Heartland

Heartland might be Owen Pallett's first full-length since 2006's He Poos Clouds, but that's not to say he hasn't been busy. Besides a string of his own singles and EPs, the Toronto-based multi-hyphenate has crafted string arrangements for Grizzly Bear, Beirut, Pet Shop Boys, The Last Shadow Puppets, and The Mountain Goats, just to name a few. Pallett's third LP marks a couple of milestones: It's his first release on the hip UK indie Domino, and his first ever under his own name rather than the videogame-inspired Final Fantasy moniker he'd used since 2005's Has A Good Home.

Heartland tells the impressionistic story of a violent farmer named Lewis who is speaking to his creator, and the accompanying music is often as dark as the narrative. Timpani and marimbas mesh with drum machines and haunting electronics, all usually joined by grandiose string and wind arrangements. Pallett's vocals are equally impressive, as he switches seamlessly from baritone to tenor, sometimes layering both on top of each other as in "Lewis Takes Action" and "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt." Despite the name change, Pallett is still in an orchestral-pop fantasyland, and Heartland is, by far, his most glorious and ambitious effort yet.