Weekly Release Spotlight: Owen Pallett

Posted on 2/01/2010

Owen Pallett

Heartland

[Domino]

While droves of modern independent musicians were coming of age in a grunge-punk-pop musical vacuum, some of their counterparts' impressionable minds were flourishing a little differently. For some young artists, composing complex string arrangements and orchestral fanfare made more sense than worshipping the teen angst trifecta of guitar, bass and drums. But the musical children of the late 20^th century had one thing in common - they all played video games. Leave it to Owen Pallett, one of these children, to draw inspiration from those games, MIDI and all, in order to create some of the most beautiful music (complete with strings and fanfare) of the last decade.

Pallett, a Canadian who until recently used the moniker Final Fantasy (an ode to the early ‘90s role-playing game), is a violinist and singer who has composed for and collaborated with everyone from Beirut to Arcade Fire. On Heartland, his first release under his own name, Pallett continues on the lush path he set out on with 2005’s Has a Good Home and 2006’s critically-acclaimed He Poos Clouds. Full of references to video games and make-believe lands, Pallett’s prior releases were stunning, yet sometimes almost too subdued and drifting. It often took a few listens to really get to the heart of a song. But he's evolved with Heartland. “Keep the Dog Quiet” relies on a hypnotic rhythm and barely-restrained force, and ends with an intensity that seems new for Pallett. “Lewis Takes Action” combines a sweet pop song with extremely violent lyrics, which works on every level.

Each song on Heartland is a new act in Pallett’s story of a violent farmer named Lewis. As if shedding the Final Fantasy name has emboldened him, the songs telling Lewis’ story are more satisfying and substantial. Telling a fictional story through his music rather than making introverted musings allows Pallett to distance himself and to tell the story more objectively. The intimacy of He Poos Clouds (which was based on Dungeons & Dragons) is not lost, as Pallett’s bedroom electronic elements and looped strings are still there. But the ideas behind the songs seem to have fermented into something much more conceptual than anything he's done before.

Stream: Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes Action

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Find more Owen Pallett at the Domino Records store

Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.