Hoo! Hoo! Yes, you there, over here! Hoo! (End of feeble owl imitation.) The rock sales success story of the moment is clearly Owl City. Who? Well, exactly.

And for all that, there's a good chance you still haven't heard it.

So who's buying the thing, and where are they hearing it?

The most common spiel about the band is that they're a Postal Service soundalike act. And it's true that frontman Adam Young (well, only man Adam Young—he's the sole member of the "group") has some wistful, yearning, and unthreatening vocal qualities that could be described as Ben Gibbard-esque. But when Young claims that he'd barely heard the Postal Service before recording the latest album and that he was more familiar with Gibbard's other band, Death Cab for Cutie, it's not that difficult to believe him. It's not as if the Postal Service trademarked a combination of sweet emotions and synthesizers—or as if anyone ever imagined they'd get rich copping from them. The "poor man's Postal Service" is the kind of meme that really is a little more like a thought virus than an inescapable reality.

What if Owl City were succeeding not because Young reminds people of the Postal Service, but because he reminds them of Jesse McCartney?

You maybe like me—already having heard "Fireflies," but not realizing you've heard it—if there's anyone in your family who listens to Radio Disney. There, the song is ubiquitious, more so than its No. 9 ranking on their airplay chart might indicate. On reputation alone, Owl City is an odd fit amid the Serena Gallaghers, Miley Cyruses, Demi Lovatos, and Taylor Swifts that dominate Radio Disney, but if you first hear it in that context, it's easy to imagine that Young is a lost Jonas Brother with a slightly quirkier lyrical bent. And therein may lie the untold secret to Owl City's success, or at least a good part of it.

(Young also has ties to the Christian rock scene, though that's definitely not part of the PR plan; he's collaborated and toured with Relient K, and you may notice tell-tale references about "making all things new" sneaking into the otherwise non-religious lyrics.)

Some Owl City fans say "Fireflies" isn't really the best indication of what Young can do. But it's certainly the most marketable. The lyrics aren't literally romantic, but kids can't help associate fireflies and lightning bugs with the magic of falling in love. Others may be more attuned to the all-by-myself qualities in Young's music. Like Brian Wilson with the oldie "In My Room," he's writing about being young and solitary, but with a less lonely, more awestruck attitude. The video nicely captures that sense-of-wonder 'tude, taking the themes away from shooting stars to the things that might come to life and light up right in your own abode. The fact that Young recorded most of the album in his parents' basement only adds to his identifiable, smart ‘n' sensitive aura.

Will Owl City be a one-hit wonder? Or, in a few years, will the mention of their/his name result not so much in a who? as a huh? Make your predictions in our comments section.