The story of Owl City, Adam Young's one-man-band from Minnesota, has been a rocket ship ride from anonymity to celebrity. Before his big break across the airwaves, Young enjoyed making music on a synthesizer and posting his tunes on MySpace. When his music began attracting online hits, he compiled the songs into two albums.

The second of these is Maybe I'm Dreaming. The most noticeable of the fourteen tracks featured are early editions of "On the Wing" and "The Saltwater Room." Both are solid songs, though they're slightly longer than the versions featured on his mainstream debut, Ocean Eyes.

Other highlights include the fantasy of "My Super Honeymoon" which pines for a good wife and an amazing honeymoon. "Dear Vienna" harks back to a simpler time. "Early Birdie" has an ethereal vibe, with echoing synth and a progressive raindrop effect. The song itself focuses on the necessity of public transportation. "West Coast Friendship" feels much like "Tidal Wave" from Ocean Eyes, an upbeat song with a sense of finality.

The biggest issue with the album is the consistent overlong feel of the songs. Young is a clever lyricist, but sometimes it feels wasted when the songs go over four minutes. All too often the songs just felt like background music - nice to hear, but not enough to really grab and hold my attention. On the other hand, Owl City's music isn't about a sit-up-and-take-notice sound: it's about deceptively simple songs that lift your mood.

Overall, Maybe I'm Dreaming is fine, although I still greatly prefer Ocean Eyes. You can feel Young's potential, but I would rather wait for new Owl City material than look back to his old stuff.

JFH Reader Review: written by Sean Cunningham, 12/7/09, for Jesusfreakhideout.com