Maybe I'm Dreaming
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''Maybe I'm Dreaming'' is the debut studio album by American
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
project
Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (American musician), Adam Young, who created the project while exp ...
, released on March 17, 2008. Despite having been self-released and not recorded by any major producer, it managed to reach the top 20 of the ''
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''
Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums and Top Dance/Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling dance music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by Nielsen ...
chart. Following the surprise success of Owl City's second studio album, '' Ocean Eyes'', ''Maybe I'm Dreaming'' was pressed and re-released by Universal Republic on April 21, 2009.


Background and release

''Maybe I'm Dreaming'' was recorded in February 2008, in the basement of Adam Young's childhood home. Young produced and recorded the album in
Owatonna, Minnesota Owatonna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County F ...
. Speaking about recording the album himself, he recalled, "it's easy to overthink what you do by allowing yourself to become too emotionally invested in what you're doing." Guest musicians on the album include
Breanne Düren Breanne Elizabeth Dürenberger (born October 9, 1987), known professionally as Breanne Düren, is an American musician best known for her work with electronic music project Owl City and her own solo work. Early life Breanne Düren was born on ...
and Austin Tofte. Düren is featured on multiple songs on the album, most notably on the track, "The Saltwater Room". A friend had suggested that she would be perfect to work with Young. Young used his uncle's 1969 Alvarez guitar on the fourth track, "The Saltwater Room". The seventh track, "The Technicolor Phase", is featured on ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
s compilation album, ''
Almost Alice ''Almost Alice: Music Inspired by the Motion Picture'' is a 2010 concept album of various artists' music inspired by Tim Burton's film, ''Alice in Wonderland''. The album is also notable for featuring songs that were inspired from quotes directly ...
''. The album was self-released through his record label, Sky Harbor on March 17, 2008. It was released in the United Kingdom and Europe on December 16, through
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
. Physical copies of the album were pressed and re-released by Universal Republic on April 21, 2009. An official music video for the song "Early Birdie" was filmed in March 2008, by Adam Young's childhood friends/bandmates Andy and Anthony Johnson of Windsor Airlift, and then released on January 13, 2011, via
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.


Critical reception

''Maybe I'm Dreaming'' was met with positive reviews from music critics. Anthony Tognazzini of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised the album for its "breezy melodies, personal lyrics, and carefully orchestrated folktronica." He also complimented Young's ability to build on "the skills he was developing on '' Of June''" and turn it into a "strong effort" on the album. Kaj Roth of
Melodic A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...
stated, "If you're in the mood for ambient music, then ''Maybe I'm Dreaming'' is surely the right medicine." Will R of
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stated that the album, "soothes the listener with airy, almost ethereal leads and simple acoustic guitar strums over a relaxing bed of synth pads." He also called "Rainbow Veins" the "standout track on the album," praising the synth lead and rhythmic guitar. He also complimented the songs, "The Technicolor Phase" for its melody, and "West Coast Friendship" for its, "chilled-out synths."


Track listing


Notes

*"On the Wing" and "The Saltwater Room" were included as remastered tracks on his second studio album ''Ocean Eyes''.


Personnel

Credits adapted from album's
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
. Owl City * Adam Young – vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, drums, producer, programming,
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
,
audio mixer A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instr ...
Additional musicians and production *
Breanne Düren Breanne Elizabeth Dürenberger (born October 9, 1987), known professionally as Breanne Düren, is an American musician best known for her work with electronic music project Owl City and her own solo work. Early life Breanne Düren was born on ...
– additional vocals (1, 4, 6) * Austin Tofte – additional guitars, additional instrumentation, additional vocals (1, 2, 5) * Ryan Satt – artwork * Zach Ogoord – artwork * Paul Lemke – photography


Charts


Release history


Notes and miscellanea

*On November 24, 2010, Andy Johnson of Windsor Airlift published his cover of "Sky Diver" on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.


References


External links

* 2008 debut albums Owl City albums {{2000s-pop-album-stub