Album Review: "Heartland" by Owen Pallett

The third album by Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy) is a concept album that tells the story of a farmer named Lewis, and his adventures in the fictional land of Spectrum. The songs are Lewis' words to his maker, one-sided conversations with the god of Spectrum, Owen.

The album opens with "Midnight Directives", a fanciful piece that builds from a mysterious intro into a bubbling bit of call and response. Immediately, the record hits a slow patch starting with the Mission Impossible bass line of "Keep the Dog Quiet".

Things pick up, however, with "Lewis Takes Action", a bright track that proves to be one of the best on the album. It is here that the listener gets a real good look at the character of Lewis, riding on his horse Imelda towards adventure. Boastful, Lewis proclaims "I have a message for the acolytes/I am your man for a wifey fight." Pallett gives us a great image of the ultra-violent farmer brandishing a whip and shooting fire from his fingers.

The plucky tone of "Lewis Takes Action" is cut immediately with abrupt slashes of strings in "The Great Elsewhere". Originating in burbling keyboards and glitchy electronic sounds, this song builds until Pallett's voice is almost overpowered by the orchestra when he sings "My words were drowned out by the sound/Of the motors and rowers, the ship as it ran aground".

Next comes the comparatively stark "Oh Heartland, Up Yours!" and the bright "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt", which might be the gem of the album. The bubbling piece shows Lewis, on his horse, riding across the plains. He's on a mission that he doesn't understand but he has to keep going. He's hot and has to take off his shirt and is gazed upon lustily by the deity, Owen. However, Lewis is defiant and he says "If what I have is what you need/I'm never going to give it to you."

The record stays with the silly for a moment with the cartoonish, time-shifting "Flare Gun" before moving on to something a bit more delicate with "E Is for Estranged". Lyrically, this song seems to be a departure from the narrative of the album. The song seems to be told from Pallett's point of view ("If pathos is borne, borne out of bullshit - in formal attire/I'll score you a string ensemble") and deal with the reflections of a father concerning his son ("I saw my son at seventeen/The shutters made projections on his naked frame"). I felt as though it could've come from He Poos Clouds, as though it were a companion piece to "Many Lives -> 49 MP", which is told from a son's point of view, looking into the future.

Musically, this album is an ambitious step from 2006's He Poo Clouds, as Pallett is joined by a full orchestra (the Czech Symphony Strings and the St. Kitts' Winds). The full, dynamic sound makes for epic arrangements. However, while the orchestration is one of the album's greatest strengths, it is sometimes its greatest weaknesses, as the arrangements can sometimes be overblown and overpowering. For instance, on "Mount Alpentine", Pallett's vocals are almost inaudible under the strings.

However, my opinion regarding the orchestration on this album is due mostly to the love I have for Owen Pallett's live performances. I often much prefer the stripped-down simplified versions of these songs. There is an intimacy and subtlety that is sometimes lost in the grandiose orchestra versions. Overall, however, this album is great, perhaps Pallett's best works to date.

Check out a full-orchestra performance of "Lewis Takes Action" here.

Watch Owen perform "E Is for Estranged" solo here.

Watch Owen play "The Great Elsewhere" with Thom Gill here.

Watch Owen play "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" solo here.