Owen Pallett

Owen Pallett might be known best as the one-man-band Final Fantasy, but he's played violin and arranged strings for some of indie's most acclaimed acts, including Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Beirut, The Mountain Goats, and The Hidden Cameras. The Toronto native uses looping techniques to layer his violin and vocals in both his solo work and live performances. Pallett's Final Fantasy moniker was inspired by the Square/Enix videogame series, and many of the songs on his Polaris Music Prize-winning LP He Poos Clouds are about various levels in the game Dungeons & Dragons. In late 2009, Pallett announced he would release all further work under his own name to avoid copyright issues as his music gained a wider international presence. Though his melodic chamber-pop recordings began somewhat sparse, with a smattering of horns and soft percussion, they have grown into more grandiose affairs. Using slicker production, his third LP Heartland-a concept album of sorts-utilized more electronic elements, a stronger percussion presence, and grander string, wind, and horn arrangements.