By finally ditching the Final Fantasy moniker and recording just as Owen Pallett, he casts aside any pretense that this music is anything but his own. Having been a fan of his work as Final Fantasy, I was curious if this change in name would affect the sound of his recording and it has, for the better. While the albums he released as Final Fantasy were constantly engaging and full of clever twists and arrangements, Heartland manages to cast them aside as mere work-up for this, his most creative and effective and affecting album to date. Up until now, Pallett has often been relegated to a credit in the liner notes of larger, more well-known bands, such as Arcade Fire. But with Heartland, his days of littering liner notes is gone and the respect and notoriety afforded his peers should finally be given to him as well. Working within the same harmonic sphere as his previous releases, Pallett draws upon his complete knowledge of melody and tonal arrangements and creates an album full of swirling notes and wavering vocals, showing an understanding of music rarely seen outside of modern-day classical composers, which you could, in fact, argue is the group to which Pallett should most closely be linked. The songs here continually display changes in mood and execution that feel unique to Pallett's singular abilities as an arranger, and the densely layered tracks reveal more and more if given repeated listens. This album may not catapult him into the upper echelon of indie music, although it should, but at the least, and amid the choir of Final Fantasy fans, Heartland shows an artist comfortable with himself and his abilities and using that ease of self to create a new and exciting vista, in a time when such unique undertakings are ultimately scarce and precious.
Tracklisting:
01. Midnight Directives
02. Keep The Dog Quiet
03. Mount Alpentine
04. Red Sun No. 5
05. Lewis Takes Action (listen to the mp3 below)
06. The Great Elsewhere
07. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
08. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
09. Flare Gun
10. E Is For Estranged
11. Tryst With Mephistopheles
12. What Do You Think Will Happen Now?
No comments:
Post a Comment