Heartland Is An epic Place To Be For Pallett
Owen Pallett loses the fantasy, keeps the innovation in 'Heartland.'
Owen Pallett
Heartland
Released on Jan 12, 2010
While I hate to discourage young - or even old - musicians, you all should be aware of this: Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) is better than you. Since he seems like a mild-mannered enough guy, perhaps he wouldn’t approve of me saying that. But his sweeping compositions would be considered ambitious were they performed by a seven-piece band…and Owen Pallett is just one man. So, struggling solo artists, listen to Heartland at your own risk: you will most likely become both incredibly inspired and heartbreakingly discouraged.
To say that Pallett is an accomplished musician may just be the understatement of this young decade. People are quick to compare him to fellow violinist Andrew Bird, but I’d venture to betray my Chicago loyalties and say that Pallett is more avant-garde in his musical style. No matter where you listen to his music, it sounds like you’re in a symphony hall. He shows an alarming mastery as enveloping his listener in all sorts of different musical sounds—the combination of which seems to sever said listener from the outside world. That being said, a consequence of listening to too much of Pallett’s music is that your life will feel remarkable boring. There are few activities that I would deem worthy of being soundtracked by Heartland.
“Midnight Directives” is a fitting opening track, with a slightly more frenetic pace that’s tempered by the unfailingly soothing nature of Pallett’s voice. When it comes to aptly describing his voice, words do fail me. Even as he sings lyric at a clip, he maintains his pitch-perfect tone and tranquil delivery. Basically, I just want him to come and sing me lullabies every night.
Things start to get a little more interesting with “Keep the Dog Quiet,” as far as musical qualities are concerned. While “Midnight Directives” had a quicker tempo, “Keep The Dog Quiet” offers a more visceral, grounded tempo that showcases more percussive sounds. This conjures up a kind of creepy anticipation of where the song will lead, and when the strings begin to play a stronger role, listeners won’t be disappointed.
So, we’re only two songs in, and I’m already prepared to christen Owen Pallett as the musical wunderkind of our time. Thankfully, a song like “Lewis Takes Action” comes along, and he’s brought back down to earth. Perhaps I’m grasping at straws here, but the first nine seconds of the track are basically the exact same as the first four seconds of Bat for Lashes “What’s A Girl To Do?” Now, does this have any bearing on the quality of the song? Nope. But somehow, hearing a possible influence in his music comforted me—even musical geniuses need to take inspiration from people other than themselves sometimes.
In case things are getting a little too heavy for you, listen to “Flare Gun.” Honestly, it’s a fun song. This is the kind of song that I dreamed about playing in my middle school band - the actual school band. Not some badass band I played in on the weekends with my awkward friends. So, where’s the negative in Heartland? This isn’t an album that I’d choose just to have as background noise, or even in transit. It deserves—and frankly, requires—your full attention. And sometimes, there just isn’t time for symphonies. What’s interesting though is that Pallett gave an interview awhile back stating that this album was “about nothingness.” Damn, boy. If this is your “nothing,” then I’m extremely curious to hear your “something.”
High Point
Spoiler alert - all the songs are great. But I especially like the vaguely electronic feel of “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt.”
Low Point
Sometimes, I’m lazy. This album is not conducive to any kind of slovenly listening habits, so unfortunately, it’s not perfect for me all the time.
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Jan 14, 2010 @ 9:00 am
