ALBUM REVIEW - HEARTLAND

Best known for his work arranging strings for other musicians (most notably Arcade Fire), Owen Pallett has been toiling away under the name Final Fantasy for a number of years now and, in “Has A Good Home” and “He Poos Clouds”, has already crafted two great albums. In his latest release “Heartland”, however, he has managed to create something truly special which eclipses anything he’s previously attempted.

It is telling that Owen Pallett chose last month to voluntarily retire his Final Fantasy moniker, apparently in order to “definitively distinguish my music from Square/Enix’s games”. One suspects, however, that the name change is just as much about a new-found confidence, a developing realisation that in this record he has created something that he can be very proud of.

Take opening track Midnight Directives. On his previous albums Pallett had always sounded like a one man string quartet - but on this record, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at his disposal, everything is bigger, bolder and more ambitious. Yet Pallett never makes the same mistakes that contemporaries Arcade Fire did on “Neon Bible” - none of these tracks are unnecessarily overblown. He may have a full orchestra at his disposal but he uses it sparingly, as evidenced on Keep The Dog Quiet which is a particular album highlight.

This is not to say Pallett doesn’t go epic occasionally. Mount Alpentine may only have a 50 second running time but it’s the record’s most over-the-top moment, with ridiculously overwrought vocals and discordant strings. His experimentation with electronic sounds also continues on this album, most notably on the excellent Lewis Takes Off His Shirt. The  percussion, most of which is provided by the Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara, should also be applauded - especially on The Great Elsewhere, another of the album’s epic moments.

All of this put together makes for a compelling listen and Pallett’s best work yet. It’s only January but i wouldn’t be surprised if this makes it into quite a few end of year lists.

9/10

Jed. x