Owen Pallett : 'Heartland'
Released: 12th January 2010
Label: Domino Recordings
As an avid fan of Beirut, I openly admit Owen Pallett is someone I should’ve heard of before today. Previously known by ‘band’ name Final Fantasy, this young Canadian has collaborated with the likes of Zach ‘Beirut’ Condon, Ed Droste of Grizzy Bear and even Alex Turner. Oh, and he’s written string arrangements for Arcade Fire and Pet Shop boys, remixed for Stars and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra. There’s no doubt then that he’s a highly talented soul, one who’s instrument of choice is the violin, which alone makes ‘Heartland’ worth listening to. The 12-track LP is his first release since dropping the name he took from a late-90’s video game classic, one that he evidently hopes will enable him to draw a line under past work and see this record judged in its own right.
‘Midnight Directives’ is charged with opening and still there remain the clues that the artist has taken what some may regard an unhealthy influence from video game music – he even once based an entire song on the music from Super Mario. The music is light and seems to float; it lacks a clear structure but crucially sections link into each other with subtle ease, whilst his voice is once more light and beautiful, in keeping with much of the music. His customary violin dips in for drama, whilst the spine of the music is of a tempo quick enough to keep the song from wallowing into a downward spiral. This is eclectic and diverse but incredibly well constructed; it sounds like a hybrid of Sufjan, Grizzly Bear and Beirut but with unquestionable originality brought by the rhythm and violins. ‘Keep The Dog’ quiet is even more dramatic, sounding as it does almost operatic and containing an easier-to-define chorus, before the powerful 49 seconds of ‘Mount Alpentine’ draw what feels like the opening act to a close.
‘Red Sun No.5’ resumes after the interval and further demonstrates the spectrum of talents at this gifted Canadian’s disposal. This is entirely more straight-forward, a hypnotic but relatively bare song to which a note-perfect melody holds the key, and at this point it is difficult to identify something Owen Pallett doesn’t do well. ‘Lewis Takes Action’ could actually be a Grizzly Bear song and that’s some compliment, whilst ‘The Great Elsewhere’ starts by kidding you into thinking you’re at the theatre, before falling away into a hazy electronic breakdown and rebuilding slowly – this is Pallett at his most indulgent but he’s earned the right to be, so the otherwise lengthy five-minutes-plus is forgiven and you’d still be crazy to skip it.
‘Oh Heartland, Up Yours!’ would appear a statement of irony but one gets the feeling the man is his own worst critic, whilst a bit of research tells me this album is supposed to be about ‘nothingness’. Whatever Heartland is about at, erm, heart, it certainly doesn’t feel like nothingness. Of the rest, ‘Flare Gun’ and ‘What Do You Think Will Happen Now?’ stand out, but this is an album whose 12-tracks all offer something. I’m not sure whether I hold this album in such high regard because it’s introduced me to the artist or whether it is just that good, but the fact I’m in no rush to find his other work and instead want to put it on again probably answers that to an extent. This is one fantastic album and Owen Pallett is one talented man, so much so I want to hate him.
I love it.
8/10
Words: Benjamin Coley
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