Post by Alyssa! on Jan 14, 2010 9:10:42 GMT -5
Currently an 86 on metacritic, hooah.
"Car Heartland est un grand album, assurément le premier chef d'œuvre de la décennie naissante, il porte en lui de quoi nourrir des écoutes répétées, continues, maniaques. Et Owen Pallett, l'air de rien mais avec un talent surhumain, d'avoir condensé ce que la musique peut offrir de plus beau : une œuvre complexe mais dans laquelle il est facile et jouissif d'être emporté, noyé, broyé, encore et encore et encore."
This passage is perfect.
Also, a quote from 130bpm:
"Enter Owen Pallett, the musician formerly known as Final Fantasy. His new record Heartland centers on a character named Lewis, a farmer-turned-warrior in the fourteenth century. Lewis lives in an imaginary world called Spectrum. Melodramatic instrumentation guides Lewis through such songs as “Lewis Takes Action” and “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt.” Yes, this album has all the characteristics of a typical concept album, but herein lies the genius of Heartland. With Heartland, Owen Pallett uses the rickety medium of the concept album to tackle complex lyrical themes of the human condition. Musically too, the album is absolutely gorgeous and is a pleasure to listen to. In truth, Heartland is one of the most mature musical opuses of the past few years. It is a rare beast – a tremendous concept album, both musically and lyrically.
Pallett does not present Lewis as a character, but rather as an artistic fabrication. Lewis too acknowledges that he is Pallett’s creation, even referring to Pallett by name. “I forgot about the math, forgot about the odds against an adolescent standing up to all of Owen’s wrath,” he sings, revealing that he is just as much a character as he is a puppet to his creator. To fully understand the significance of Lewis’ self-awareness, we must look at his story, which, thankfully, is somewhat ambiguous, making Heartland even more mystical in its appeal. We know that Lewis is a farmer who “leaves his daughter and wife” and becomes a warrior. We also know that Lewis is an extremely troubled individual. “I am a vector, I am muscle, I am bone,” Lewis asserts of himself. He likens himself to a Disney character. He vents his frustration via violence. In short, Lewis is an extremely self-deprecating individual who questions his very existence; sadly for Lewis, he is not real at all. He belongs to Owen Pallett. Yet he is more than a marionette; he is the vehicle with which Pallett explores himself. Lewis is Lewis just as much as he is Pallett, and vice versa. Ultimately, Heartland ends in Lewis’ murder of his creator in a bizarre twist that brings up extreme questions of existence and individuality. Yes, it’s that weird."
<3
Also, is anyone else sick of the comparisons to Andrew Bird, and the irony of comparing Owen to a project he put so much effort into himself: Arcade Fire?
"Car Heartland est un grand album, assurément le premier chef d'œuvre de la décennie naissante, il porte en lui de quoi nourrir des écoutes répétées, continues, maniaques. Et Owen Pallett, l'air de rien mais avec un talent surhumain, d'avoir condensé ce que la musique peut offrir de plus beau : une œuvre complexe mais dans laquelle il est facile et jouissif d'être emporté, noyé, broyé, encore et encore et encore."
This passage is perfect.
Also, a quote from 130bpm:
"Enter Owen Pallett, the musician formerly known as Final Fantasy. His new record Heartland centers on a character named Lewis, a farmer-turned-warrior in the fourteenth century. Lewis lives in an imaginary world called Spectrum. Melodramatic instrumentation guides Lewis through such songs as “Lewis Takes Action” and “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt.” Yes, this album has all the characteristics of a typical concept album, but herein lies the genius of Heartland. With Heartland, Owen Pallett uses the rickety medium of the concept album to tackle complex lyrical themes of the human condition. Musically too, the album is absolutely gorgeous and is a pleasure to listen to. In truth, Heartland is one of the most mature musical opuses of the past few years. It is a rare beast – a tremendous concept album, both musically and lyrically.
Pallett does not present Lewis as a character, but rather as an artistic fabrication. Lewis too acknowledges that he is Pallett’s creation, even referring to Pallett by name. “I forgot about the math, forgot about the odds against an adolescent standing up to all of Owen’s wrath,” he sings, revealing that he is just as much a character as he is a puppet to his creator. To fully understand the significance of Lewis’ self-awareness, we must look at his story, which, thankfully, is somewhat ambiguous, making Heartland even more mystical in its appeal. We know that Lewis is a farmer who “leaves his daughter and wife” and becomes a warrior. We also know that Lewis is an extremely troubled individual. “I am a vector, I am muscle, I am bone,” Lewis asserts of himself. He likens himself to a Disney character. He vents his frustration via violence. In short, Lewis is an extremely self-deprecating individual who questions his very existence; sadly for Lewis, he is not real at all. He belongs to Owen Pallett. Yet he is more than a marionette; he is the vehicle with which Pallett explores himself. Lewis is Lewis just as much as he is Pallett, and vice versa. Ultimately, Heartland ends in Lewis’ murder of his creator in a bizarre twist that brings up extreme questions of existence and individuality. Yes, it’s that weird."
<3
Also, is anyone else sick of the comparisons to Andrew Bird, and the irony of comparing Owen to a project he put so much effort into himself: Arcade Fire?
sorry for you owen. But yeh, I agree about the remixing, the purist in me is being quiet about this one partly because it'll bring that almost perfect album to wider public notice and partly because it'll make it a little bit less un-perfect.
