Owl City/Lights

Owl City mastermind Adam Young has been termed a "laptop artist," a critical backhand for people with the audacity to make albums without guitar solos. And while Young's songs may stem from the sterility of some digital recording software, he's been able to craft intricate gossamer worlds out of zeroes and ones. Throughout Owl City's breakthrough, Ocean Eyes, the click-clack of drum machines propels sampled strings and sprinkles of eight-bit bleeps. On the No. 1 hit "Fireflies," Young ties these synchronized parts together with his airy voice, which has the charm and tenacity of a rose petal. Lights, the project of Canadian keytar enthusiast Valerie Poxleitner, opens the show with a set of similarly arpeggiated synthpop.