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Owen Pallett’s Heartland is one of those albums that sounds good through speakers, great on headphones and (I’m guessing) mind-blowing live. 
It’s also one of those albums that ages extremely well, so after a week cozied up with Mr. Pallett’s first work under that name, most of my original complaints are moot.
Pallett — formerly working under the name Final Fantasy because, yeah, he’s that video game-loving boy genius — started out as a classically trained violinist in Canada. He wrote film scores and operas before finishing college, and this wild level of training and the multi-instrumental result warrants an obvious comparison to Beirut or Andrew Bird. It also makes Heartland so musically lush. The intricacy of each song means every track is exciting in its own right, but the album also blends each seamlessly together – enhancing the work’s orchestral quality, but also making it just the tiniest bit boring. No one song stands out in its entirety, but the intro on “Flare Gun” or the piano melody on “Tryst with Mephistopheles” might be stuck in your head for hours.
Heartland – despite its cavorting multi-layered instrumentation – remains mellow throughout. Pallett’s earnest voice is sometimes frustratingly monotone when set against the range of his violin, but the variety and beauty of the music makes up for sometimes forgettable lyrics. The words seem to be included to reassure listeners who are uncomfortable with the idea of an ‘instrumental’ album. Though Pallett hasn’t crafted something terribly catchy here, Heartland doesn’t need to be – it’s just beautiful.
Track Listing:
- 1. Midnight Directives
2. Keep the Dog Quiet
3. Mount Alpentine
4. Red Sun No. 5
5. Lewis Takes Action
6. The Great Elsewhere
7. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
8. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
9. Flare Gun
10. E is for Estranged
11. Tryst with Mephistopheles
12. What Do You Think Will Happen Now?
Written by Zoe Martin
