17. On April 6, Young then posted on his official site that the release date had been pushed back to June 14. He stated that the reason for this was "in an attempt to better connect the dots and ensure that every cloud in the sky is stitched together with its own special silver lining", and "with school finally out for the summer, it'll be a perfect time to sit back and watch the fireworks." He also posted previews for four tracks along with the explanation from the new album, each being 1 minute and 30 seconds long. Those were "Alligator Sky", "Deer in the Headlights", "Galaxies", and "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust".
Singles[]
The lead single, "Alligator Sky" featuring Californian rapper Shawn Chrystopher, was released on March 22, 2011. There are four versions of the song. The first version features Shawn Chrystopher and is the main release, the second only includes Adam Young's vocals and features different lyrics, a third version featuring Atlanta rapper B.o.B leaked online, and the fourth version features Big Boi's vocals from Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast, which also leaked onto the internet.
The second single, "Galaxies" was released on April 19, 2011, and was made available for purchase and download on iTunes. The song peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Christian Song Chart, surpassing "Fireflies", which only peaked at No. 44 in 2010. It has since then re-entered the chart at No. 48 in the week of September 24, 2011.
An exclusive single, "Lonely Lullaby", was released to all members of Owl City Galaxy, a club that you automatically became a part of when you pre-ordered the album. The song mentions an "Annmarie" many times, a reference to Adam Young's ex-girlfriend, Annmarie Monson. This song, however, is not actually part of the album, and the app was discontinued in mid-2013. The song later was released as a single on July 19, 2011, making it officially available to people outside of Owl City Galaxy.
The fourth and final single, "Angels", was released on September 20, 2011. The song was serviced to Christian radio singles the same day.
Promotional singles[]
The first promotional single, "Deer in the Headlights", was released on May 23, 2011.
The second promotional single, "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust", was released on October 10, 2011, in the United Kingdom.
Critical reception[]
All Things Bright and Beautiful received mixed reviews, gaining a 49/100 score from Metacritic, an 8/10 score from IGN, and a 5/10 from Spin magazine.
Trivia[]
- This is the only album to have not spawned any singles that have charted on the UK Singles Top 200 chart.
- The track "January 28, 1986" (the date of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster) samples Ronald Reagan's State of the Union speech and is also the introduction to "Galaxies".
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Real World" | 3:34 | |
| 2. | "Deer in the Headlights" | 3:00 | |
| 3. | "Angels" | 3:40 | |
| 4. | "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust" | 3:44 | |
| 5. | "Honey and the Bee" (featuring Breanne Düren) | 3:44 | |
| 6. | "Kamikaze" | 3:27 | |
| 7. | "January 28, 1986" (Intro to "Galaxies") | 0:37 | |
| 8. | "Galaxies" | 4:03 | |
| 9. | "Hospital Flowers" | 3:39 | |
| 10. | "Alligator Sky" (featuring Shawn Chrystopher) | Adam Young • Shawn Chrystopher | 3:05 |
| 11. | "The Yacht Club" (featuring Lights) | 4:32 | |
| 12. | "Plant Life" | Young • Matthew Thiessen | 4:10 |
| Total length: | 40:45 | ||
| iTunes bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "How I Became the Sea" | 4:25 |
| 14. | "Alligator Sky" (No Rap Version) | 3:15 |
| Total length: | 48:35 | |
| Owl City Galaxy bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Lonely Lullaby" | 4:28 |
| German iTunes and Japanese edition bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "How I Became the Sea" | 4:25 |
| 14. | "Shy Violet" | 3:49 |
| 15. | "To the Sky" | 3:40 |
| Total length: | 52:39 | |
| Taiwan edition bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "Alligator Sky" (No Rap Version) | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 45:13 | |
Personnel[]
Owl City[]
- Adam Young – vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, programming, percussion, glockenspiel, marimba, accordion, producer, engineer, art direction, audio mixer
Additional musicians and production[]
- Breanne Düren – additional vocals on track 5
- Shawn Chrystopher – additional vocals on track 10
- LIGHTS – additional vocals on track 11
- Joan Young – backing vocals on track 9
- Matthew Thiessen – backing vocals on track 12
- Laura Musten – violin on tracks 4, 6, 10, & 13
- Hannah Schroeder – cello on tracks 6, 7, 10, & 13
- Daniel Jorgensen – vibraphone on tracks 4 & 7
- Steve Bursky – producer, management & hand claps on track 5
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- StudioAKT – art direction
- Jack Joseph Puig – audio mixer
- Joe Corey – audio mixer assistant
| Songs from All Things Bright and Beautiful |
|---|
| The Real World • Deer in the Headlights • Angels • Dreams Don't Turn to Dust • Honey and the Bee • Kamikaze • January 28, 1986 • Galaxies • Hospital Flowers • Alligator Sky • The Yacht Club • Plant Life • How I Became the Sea • Lonely Lullaby • Shy Violet • To the Sky |
| Owl City Discography | |
|---|---|
| Albums | Maybe I'm Dreaming • Ocean Eyes • All Things Bright and Beautiful • The Midsummer Station • Mobile Orchestra • Cinematic • Coco Moon |
| EPs | Of June • Shooting Star • The Midsummer Station - Acoustic • Ultraviolet • Reel 1 • Reel 2 • Reel 3 |