Heartland

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Former Final Fantasy mastermind Owen Pallett’s voice is one of my favorites in music right now. On Heartland’s opening song, “Midnight Directives,” it floats alongside the violin lines, reaching high and stretching across the track, taking it in beautiful directions that both fit and conflict beautifully with the insistent drums and electronic elements. The song ends abruptly, and the next, “Keep the Dog Quiet,” begins as abruptly, with a staccato string line and quiet maraca accompaniment.

Heartland is noisier and more electronic than any previous Final Fantasy album, which makes sense given the experimental nature of the project. Pallett wrote Heartland as an opera about a peasant named Lewis, who is ordered by his God (named Owen, no less) to lead a revolt. Pallett posted all the lyrics to Heartland online in October 2009, giving fans months to pour over the poetry of the words before hearing them set to music.

The girl-group inspired melody in “Lewis Takes Action” directly conflicts with the violence in the lyrics: “I took No-Face by his beak and broke his jaw, he’ll never speak again.” “The Great Elsewhere” is a beautiful song that ends in a crisis of faith about “the indifferences of the Storyteller.” Heartland is not only beautiful to listen to, but a joy to unfold and interpret the world Pallett has created in this album.

The album ends with a question: “What Do You Think Will Happen Now?” Pallett absolutely succeeds at keeping the listener thoroughly engaged, but always with that question of marvelous uncertainty. If you like your indie music literary and elusive, Heartland is a challenge and a delight.

Written by: Dana Reinoos, April 8th 2010

Ma Fleur

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:18:00 +0000

By The Cinematic Orchestra

Domino Records

Imagined by frontman Jason Swinscoe as the soundtrack to a movie which has yet to be made, Ma Fleur does have a grand and sweeping feel to it. It sounds especially pretty on a rainy afternoon, but I found it far too solemn to be tried on a sunny car trip. While this is a band made up of gentlemen, it is the female guest vocals that shine on this album. Seventy-seven year old soul singer Fontella Bass brings light and warmth to two tracks, "Familiar Ground" and "Breathe." My favorite track, "Time and Space," provides a lush background for Lou Rhodes’ heartfelt vocals, which are sweetly reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull. Patrick Watson, on the other hand, bears a vocal resemblance to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, which to me, is the extremely icky aural equivalent of stepping on a bug with bare feet.

In the nature of a soundtrack, this album seems meant as a backdrop for other scenes to unfold upon, which makes it lovely background music for conversation or meditation. Good for shoegazers and Coldplay fans, but also fine for those who prefer the slower songs on Moby’s Play, I have to thank this album for introducing me to Miss Rhodes, whose solo album I will now be procuring.

Written by: Melissa Ruiz, July 23rd 2007