Customer Reviews

Heartland

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wasn't very familiar with Owen Pallet / Final Fantasy before buying this. It was more of an impulse buy based on glowing reviews I read leading up to its release.

It clearly is the record to beat this year - nearly two months after its release and I still stand firm on that assumption.

My favorites are the first two tracks here. He is very grounded in classical structures. His compositions are full of impeccable tonal resolutions and his voice somehow recalls Christopher Cross.

With that said - go make your own assumptions.

Truly a special album. I am a bit skeptical of some of the newer indie rock--not a huge fan of Grizzly Bear, et al. I was won over by Other Music's "free download" off this record. Since then, I bought the CD and I have listened to little else. Standout tracks are "Lewis Takes Action" and "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt." A couple of clips of him playing these two tracks live (available on You Tube) demonstrate that this guy is amazing. If I had to pick an analogue, it's a bit similar to (his sometimes collaborators) Arcade Fire. Simply incredible, beautiful, lush, accomplished music. Pretty amazing.

This is not an album for casual listening or background music. You have to give it a few listens, read along with lyrics, and then you'll be hooked.

It's hard to categorize this music. I became familiar with Owen Pallett through his incredible work on Beirut's The Flying Club Cup as well as his touring with The National. I was hoping to get more of his violin playing and arrangements and was fairly disappointed with the first listen. After setting it aside for a while, I decided to give it another chance and, thankfully, found the beauty and intelligence in Pallett's work. If ever an album was a creeper, this one is.

Many of the songs have a Weill/Brecht feel--more grounded in modernism with avant-garde theatrical touches. The juxtaposition of uncomfortable lyrics with the melodic music on the songs Lewis Takes Action and Lewis Takes Off His Shirt becomes addictive. You want the songs to go on longer. And I love the humor and political edge of Oh Heartland Up Yours! It is a much needed commentary of our nation's post September 11th psyche.

This is an album that deserves to be listened to in full during one sitting. It builds, it is infectious, it is a musical oasis for thinking persons in an age when banality thrives.

I heard bits of this album on NPR of all places and was intrigued enough to pick it up. It came in the mail and I couldn't get it out of my CD player for a week and even now after many listenings it is still in heavy rotation. Someone asked me about it and I said it sounded a little bit like Eleanor Rigby crossed with Brian Wilson circa Pet Sounds, Mad Scientist in the Studio Todd Rundgren, Sufjan Stevens and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. It is melodic but not straightforward, with angular soundscapes layered with gorgeous, shimmering multi-track vocals, quirky rhythms and surprising arrangements. My favorite album I've heard this year so far...

Some very well-structured and highly addictive songs, putting it next to Towers of Asia's debut as one of last year's nicest surprises.

How it is possible that this album has received only two reviews? I readily concur with those two - it is unlikley there will be a better album this year. This is easily on a par with Sufjan Stevens "Illinois" and the two Arcade Fire albums - all acknowledged masterpieces. If you've made it far enough to read the three reviews of this album, buy it!

With a little more than a month gone by its hard to believe that there could already be albums worthy of the label "album of the year," but this is certainly one of those albums. For any of those of you familiar with Owen Pallett's earlier work as Final Fantasy you will certainly not be disappointed. It simply eclipses all of his prior work while simultaneously recalling it. The stunning baroque pop heard throughout this album hearkens back to classical 60s pop, as well as Pallett's work with groups such as The Arcade Fire, Beirut, and Grizzly Bear. In less than an hour Pallett's song cycle ebbs and flows with the serene beauty of a babbling brook. If you love the work of bands such as these you will definitely enjoy this album, but if none of them appeal to you in someway then this album is not your cup of tea.

This album impressed me and I hope it does the same for a lot of other folks out there. There's at least a few others who already seem to concur!

It is beautiful and captivating. The lyrics are curious and colorful; each line clearly has an inspiration behind it. At times I feel like I am listening to something from an epic fairy tale-- it's really quite different, but only in good ways. Pallett's poetry blends adventure and poignancy. The music is imaginative and playful, too. So while the lyrics take me to a medieval forest or some high-seas exploration, the instrumentals sweep me away to a carnival with gypsies, magicians and oddities. I'll also offer this opinon: the album has an essence of modern opera. It just flows together like a story. The vocals create a mood. And it is, of course, well composed.

Like I said, this album was a pleasant surprise. There is such a crush of new music out there and most of it is predictable and formulaic. Or just plain bad. I think if you check this out for yourself, you'll be refreshed knowing that musically-speaking, it hasn't all been done yet.