New Records: Owen Pallett- Heartland
Written by willshoob on Saturday, 16 of January , 2010 at 12:55 pm
The buzz surrounding Heartland seems to be more focused on Owen Pallett’s recent name change, rather than the fact that he created an absolutely brilliant record. Pallett may have brought this upon himself, changing his name from Final Fantasy a mere three or so weeks before the release of Heartland, but the main focus really should be the change in his sound for the new record. Pallett released two records and a couple of EPs under the Final Fantasy moniker, with his sound evolving- but still evoking his established roots as a looped based violinist. Heartland shows off what Pallett does best… Arranging orchestral pieces. After arranging for Arcade Fire, Pet Shop Boys, and many others, Pallett joined forces with Nico Muhly to create one of the best orchestral pop records in recent memory. The way Pallett contrasts catchy pop music with complex arrangements is something few have been able to accomplish on such a high level.
The record starts off with “Midnight Directives”, an opener that establishes Pallett’s voice as a force, while also introducing complex percussion (which appears often on this record), and a use of electronics. Pallett’s main instrument, the violin, flourishes in and out at the perfect moments, giving the track an extra something. The song builds and builds, progressively growing in aggression but not in volume. The strings seem to battle against each other while massive amounts of various noises are played underneath. The amount of sound coming through ones speakers at this point is overwhelming, but in no way too much to handle. “Red Sun No. 5″ is another track I love, mainly because of its tremendous percussion. The timpani drum roars in and out of the track, complimenting Pallett’s wonderful melody nicely.
While the album as a whole works together in a way that makes it hard to pick a favorite, one track still stands out above the rest for me. “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” is 5 minutes of musical perfection. The simple line “I’m never gonna give it to you” hits me in a way that is hard to describe. It may be the melody, it may be the instruments surrounding his voice. Whatever it is, Pallett executes it flawlessly.
Heartland is Owen Pallett’s masterpiece, but at the rate he’s going I doubt that this will be the last time I make that claim. A truly brilliant album, it really doesn’t get a whole lot better than this. Please pick up the record right here (LP or CD), and download “Lewis Takes Action” below.
Owen Pallett- Lewis Takes Action
Leave a comment
Category: Albums,New Music,Reviews
- Add this post to
- Del.icio.us -
- Meneame -
- Digg
No comments yet.
