Is Owl City A Postal Service Ripoff?
By Seraphina L.
Owl City has extremely blown up within the last few months and we say – good for him. Although, a lot of music fiends can’t seem to help but notice that his style sounds VERY similar to The Postal Service‘s signature sound.
Right down to the electronic beats, the dreamy lyrics, and most of all – the vocals. There is no doubt that Adam Young completely echoes Ben Gibbard when he sings and it’s begun to rub many people the wrong way.
Perhaps it’s because Gibbard has always been a staple in the indie world with his melodies and soft crooning, but maybe it’s also because we know that Gibbard isn’t afraid to step outside the box when it comes to subject matter in songwriting. Young, on the other hand, has always been very safe.
Young even goes to say that he is a huge fan of Postal Service and has been listening to them for years, although he flops around in regards to whether they were a main influence or not. We’ve posted two videos with one song from Owl City and one song from Postal Service. Do you think they sound like they could be coming from one band? Listen then vote to let us know!
Owl City: “Hello Seattle”
The Postal Service: “Brand New Colony”
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Friday, November 6, 2009 12:41AM
is this that stupid fireflies song?
i thought it WAS postal service until somebody said otherwise.
Friday, November 6, 2009 3:42AM
I said yes Owl City pretty much rips off Postal Service –BUT– he sounds good doing it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009 2:05AM
owl city is better at it… and in whole they don't sound alike…
Friday, November 13, 2009 2:47AM
It is clear that the styles are unmistakably similar when I hear Owl City on the radio and go home and google which members of the Postal Service are also members of this band.
Friday, November 13, 2009 4:20AM
Owl City is stupid as hell… autotune? really? and his lyrics are the most contrived bullshit I've ever heard… Maybe I'm just in outrage that the good music that I grew up to like the Postal Service paved the way for dumb shit like Owl City….
Friday, November 20, 2009 1:33AM
OC is like a kindergarten version of the Postal Service. He apes a few of the stylistic elements but with lyrics like that and an obviously inferior voice I know what I'll be listening to and what I won't. A degree of originatlity may not be commonly respected these days but this is really taking the idea of copying another artist way too far.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 6:45PM
The Autotune is annoying on Owl City. I just saw the fireflys video and was looking up to see if it was Postal Service related. So yes…ripoff
Sunday, December 13, 2009 3:02AM
anyone who says that OC isn't a obvious ripoff of The Postal Service must be deaf or such a fan that they are in denial!! And to CallingOutAmy WOW just wow… do me a favor and NEVER become a music critic. BEN PLEASE BRING POSTAL SERVICE BACK… WE (people with good taste… sorry CallingOutAmy) MISS YOU VERY MUCH!!
Monday, December 14, 2009 11:57AM
horrible rip off. Death cab for cutey postal service in one. Nothing new here. Someone needs to kick that little pussys ass and make him stop! How can idiots like this get rich and famous when there are literally thousands of killer bands playing totally different shit out there every night in the city. Should be illegal. Hope their tour bus plunges over a bridge
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 4:28AM
There is only one person in Owl City.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 5:14AM
I can't believe this kid is even trying to pretend like he is a musician. I understand he's not good enough to come up with something original but I would think he would change SOMETHING about what he copied from the postal service.
Monday, January 4, 2010 4:39AM
All I know is that if I were Ben Gibbard I'd be really pissed off at the nerve of his guy. It's almost deliberate, the copycat style.
Thursday, January 7, 2010 7:51AM
the fireflies song is popular b/c it's good and for all you idiots who are upset it's a ripoff of postal service I have some news for you… postal service is a ripoff of the flaming lips. Not to mention that all music borrows from what came before. Here is something for you morons to ponder, "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." –Isaac Newton. A quote he ripped off from many before him.
Saturday, January 9, 2010 9:55PM
It's funny, because The Flaming Lips and The Postal Service are completely different.
Not only do you give us a completely irrelevant quote with your unnecessary post, you neglect that Owl City sounds EXACTLY like The Postal Service with dumbed down lyrics. There's a difference between sounding like and mimicking, ya know.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:35PM
Pfft. He hasn't stolen any melodies or any lyrics. Yeah, they sound very similar — I thought it was postal service too — but they're not the first two bands to sound similar. As far as I can see, Adam Young hasn't broken any laws or stolen anyone's IP.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 2:30AM
A rip off of the Flaming Lips? Have you cleaned your ears at any point in the last decade? You should pick up some q tips. Or grow some ears.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 12:31PM
yes but i bet if Adam didnt become such a hit, Poastal Service wouldnt have anything to say.
alot of bands rip off each other and sound the same. you listen to one rap song and you would know what i mean. you cant compare bands that use the same generic shit beats, because yes the all sound the same. tbh, i found that artbook crap to be a complete rip off, but as for the music, i dont care if they sound the same. call me a idiot or deaf whatever, you are the sad losers who depict every little thing about this guy.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 9:38PM
I love Adam AND Ben! Both are great! I've been listening to them for a long time. Its like saying, two random rappers are the same. They are the same. Doesn't mean one stole a certain type of music. It's just a genre of music. They might sound similar, but really aren't!
I like Ben in DCFC more though.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 9:41PM
not that many people even know OC. I've heard people say, I love OC! they're the best!.
OC isn't Adam Young and the Narnias. It's Adam Young. Not they.
OC is popular bc of the stupid iTunes free song of the week. I like bands or people that are unknown. Once they're known, they're totally different. Take NSN for example.
Monday, January 18, 2010 5:59AM
I feel that they are similar but I feel like owl city has more of a pop, preppy sound than postal service I also feel like it's not a big deal. They are both amazing. If postal service had a problem with Adam young than I think they would have sued. Obviously this argument is pretty one-sided if you ask me. Just enjoy what you can, sheesh over-dramatic fans.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 7:59PM
Both suck… why care?
Thursday, January 28, 2010 4:34PM
Postal Service (who has only one album and doesn't even make music anymore) vocals are an obvious difference from that of Owl City. If you say different than I guess I have a better ear. Lyrical content doesn't really matter so long as it's pleasing to the ear. Yes OC has some obvious SIMILARITIES which are bound to happen if you name that as an INFLUENCE. I personally think PS fans should stop clinging to their one album as if it was gospel and for both sides to stop waging this pointless Holy War. If PS ever makes another album it will probably sound even more different than OC because both of these similar things will start shooting off into different directions, musicians rarely sound the same forever.
Sunday, January 31, 2010 7:24PM
I can't help but think that this person has The Postal Service COVER of a Flaming Lips song ('Suddenly Everything Has Changed') but it wrongly says 'The Flaming Lips' under the 'Artist' section.
Just sayin'.
Sunday, February 7, 2010 3:07AM
Are you kidding me? They barely sound alike and are very different. You people are fucking retarded for going to such lengths as to accusing someone of ripping off another band. You're comparing two songs in this article, thats not enough to determine if an artist sounds like another one. This is just ridiculous, they're both good bands, there is no reason to try to ruin one because you're all such crazy fanboys of The Postal Service.
Friday, February 12, 2010 2:35AM
IDIOTS! They sound nothing alike! You all are just mad because Owl City caught a break for having whimsical lyrics and a larger audience. If these two sound the same, so does Kansas and Safetysuit. That's how unreasonable you sound.
Friday, February 26, 2010 10:57AM
have listened to both vids and owl city do it better, the tune by postal service sounds like it was made 15 years ago on my PS1, 2 ppl play the guitar- they sound the same, as long as they're not playing the same tunes or lyrics wots the problem?wots with all these tribute bands playing other peoples tunes every nite! thats a rippoff! anyway i heard of owl city first and would never of heard of postal service without owl city
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:23AM
Owl city is obviously inferior. The lyrics are terrible… how could you get hugs from bugs? idgi. So cheesy and unoriginal.
Thursday, March 25, 2010 3:37PM
[...] More Oh, boy. As if weren’t confused enough about why Owl City sounds eerily similar to The Postal Service, we now have so many questions about Adam Young’s new video for “Vanilla [...]
Sunday, April 4, 2010 11:12PM
absolutely not..
Monday, April 12, 2010 4:54PM
there would be no Owl City w/o Postal Service
Thursday, April 15, 2010 3:51PM
They are a bit similar but the differences are seriously big. I mean there both openings, in a techno form, but they arent the same, and Owl City didnt copy anything. You know now that i hear it again, They dont sound the same at all. So all you little people being jerks about this saying Owl City is ripping Postal Service off, are wrong.
Thursday, April 15, 2010 3:54PM
IMO I hear very little similarities, all the people that are bein sour about OC "Rippin' Off" PS are the people that are clearly already fans of PS which is obviously biased comments. It's the same with any New and Old band that play the same genre of music. Take Oasis and The Beatles for example.. Everybody that grew up listenin 2 The Beatles is likely to say Oasis ripped them off, anybody that grew up listenin 2 Oasis will argue against that. Everybodys too quick to judge and compare shit.
Thursday, May 6, 2010 5:18AM
Are you guys kidding me? Just because more than one group uses a synth and catchy beats does not mean they sound at all alike. There are clear and distinct differences between the two, starting with subject matter and rhyme structure. The fact that anyone would confuse these groups saddens me as I now realize that our society is now only producing casual listeners of music. Both groups are amazing and have a lot to offer, but frankly I prefer Owl City. His approach to this genre is fresh and appealing (though personally I wouldn't have chosen Hello Seattle to demonstrate it–try The Saltwater Room).
Thursday, May 6, 2010 5:20AM
Thank God, someone with actual music sense
Thursday, May 6, 2010 5:23AM
you're retarded
Sunday, August 22, 2010 2:29AM
The first time I heard Firefly i thought it was The Postal Service then my friend said it was a song by Owl City and i thought maybe Ben Gibbard had grown apart from JamesTamborello (Dntel) and gone on his own again and made a new name for himself "Owl City" even the name kinda goes with the flow of his songs lyrics and so on. So yeah In my opinion either complete rip off or really very big influence to the point his songs just come out that way.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:35AM
you just called the song stupid but thought it was postal service which I am figuring you are a fan of? so just you liked it until you find out that it is by Owl City. I am a huge Postal service fan and Owl City Fan. They have similar styles of creating music but owl city is a much brighter sound and lyrics while postal service is usually darker.
Saturday, November 5, 2011 1:52PM
No. Their voices do sound somewhat similar, and both are electronic. I don't think that could be considered a rip-off.