Owen Pallett’s music is intricate and densely layered, frequently concealing a sprawling lyrical theme buried just beneath the surface of his lovely arrangements. He has played with Arcade Fire, Beirut and Grizzly Bear (to name just a few), as well as writing string arrangements for Fucked Up, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Rumble Strips and The Mountain Goats. But he has started to establish more of his own personal musical identity as of late, shedding the Final Fantasy moniker that he used when recording the Polaris Prize winning He Poos Clouds, and releasing an album under his own name for the first time with the sublime Heartland.

I was fortunate to be able to ask Owen a few questions about how things have changed for him since coming under a larger public spotlight, how the new album coalesced for him, and he’s able to liken me to Lili Taylor’s character in Pecker and jokingly admit to not knowing who Arcade Fire are. It’s a bit of a convoluted interview, just like the artist himself I guess. But Heartland is clearly one of the best records to be released this year, and this conversation sheds some light on the creator of that gem, Owen Pallett.

Heartland’s an incredible, lush album. I was wondering how difficult it was for you to fit the story you wanted to tell about Lewis within the grand arrangements and song structures of the record, or was it just a natural connection?
Ennh, it just all came together like a sloppy nine-course meal.

I was fortunate to see you open for the Mountain Goats in Minneapolis (both sets were fantastic). Does touring with such great songwriters fortify your own songwriting, or challenge you to dig deeper with your own narrative?
Most of the time it’s cool, but with John it really ‘quaked the foundations’. He’s such a power-writer, he does so much with so little and it was like getting beat up every night.

With Heartland being the first album released under your own name, does it reflect that this album is your fully realized artistic vision as Owen Pallett, or is it just as simple as you realizing you couldn’t get away with using Final Fantasy anymore?
“Couldn’t get away with” is putting it really savagely. I could get away with it, but it’s complicated. It’s definitely a grey area, but one that, legally, the owners of the Final Fantasy trademark would be obliged to venture into. I definitely could’ve made an effort to continue and plead my case as being independent of the franchise–and not trying to capitalize on their success–which obviously I wasn’t–but I’m more interested in making music than spending time talking to lawyers. You?

How has working with the litany of superb artists in your past helped you realize and refine your own artistic ambitions? Do you take away specific moments in certain songs you’ve helped arrange where you want something in your own work to have that sound, or instances where you make a mental note that you never want your own work to sound that way?
Yes.

How has your approach to songwriting changed since you’ve gone from being a smaller, behind-the-scenes artist to a more visible, prominent frontman of your own project-one whose album is eagerly anticipated the world over?
It’s been interesting. It’s a weird thing, seeing your narrative and musical voice shift from a local sphere to a larger one. I can’t really put my finger on it… Did you ever see the movie “Pecker”? I’m Edward Furlong, you’re Lili Taylor. Is that a dis? No it isn’t. You’re only trying to help, but then you want to have sex, and then my house gets burgled.

Were the two EP’s you released prior to Heartland a bit of trial and error for you, from specifically a production and songwriting standpoint, where you experimented with what works and what doesn’t before you attempted to finish the larger scope and sound of the full-length record?
If you’d have ever made a record yourself, you’d know that 50% of album making is trial and error. Which is why it always boggles my mind when you blogs send a Musician A to Mount Olympus and Musician B to the slaughterhouse. But yeah, those two EPs, and the 7″s before that, I was working to actually produce a record, instead of just function as songwriter/performer/arranger.

Your song ‘Keep The Dog Quiet’ begins with the lyrics “My body is a cage.” Is this you expounding on an idea you thought was interesting based on Win’s lyrics, or just a knowing nod to your friends? Anything you can tell us about how the recording of LP3 is going for Arcade Fire?
I don’t know this band you call Arcade Fire. Are they local? Just kidding.

I think there is a way for listeners to enjoy this record strictly on its surface, based on the gorgeous music alone, without ever digging too deeply into the narrative. Then perhaps later, after they’ve become familiar with the songs, to actually try and follow along with the rough adventures of Lewis and Owen. Was this what you had in mind when recording the record? How important is it to you that people understand the heart of your story as long as they like the music they’re hearing?
Can’t really say I care too deeply either way.

I knew I would enjoy ‘Oh Heartland, Up Yours!’ based on the title alone. I laugh every time I think of it (living in the Midwest certainly helps with its appeal). Did you feel an added pressure to make that song first-rate simply due to the confrontational (but awesome) title?
Funny that you’re implying that the title came before the song. Which it did. Well, the lyrics existed for a long time and it took me a while to figure that shit out. Originally I was hoping that song—and most of the album, in fact—would be a fast, positive jam, but it came out one day fully formed so I just rolled with it.

Thanks Owen. I look forward to seeing you again in April when you come back to play in Minneapolis. Cheers!
Thanks guy, looking forward to it, I love your city.

There are several moments during Heartland, Owen Pallett‘s superb new record, where the songs reach a level so intensely personal and revealing that it almost feels uncomfortably invasive, as if we’re unavoidably listening in through paper thin walls on Pallett tentatively starting a relationship that eventually dissolves into tears and anguish. But the intimate portrayal that reveals itself over the course of the album is so gripping and compelling that you can’t really focus on anything else, becoming a nameless participant in the affair just by witnessing its dissolution. And if all that sounds like too much of a soap opera for you, nonetheless give Heartland a chance, for this wonderful album is far more operatic than soapy, and the arrangements are all quite lush and gorgeous, soaring effortlessly along with Pallett’s dulcet vocals. The Meta-narrative is just a part of the story that unfolds on the album, with Pallett’s lively compositions coming to vibrant life with the help of (amongst others) the Czech Philharmonic, Nico Muhly and the subtle drumming of Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara. It all adds up to a riveting, engaging album that surprises as much as it soothes, keeping you listening with rapt attention while allowing your thoughts to roam free along with the cadence of the music.

The album kicks off with the glorious ‘Midnight Directives,’ which features the lines “Cross me off the short list,” perhaps hinting at the distance Pallett has traveled, both musically and physically, since his last album, 2006′s He Poos Clouds, won the prestigious Polaris Prize. But this album is far more assured and cohesive than that sprawling, fitful record, and most assuredly will find Pallett ending up on far more short-lists this time around when 2010 winds to a close. The loose narrative that runs through the album concerns a pugnacious, mercurial farmer named Lewis, who both loves and is vexed by his creator, cunningly named Owen. The fractured, volatile relationship between creator and creation gives these songs an added depth and tension, but ultimately it is the lively music that leaves you stunned. The arrangements are continually inventive and inspired, and practically leap out of the speakers, being so full of exuberance.

Pallett knowingly nods to his illustrious musical background on ‘Keep The Dog Quiet,’ with the lyrics “My body is a cage, this union is a cage” that demonstrably alludes to his past work with Arcade Fire. But he’s never been one to rest on past success, always advancing to the next creative challenge-some would even say dropping his Final Fantasy moniker and recording for the first time as Owen Pallett is another in a long line of musical departures that the artist has undertaken throughout his distinctive career. So this album ultimately represents Pallett’s true musical unveiling, without shrouding himself behind a clever name or the work of another artist. This is his true creative essence completely laid bare, and, like I mentioned earlier, at times it is so stark and revealing that it’s a bit unnerving. But on repeated listens you realize that the album is an open invitation, and the intimacy expressed therein is meant to be shared. And that communal aspect is what ultimately gives Heartland its tender spirit and pulsing life.

The standouts on a record like this are numerous (the ‘Be My Baby’ drums that introduce ‘Lewis Takes Action,’ the rousing and brilliantly titled ‘Oh Heartland, Up Yours!’), but ultimately the album should be absorbed as a whole, with each delicate piece fitting impeccably into the flawless puzzle that Pallett has crafted. The pace and tone of each track blends seamlessly into the next, giving the record an unwavering focus and immediacy. And the unvarnished candor of Pallett’s lyrics only serve to add to the natural sincerity emanating from the songs, again crafting a bond between the listener and the artist that is quite rare in modern music. Pallett is able to restrain himself while also placing all of his proverbial cards on the table, pulling the curtain all the way back to reveal to us this fragile and genuine world that exists behind his eyelids. Whether it seems disconcerting or not to listen in on his anguish and vulnerability ultimately doesn’t matter, for as listeners we have been openly summoned into Pallett’s world. Sharing this opus is his ultimate unselfish gift, validating whatever struggle Owen went through to finish this affecting, absorbing album, and proving that the end result, especially when it’s as beguiling as Heartland, is often completely worth the suffering and the pain that life (and art) often puts us through.

Buy the album from [itunes link="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/midnight-directives-max-tundra/id347560715?uo=4" title="Owen Pallett - Heartland" text="iTunes"]

Following the announcement of new his album Heartland (January 18th 2010), Final Fantasy, aka Owen Pallett, has now been confirmed to headline the Union Chapel in London on January 25th.

Tickets for the Union Chapel on sale exclusively from TicketWeb from Friday 13th November at 9am

Luxury Pond is the brainchild of Toronto based musician Dan Goldman. His self titled album features the talents of Daniela Gesundheit (aka Snowblink) and Ryan Driver amongst others and also features the string arranging talents of Owen Pallett. Of which more, later….

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should…

You like boy/girl vocal duets wrapped in strings and synths
You like songs about pre-historic sharks
This is your favourite colour

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?

it might have been around the time my father yelled at me for failing math, to which I replied “I don’t need to care about math anyway because I’m going to be a musician” I was about 15. That and discovering Jimmy Page, of course.

You have a lot of collaborators on the record- Ryan Driver, Owen Pallett…How did those come about?

Owen worked on my last album, Through A Revolution, in exchange for a pair of military mitts I bought at a garage sale for $1. I met him through Mike Olsen, a cellist with whom I used to play in a band called kitchenmusik. (Owen and Mike did the strings for many notable disks including Funeral by Arcade Fire). I know Ryan through the Tranzac, which is an incredible hub for a very wide range of music in Toronto. The first show I did with him was in my project Cover Band, a band that covered the hits of luminaries such as Britney Spears (Toxic) and Metallica (One)

Where do your songs come from? What’s the inspiration behind the record?

My songs come from careful observation and collage work.

Luxury Pond, the album, is a response to Through A Revolution; I took the elements I loved most about the first record, like Owen’s strings, and the idea of contrasting tightly woven arrangements with glitchy improvised ideas; then I put these ideas into a live scenario. Revolution is a sound sculpture that I crafted over several months in my bedroom, whereas Luxury Pond is a documentation of people playing together over the course of a day in the studio.

Name your Top 5 records.

in no particular order:
A Ghost Is Born by Wilco
Hejira by Joni Mitchell
Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin
Either/Or by Elliott Smith
A River Ain’t To Much to Love by Smog

What was the first gig you ever played and was it a success?

Mental Floss: 2 guitarists, drummer, no bassist playing Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd songs in the high school gymnasium. Success? Depends on what you mean. I felt pretty pumped as I carried the PA system out of the gym and up the stairs post-gig. Yeah, if anything I think it succeeded in making me want to continue making music.

What one piece of criticism has stuck in your mind and was it justified?

I tend to play ahead of the beat and need to learn to chill out. Yes it was justified and I think I still need to learn the lesson in other areas of life, like hitting “send” too soon too often.

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?

Waiting on hold for tech support with Primus telephone to fix my VOIP phone.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?

Some kind of psycho-therapist, perhaps. I’m pretty good with other people’s problems.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Taking inventory at grocery stores after closing time. I’d count all the soup packets and enter the totals into a little hand-held machine. Then move to the bean section, then the cookies. Pretty mind numbing. The job did help me pay for a bicycle trip from Seattle to San Francisco I did when I was 16, though.

What is the first song you put on when you wake up?

CBC Radio 1

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five track with a theme of your choice.

The theme is: Nonsense We Love

I Am The Walrus by The Beatles
Spiders by Wilco
Food Roulette by Dion McGregor (this is a legendary recording of a man’s sleep talkings )
Songs To Aging Children by Joni Mitchell
Eid Ma Clack Sha by Bill Callahan

And finally one Canadian band we should listen to (that isn’t your band)
Tough one, Ro! Here are 5 I can’t choose between:
John Southworth
Bruce Peninsula
Great Aunt Ida
Metal Kites
Mia Sheard

You can find Luxury Pond on the web here and listen to the track ‘Boulders’ as part of Oh! Canada Volume 3

The product of nine months of work in four countries, Final Fantasy has announced details of his third full-length, following 2006’s He Poos Clouds LP and 2008’s Spectrum 14th Century and Plays To Please EPs.

It will be called Heartland’s and will be available on double 10” vinyl, compact disc and digital formats in the early days of 2010, released by Domino Records worldwide outside of Canada.

Preceding Heartland’s release, Final Fantasy will do a west coast Canadian tour with the Toronto group Timber Timbre as a special guest. This will be followed by an appearance at the Halifax Pop Explosion, playing a full programme of songs for looped violin and voice and backed by the Nova Scotia Symphony.

To finish the year, he’ll be touring with The Mountain Goats on their November tour of the United States.

Jet Black is the fourth proper studio album from Gentlemen Reg, the recording moniker of Canadian songwriter Reg Vermue. He seems to be a quiet sort of character, but the kind that keeps good company. He’s performed with Final Fantasy and ‘guested’ with Sufjan Stevens. The Constantines regularly make up his backing band and he’s even managed to fit in the occasional appearance with the indie-rock behemoth Broken Social Scene.

For this, his first set of original material for Arts and Crafts, Reg immediately seems to fit in. There are definite strokes of some of his more luminous label mates here; the stylings of artists such as Kevin Drew and Andrew Whiteman immediately spring to mind as this album opens and Reg’s gentle, at times verging on beautifully strained voice starts to pick out little feathery melodies. Jet Black is immediately pleasing, if not ultimately completely satisfying.

Reg has admitted himself that his music sometimes requires commitment. It’s true that Jet Black is a grower album and that its charms develop with time and attention. Initially a breezy, pleasant experience for the listener, tracks such as the fresh, bright-eyed ‘We’re In A Thunderstorm’ and the bittersweet, evolving, slightly off kilter ballad ‘When Heroes Change Professions’ can easily become addictive. Sadly, however, a pinnacle is never really reached within the forty minutes Jet Black takes to flutter by. Killer moments are grasped at, but never fully mastered. The whole album goes down very smoothly, but fails to make a lasting impression.

By no means a classic, Jet Black is still a solid and likeable effort that shows glints of real promise. It’s been a few years since a ‘proper’ new release from Vermue, which perhaps has shown itself to be a shade too long. Between this release and 2004’s Darby and Joan, Reg’s profile has certainly grown. Hopefully with his new home on Arts and Crafts it wont be long before another release, because as far as Gentlemen Reg is concerned, it seems that the best is yet to come.
70%

Gentlemen Reg on MySpace

Canadian musician Final Fantasy (aka Owen Pallett) has announced a new London headlining show in May 2009, his first since February 2008.

Playing at the beautiful Union Chapel, the Arcade Fire collaborator will play old and new material. Supports will be announced at a later stage. 

Tickets for the show are priced at £12.50 and are available via TicketWeb as of 9AM, Friday 13th March 2009. 

So that’s: 

MAY
28th Union Chapel, London (08444 771 000 / www.ticketweb.co.uk)

“My friend Owen [Pallett] made an EP called Spectrum 14th Century, which is definitely one of my favourite things from this year. For me, it’s representative of a fantastic new development in pop music, a kind of new ambition. There’s a lot of it about at the moment – musicians with big ideas, resourcefulness, intelligence, some daring. ‘Is anything more beautiful than failure?’, in the words of the first song on the EP. Spectrum is concerned with a fictional mediaeval society and its deity, who is also called Owen, and his ambivalent relationship with his worshippers. ‘Every morning I listen to confessionals; I don’t give a shit about the bulk of it, still, I keep it professional.’ So it has this sci-fi Canterbury Tales lyric and is set to the strangest, lushest music, all soaring strings, acidic woodwind, steel drums and field recordings of birdsong. It’s challenging and funny and beautiful, so I recommend you buy the whole EP.”

Simon Bookish is the stage name of Leo Chadburn, a classically trained composer, vocalist and performer based in London. His album Everything/Everything is out now on Tomlab and has been nominated for TLOBF’s Album of the Year. Click here to vote.

Simon Bookish on MySpace