Owen Pallett Introduces World To His Heartland

Few artists have achieved such unanimous acclaim as Owen Pallett. Upon releasing his He Poos Clouds sophomore record in 2006, Pallett, under his former Final Fantasy pseudonym, received accolades that cut across genre and demography, culminating in his winning the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. Then, nothing.

Well, not quite. Pallett kept himself incredibly busy working with any artist that would have him and even dropped a pair of EPs in the fall of 2008, but there was still no follow up until Tuesday (Jan. 12), when he finally unleashed his excellent new album, Heartland.

Pallett's choice of The Mod Club as the venue for his record release gig was circumspect at first — the bar's reputation for its club nights is arguably more renowned than as a live venue, and Pallett's music seems better suited to more intimate environs. But with the new "poly-sonic sound system" Pallett's spent the past two years building, and the house lighting system, he was able to create a truly immersing live experience.

Unsurprisingly, Pallett spent most of the night performing songs from Heartland. He's incredibly adept at recreating its dense and layered sounds by looping his violin through a keyboard and a series of foot pedals.

But seeing him live isn't all about reconstruction. Watching him slowly build his tracks with little more than the blink of an eye gives a deeper understanding and appreciation of his records, as you find yourself deconstructing each part of his songs in your head. Audience members would even scream with joy as he'd add certain elements to certain songs.

Undeniable highlights of the night included "Lewis Take Action" and "Keep The Dog Quiet," both augmented by a talented multi-instrumentalist standing to his left. His quirky sense of humour was also on display, joking about "lowered expectations" or after commenting on the beating his bow was taking, he quipped "It's a bad night for horses."

He delivered what can only be described as "Final Fantasy unplugged," when he played "He Poos Clouds," sans effects, only turning to his loop pedals for the song's dramatic finale, and even dropped a new song, written since Heartland was recorded.

Pallett ended his set with "This Lamb Sells Condos," ducking off stage briefly before returning for a two-song encore, including the if-there's-justice-in-the-world-this-will-be-a-hit "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt." After exceeding pretty much everyone in the packed audience's expectations, the crowd exited the building still singing the song's refrain "I'm never gonna give it to you."