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It seems that Owen Pallett has finally shed his video game moniker, suggesting to some that this album would show a wee bit of maturation for the orchestral singer/songwriter. Now that we have the name cleared, let’s rest assured that Heartland is not an album about growing up, as it’s clear that Owen still holds true to a great deal of the playfulness he’s presented us with in the past, which makes him so endearing.
In the past, we’ve found Owen balancing minimal instrumentation atop his clever sequencing of violin loops. Such stylistic flourishes brought great moments such as the trumpet blast on “This is the Dream of Win and Regine.” Now, while he hasn’t abandoned the symphonic approach, not at all, he seems to be playing with more instrumentation. Take “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt,” for example; a song which features orchestral backing, yet the strings sing to hang lightly in the background, allowing Owen’s voice, along with electric beats to push the song forward. “The Great Elsewhere” is similar in that it provides an electric organ as its background, reminiscent of some great work by DJ Shadow, just with Pallett’s voice cresting on the wave.
It says a lot for the artist when their voice can carry the entirety of a song, and such is Owen’s vocal skill. “Keep the Dog Quiet,” which seems like a brooding scene in Fantasia, is wholly held up by his vocal performance. He plays with his vocal range, not always trying to rise to the highest octave, an act which seems to bring a more complete balance to song itself. But, in the end, in the last minute of the song, you can tell that Owen clearly has the chops to cut it in the music business outside of the muddied waters of independent music.
Still, for those die hard fans who loves the string arrangements as presented during the Final Fantasy years, rest assured you will find what you seek. The opening track, “Midnight Directives,” picks up where the last album left off, reminding of us of where Pallett once was in his career. Yet, you might find a further maturation in the classical sound he’s created when you get to “E is for Estranged.” Gentle piano work accompanied by strings makes this one of the most beautiful moments on the album, not to mention one of the more special moments in Owen’s career.
Some might find it hard to dive right into the sound of Owen Pallett on Heartland, yet it’s a taste that takes time to fully absorb into your musical soul. At a time when we’re enthralled with lo-fi and ambient electronic tunes, Mr. Pallett brings a refreshing touch to the musical world. If you grew up playing an instrument, especially the band nerd types, this album is for you. His touches of classical music alongside pop music provide listeners with a certain sense of cleansing, one that we should all cherish as we begin a new year.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/05-Lewis-Takes-Action.mp3]
Download: Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Action [MP3]
In this week’s edition of From the Closet we bring you the band Beulah. I was fortunate enough to catch them for the second time on their final tour for their album Yoko. Needless to say, I was quite a fan of the group; their blend of sunny pop fused with horns and perfect backing vocals just fit that time of my life. I still travel back in time with their classic record The Coast is Never Clear, which everyone really needs to have in their collection; you won’t find a bad song on the album. Luckily, though Beulah have gone away, main man Miles Kurosky is heading back into the world with some new tunes. He just released a new EP titled The Desert of Shallow Effects via Majordomo and available through iTunes, and he’s got a new album slated for March. Based on his output with Beulah, it’s bound to be chock full of great tunes! So lets travel back in time with Beulah, and relish in the simple of days of sunny pop with no pretension.
