Album Review: Sail By The Stars - The Night Owl EP

With Owl City topping the charts with his uplifting "hair emo" popness, the door has now been opened for a flood of sunnier emo outfits to break into the mainstream. Sail By The Stars probably won't be one of those, although mostly for lack of exposure no doubt. Frontman (and only man) Josh unveils a myspace covered in smileys and youthful cheer. His new EP "The Night Owl EP" embodies just that.

Opener "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might" kicks off in acoustic fashion and vocals as sunny as a Florida summer. Hooks and pop sensibilities galore, the electric elements of the song do tend to feel a bit unnecessary (think Dashboard Confessional's veering into full band territory). To be fair, the same goes for much of the EP's content, with "Wingspans And Flight Plans" and "A Glowworm Never Grows Dim" flirting with more intelligent plugged instrumenting.

Still, tracks "If My Room Were A Rocketship" and "Hold On Tight, Time Travels Fast" continue the semi-acoustic, fun-loving, smile-sporting style that define this particular band. Closing track "I'll Give You The Moon" tries something more moody, and ultimately fails and feels out of place.

Sail By The Stars are not a bad band, just one that will soon be part of a massive market that probably won't make it past this summer. But if you're looking for a soundtrack for your holiday season and slushie level cheesiness is your thing, then "The Night Owl EP" might just be what you need.

3/5

'The Night Owl EP' by Sail By The Stars is released on April 27th.

Sail By The Stars on MySpace

James Berclaz-Lewis