Owen Pallett – Heartland (Music Review)
By Bill Purdy • Jan 15th, 2010 • Category: Indie Pop, ReviewsOwen Pallett
Heartland
Domino
3.5 out of 5
Link: http://www.owenpalletteternal.com/
Onstage, Owen Pallett seems dangerously vulnerable. He stands alone, with a laptop, a microphone, and his violin. His voice is improbably delicate, even as it eminates from such a slight, spindly figure. You almost want to rush up there, throw your jacket over his shoulders, and usher him someplace safe, away from the judgmental gaze of the audience.
He is, of course, fully aware of how he appears on a stage. His fragility is part of the act. It draws the audience in out of an almost morbid sense of curiosity, all the while rewarding them with his quirky, sometimes playful, often deeply personal compositions.
Heartland, several years in the making, is Pallett’s third full-length album, but the first to be released under his own name. Until now, he has called his act “Final Fantasy,” after a video game in which the player fights bad guys, acquires party members, levels up again and again and again, yet never seems to actually achieve anything.
Seemingly not content to spin his wheels, Pallett expands his “palette” a bit on Heartland. There’s more percussion here than we’ve heard on any Final Fantasy records, for instance. Some background singers lend their voices to the mix. And he throws in some synths, too (the album’s best song, “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt,” sounds a bit like Chemical Brothers mixing Steve Reich). It’s still recognizably an Owen Pallett record. That pretty, fragile voice gives it away every time.
I like the two Final Fantasy records. I purchased a hand packaged copy of Has A Good Home from Owen himself after seeing his act prior to a 2005 Arcade Fire show. And “This Is the Dream of Win and Regine,” from the horribly titled He Poos Clouds was one of my favorite songs in 2006. Problem is, I never want to listen to them. I never seem to be in the mood.
Such will likely be the fate of Heartland. It’s a good album – one that gets better with each spin, as its nuances start to become less subtle. But it’s too dramatic to function as effective background music. And, despite the occasional disco flourish, it’s not consistently toe-tappy enough to be good for driving (though on the aforementioned “Lewis,” and “Tryst With Mephistopholes,” it’s almost danceable). It’s another thoughtful, delicate Final Fantasy record I just won’t listen to all that often.
I bet it would be great to see Pallett perform Heartland live, though. That would be awesome.
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Bill Purdy is not a musician. He hasn't a musical bone in his body. That pretty much disqualifies him as a musician (you don't want to be in the room on the rare occasion when he tries to make music), but it apparently doesn't impair his ability to consume music — especially new music — at a ravenous pace. He also likes to tell anyone within earshot what he thinks of music, fancies himself a critic of some sort. We, of course, know better.
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