Owen Pallet
Heartland
A+
When I was first introduced to Owen Pallett, he was called Final Fantasy. The only way my boyfriend could seem to describe Owen (Final?) to me was as “some guy who loves the Final Fantasy video games and has a violin – he’s a one man band.” So when I first listened to He Poos Clouds I was expecting something akin to all of the teenage girls on YouTube who do tone-deaf Paramore covers. What I got was so much more. It was strange and sad and oddly campy. In short, it was perfect. Owen Pallett’s new album Heartland is the foil pair to his previous album; instead of the melancholy undertones that typify He Poos Clouds, Heartland is an album that puts a skip in your step.
With tracks like “Lewis Takes Action” and “E Is For Estranged” you get the sense that Owen has taken epic movie music and narrated his lyrics over it. In effect, he makes a soundtrack for your life. Suddenly walking to coffee is an adventure; walking up the Lau steps seems more like triumphantly climbing a mountain. The music seems familiar – but not trite.
Owen has certainly grown up from his phase as a videogame-obsessed man with a violin and has moved from “pooing” clouds to making you feel like you’re running on them. Certainly an A+ in my book.
-- Alyson Promes
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