Owl City

Intro

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• catchy
• in this day and age
• copycat
• legit

• repackage
• a fine line
• rip off
• commercial

• fluffy
• sleeper hit

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In music, there is a fine line between being influenced by another band, and ripping that band off. And a lot of people think that Adam Young of the hot new band Owl City has crossed that line.

Critics point out the similarities between the soft, soothing electronic songs on Owl City’s debut album, Ocean Eyes, and the music of another electronic band, Postal Service. Postal Service’s 2003 album Give Up didn’t have a ton of commercial success, but it did earn a ton of fans. Now some of those fans are upset by how much success Owl City has had with the hit single “Fireflies,” which Young himself admits sounds “pretty similar” to Postal Service.

Find out if Ella and Beren think Owl City is a true original or just an imitation.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Beren

Ella

Beren:  So, have you heard this band Owl City?

Ella:  Yes, I own the latest album, Ocean Eyes.

Beren:  I don’t know that much about the band, but I thought it was the Postal Service when I first heard it.

Ella:  They do sound quite similar, but I know there’s one dude and he writes a lot of the songs and does the keyboard and all the production, and I think it’s great. It’s really catchy.

Beren:  It’s like the number 1 album in America. It’s the big sleeper hit, which is unusual in this day and age.

Ella:  Yeah, ‘cause he’s so small. But I guess he used to be a part of another band.

Beren:  Well a lot of people are saying he’s just like a copycat. I mean, I’ve only heard that “Fireflies” song…

Ella:  Their other songs are pretty legit. He has one about going to the dentist, you know, it’s kind of traumatic, but he makes it fun to go to the dentist.

Beren:  People are saying it sounds a lot like Postal Service, which I have to agree with. I’ve only heard “Fireflies,” but people are saying that because Postal Service only had one album come out, that this guy took that sound and he’s able to repackage it in a different way and sell it to the public now, because the Postal Service never did that well.

Ella:  Yeah, I think he really targets the younger crowd, and the stuff he talks about is kinda…I don’t know that much about the Postal Service but I just remember their songs were a little deep, and his are a lot more fluffy, so maybe that’s why it took off.

Beren:  Ah, it’s for kids. People that are too young to know who Postal Service is.

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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