Adam Young: "Apollo 11"

Adam Young, the artist behind the electronica project Owl City, took a break from the mainstream world in 2016 to, in his words, "make music for the sake of creating nothing but pure, bold, trailblazing art." The result was 11 conceptual soundtracks for historical events as they played out in his mind's eye. Being a longtime fan of Owl City, and sharing Young's love of film scores, I decided to follow his endeavour with interest.

Starting here, I will investigate each of his 11 scores from 2016, looking at what worked, and what didn't, in an effort to join in alongside on the journey.

Apollo 11 marks a very strong start to the series. Emotionally, it is very rich, and the musical content is varied and engaging. All the emotions are here that you'd expect: the optimism and anticipation of liftoff and return, the wonder at stepping out for the first time on the moon's surface, and the tranquility and stillness of traveling through space. Probably this richness of character and emotion is what makes the album such a well-rounded offering. Young has successfully breathed a sense of the human spirit into one of the most unimaginably harsh environments.

Musically, Young paints with two broad brushes: the synth and electronic palette from his mainstream experience, and the orchestral palette of a modern Hollywood film score. In the former category, a low-tuned electric guitar serves to mostly represent the astronauts, and to give the album its Americana flair. On the orchestral side, the music is generally good, although not entirely free from the pitfalls of writing with samples (at least one horn player would complain on "Lunar Landing.") In general, the most interesting tracks are where both these approaches are combined: "CSM-LM Docking" is by far my favourite track, with the orchestra punctuating and dancing to the ostinato-driven rhythm set up by Young.

Another track that strongly resonates with the listener is "First Step On The Surface," which is mostly atmospheric with some piano and strings, but which creates an absolutely delightful character of almost giddy wonder and excitement. This richness and breadth of emotional character is perhaps the biggest factor in determining the success of Young's soundtracks.

Overall, it's the balance between the highs and lows — the moments of tension and the moments of stillness — that make Apollo 11 a well-rounded and engaging start to his soundtrack series.