The Midsummer Station
by Owl City
User Score
4.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 77
  3. Negative: 31 out of 77
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  1. miracar
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    he might not be a lyrical genius or production master but this album meant so much to me and is the best owl city album out there.
  2. CautiousCritic
    Feb 11, 2014
    5
    Its not terrible .....would be great actually if you had a very vivid imagination and mainstream pop listeners ......this is his worst album so far....although I loved All things bright and beautiful which makes me happy everytime I listen to it......the album is full with heavy bass and loud sounds....although Silhouette is soothing and soft on the ears it can't save this album.
  3. matthewdeane12
    Nov 22, 2013
    9
    This album sees Adam return in top form, once again. This album is definitely different to what he usually releases, but this is not a bad thing. Songs such as 'I'm Coming After You', and 'Dreams and Disasters' are so catchy that once you hear them you will be dancing and singing along in no time. The only problem with this album is that the lyrical content is not as enchanting and thoughtThis album sees Adam return in top form, once again. This album is definitely different to what he usually releases, but this is not a bad thing. Songs such as 'I'm Coming After You', and 'Dreams and Disasters' are so catchy that once you hear them you will be dancing and singing along in no time. The only problem with this album is that the lyrical content is not as enchanting and thought evoking as his previous work.… Expand
  4. Neonpandaz
    Apr 17, 2013
    8
    I understand why this album is getting so much hate as it is a huge difference from what he normally does. But, that doesn't mean he's just gonna just uproot everything he's ever done and change styles completely. Artists sometimes like to experiment with different tools. And besides. in my opinion its pretty catchy.
  5. AloudSound
    Sep 24, 2012
    5
    "His latest effect is just the same as his previous albums... Fairly good, fairy, fantasy, fine, frozen pop/electronic music... And lets keep it that way (lucky not another "F" word was featured)."
  6. Mab_987
    Sep 2, 2012
    5
    TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS --- Dreams & Disasters: This starts the album fairly well, with whimsical & well-made instrumentation & a good optimistic lyrical message. It enters club territory a little in the chorus but it doesn't distract very much. 7/10 - Shooting Star: The verses are vintage Owl City at its finest, with a dreamy-sounding synth line & lyrics. After that however, it showsTRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS --- Dreams & Disasters: This starts the album fairly well, with whimsical & well-made instrumentation & a good optimistic lyrical message. It enters club territory a little in the chorus but it doesn't distract very much. 7/10 - Shooting Star: The verses are vintage Owl City at its finest, with a dreamy-sounding synth line & lyrics. After that however, it shows nearly all the flaws that I mentioned in my Good Time rant below. The lyrics also take a nosedive in the chorus, becoming a lazy copy of Katy Perry's Firework, which IMO was already a mediocre song. 4/10 - Gold: The lyrics & vocal melody are okay (certainly a better "empowerment song" than Shooting Star) but what bothers me about this song is that it sounds EXACTLY the same as Alligator Sky from All Things Bright & Beautiful, which came out LAST YEAR. Does Adam really think his fans are this stupid?! Not only that; Alligator Sky was a far better song, with charmingly surreal lyrics & some great experimentation into hip hop. This, by comparison or by itself, is just mediocre. 3/10 - Dementia: This is the first song I heard from TMS when Adam leaked it back in April, & I was absolutely elated. Power chords, fantastic melodies & lyrics, & a duet with MARK HOPPUS! Great yet misleading first impression. 9/10 - I'm Coming After You: The music has an pretty cool synth-pop sound that's got an attitude to it. That however is where the praise ends. The police/love metaphors are cringe-worthily cheesy & almost come off as... rapey? Or at least stalkery? Maybe it's just me but it's a bit offputting. 6/10 - Speed of Love: Again, the metaphors are cheesy, albeit not as bad. But the overall sound of it is nice, & it's probably one of his more techno-leaning tracks. This is by far the best "dance" song here. 7/10 - Good Time: This is by far the most blatant indicator of what's wrong with a lot of this album: it's generic pop music that's pandering to the lowest common denominator, aka people who'll buy into any cheap schlock as long as you can dance to it. Every sellout indicator is here. Safe, generic lyrics that Adam probably wrote in 5 minutes with record execs watching closely behind him, with even a title that screams "mass appeal"? Check. Flavor of the week guest singer to ride the success coattails of (the Call Me Maybe girl)? Check! That copy-&-pasted pre-chorus & chorus beat that starts out as nothing, then gradually doubles in speed until a chorus that mainly consists of "oh" lazily repeated for 3 lines followed by a line that contains the title, backed by a generic club beat? CHECK! Shooting Star & Gold had me kinda upset, but this is just embarrassing, & a blatant cash-in for Adam to keep himself from becoming a one-hit wonder for Fireflies! 2/10 - Embers: Oddly enough, after the song that represented everything I DIDN'T wanna hear from this album, this song represents I DID wanna hear from this album. I loved the rock direction I heard on Dementia & I was hoping he'd expand on that, & that's exactly what this song did, & then some. Not only that but the instrumentation is beautiful, epic, & the lyrics are some of Adam's best. The string section was a nice touch too. 9/10 - Silhouette: On the opposite end of the highlight spectrum, we have this fantastic soft piano-driven ballad. The lyrics paint a beautiful picture of self-doubt without sounding emo & the instrumentation is carefully handled, providing just enough sound to invoke just the right amount of emotion. 8/10 - Metropolis: Like Good Time, this has that annoyingly generic, club-driven drum build-up. However, I think it fits a little better here, & the lyrics/instrumentation feel a bit more natural. 7/10 - Take It All Away: This song makes very good use of a slow, dragging boom-clap beat. Like Silhouette, the lyrics are breakup-centric, & while the lyrics here are slightly less subtle, they're just as good. The quiet synths in the background help create a great atmosphere, & this whole song just sounds so authentic, with the possible exception of the syllable-stuttering in the chorus, but I'll forgive that. 8/10 - Bombshell Blonde: This song just feels... off. I think it's because this is the only time where Adam has ever sung about something somewhat sex-related. It just doesn't fit. At least Good Time was about harmless celebration. This is basically about picking up a hot girl at the club. Don't get the impression that I'm a prude but given Adam's Christian upbringing & somewhat meek personality, this whole song just feels really forced. Case-in-points: the facepalm-inducing comparisons between himself & James Bond, & the *shudder* dubstep breakdown. The rest of the song is bad but I just can't help but crack up at that point from the awfulness. 2/10 - Top of the World: Meh. The guitar riff is okay but it just gets overtaken by the generic club stuff. Lyrics are pretty generic too. Just feels kinda stale. 4/10 --- Album score: 57/100… Expand
  7. hpis2cool
    Sep 1, 2012
    2
    It is not necessarily a bad thing when an artist decides to take a new musical direction, but I believe it is in Adam Young's best interest that we state our true impressions. That being said, this album takes everything I love about Owl City and throws it out the window. His quirky metaphoric words have been exchanged for simple and often childish lyrics. I felt as if every song had toIt is not necessarily a bad thing when an artist decides to take a new musical direction, but I believe it is in Adam Young's best interest that we state our true impressions. That being said, this album takes everything I love about Owl City and throws it out the window. His quirky metaphoric words have been exchanged for simple and often childish lyrics. I felt as if every song had to include something like "woo woo" or "oh oh oh". The beautiful complexity of his tunes have also been simplified to sound more repetitive and mainstream.
    Really, to understand this album, one must simply take "Fireflies" and compare it to "Good Time". "I like to make myself belieeeeeve that planet eaaarth turns sloowwwwwwlyyy" has turned into "Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh".    … Expand
  8. Penderworth
    Aug 30, 2012
    4
    Unfortunately, this is not one of Young's better albums. I recently composed a track-by-track analysis of The Midsummer Station on a blog I write for, so I don't plan to do that again. Instead, I'm simply going to put the only notable tracks in order from best to worst.

    Silhouette Metropolis Dementia (feat. Mark Hoppus) Embers Honestly, the rest are comprised of repetitive    Unfortunately, this is not one of Young's better albums. I recently composed a track-by-track analysis of The Midsummer Station on a blog I write for, so I don't plan to do that again. Instead, I'm simply going to put the only notable tracks in order from best to worst.

    Silhouette
    Metropolis
    Dementia (feat. Mark Hoppus)
    Embers

    Honestly, the rest are comprised of repetitive melodies and pop paradigms. It's the most disappointing album by Owl City and I'm hoping Adam Young doesn't keep up this sad decline into mainstream culture.    … Expand
  9. SchroederRock
    Aug 28, 2012
    7
    The Midsummer Station is not going to be favored by everyone. Owl City, or Adam Young, does everything right to craft a catchy pop-laden album that will see some radio play (especially when teaming up with Carly Rae Jepsen on "Good Time"). But what ultimately worries me is the amount of sugar coat over many of these tracks. At times, it's Owl City's take of top 40 club & dance. OtherThe Midsummer Station is not going to be favored by everyone. Owl City, or Adam Young, does everything right to craft a catchy pop-laden album that will see some radio play (especially when teaming up with Carly Rae Jepsen on "Good Time"). But what ultimately worries me is the amount of sugar coat over many of these tracks. At times, it's Owl City's take of top 40 club & dance. Other times, it's a touch of Relient K over gentle piano ballads. It mostly works, but it's not a sure thing. "Bombshell Blonde" earns some praise, which Young adds the increasingly popular dubstep touch with excellence. "Silhouette" brings the charming and soft spot of the album, and "Gold" seems to be written under the influence of One Republic (though it's quite good). Owl City fans will love it. Those who aren't fans may not find a way to really embrace it.… Expand
  10. TheReviewerIsJJ
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Great album. Much better than all things bright and beautiful. But not as good as ocean eyes. Which gets an 11 in my opinion. My top 3 songs on the cd are:
    Speed of love
    Dementia
    Embers
  11. Greenball10
    Aug 27, 2012
    9
    First, for all previous Owl City fans, you can definitely agree with me that this is Adam's WORST Album. That doesn't mean the album in itself is bad, however. I loved his last albums so much because of his own lyrics that actually had some meaning towards them, but since the music industry made Adam use co-writers for this one, it simply shows how brilliant Adam is, and makes you wonderFirst, for all previous Owl City fans, you can definitely agree with me that this is Adam's WORST Album. That doesn't mean the album in itself is bad, however. I loved his last albums so much because of his own lyrics that actually had some meaning towards them, but since the music industry made Adam use co-writers for this one, it simply shows how brilliant Adam is, and makes you wonder what some other artists could do if they didn't have co-writers. All this being said, I still love the album. Each song (Excluding Silhouettes, I'll get to that later) seemed to be written by a completely different person, but they were all catchy. I don't like dubstep whatsoever, but Bombshell Blonde caught my ear, and it's been played on my iPod a few times. The background music was more of a Pop genre than his previous "Electronic," "SynthPop," or "ElectroPop" styles, but it was still as catchy as ever. Now, on to Silhouettes. This is the favorite of most past Owl City fans, as it reminds them (And me) of Lonely Lullaby, and even a little bit of Vanilla Twilight. It is a quiet, soft, touching song. Everything being said, overall, this album is great. Again, it is Adam's worst album -- if you're into his old music. If you're a new fan of Owl City, simply based on this album and all the publicity it has gotten, maybe this is your type of music and SynthPop isn't! It's all up to opinions, and even though I prefer his old albums more, this is still a definite recommend.… Expand
  12. countryfarmer
    Aug 25, 2012
    10
    Like the rest of Owl City's albums this one is yet again amazing in everyway. All of the music is catchy and holds a lot of meaning and many people will be able to relate to them. To me this album is the best one I have bought in a long time. Money well spend and I really recommend it!
  13. AdamAL4
    Aug 22, 2012
    1
    I have no problem with artists evolving. In fact, I'm glad he changed things up for this album. Also, I'm not even close to being an "Owl Citizen". However, this is just bad generic pop music. I understand that Owl City has always been slighty generic and very cheesy, but this is a new low for him. I like a nice, dumb song when it's done well, like Good Time. But songs like BombshellI have no problem with artists evolving. In fact, I'm glad he changed things up for this album. Also, I'm not even close to being an "Owl Citizen". However, this is just bad generic pop music. I understand that Owl City has always been slighty generic and very cheesy, but this is a new low for him. I like a nice, dumb song when it's done well, like Good Time. But songs like Bombshell Blonde are not... Y'know, let me rephrase this. Bombshell Blonde is unmemorable, generic, stupid, not catchy, boring production until the bridge, and I can barely tell what he's saying. That also goes for a lot of the other songs. This album needs to disappear fast and Owl City needs to try (yet) another direction. Sorry.… Collapse
  14. Galaxies
    Aug 22, 2012
    10
    For some fans this will be disappointing. But for most this will be a nice refreshing taste and sound to Pop music. Adam Young and his team have been able to create something very unique still. I still hear Owl City in this. This album is awesome!
  15. Terg
    Aug 22, 2012
    1
    Adam has managed to go from a creative, unique, individual artist to a generic, mainstream nobody. No ones gonna remember this album. All it has to offer is hollow and cheesy pop club anthems. Even the lyrics are a HUGE step down from his earlier, witty, amusing and clever lyrics. Now all we get is: "We don't even have to try, its always a good time!" Was that lyric the motto for theAdam has managed to go from a creative, unique, individual artist to a generic, mainstream nobody. No ones gonna remember this album. All it has to offer is hollow and cheesy pop club anthems. Even the lyrics are a HUGE step down from his earlier, witty, amusing and clever lyrics. Now all we get is: "We don't even have to try, its always a good time!" Was that lyric the motto for the creating of this album? Doesn't sound like anyone tried at all. This is a piece of garbage. Only good song is "Dreams & Disasters". HEY ADAM, GUESS WHAT! YOU'VE LOST YOUR ORIGINALITY, CREATIVITY, AND UNIQUENESS. GOODBYE.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Most Discussed Album of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. American Songwriter
    Sep 14, 2012
    20
    Young's idea of fun is based on an uneasy mix of cheap valedictory philosophizing and infantile daydreaming.
    Read full review
  2. Spin
    Sep 11, 2012
    40
    They [Adam Young's fans] deserve better. We deserve better. Come to think of it, Adam Young deserves better.
    Read full review
  3. Q Magazine
    Sep 7, 2012
    40
    Where once he dreamed of Fireflies, now Young just sounds burned out. [Oct 2012, p.108]
See all critic reviews »