HAS A GOOD HOME [Vinyl]

 (9 customer reviews)

Truly, a very select audience can appreciate the genius of Owen Pallet's Final Fantasy. To be honest, I had never heard of him or his group when I went to see the Arcade Fire in concert about a year ago (he opened for them, solo act). His performance was impressive to say the least. Soon after, I found myself exploring his work. "Has A Good Home" is no easy listen. You will never find a track on the Billboard top 40 or whatever. Owen's radiounfriendly music is a true treat to those who appreciate complex arrangements hidden in deceitfully simple melodies. If you like indie music, if you like art music, this is my Best Album of the Year for 2005. I couldn't recommend higher. Give it a few spins, hate it after one listen, love it by the fifth go round.

Final Fantasy is one of those bands that require your heart and brain to be in it, not just your ears.

Owen Pallet's one-man band is an exquisite example of intelligent music -- classical violins playing experimental indiepop. And his debut album "Has A Good Home" is like a fragile glass ornament spun out of music, with wildly varying styles and sensitive, bittersweet lyrics.

It opens with a smooth string introduction, joined in by Pallett's melancholy vocals. He sings of a dying rich man, who vows that "None of you will ever see a penny/Of my ill-begotten wealth." But it isn't malicious -- he wishes "a lifetime of labour" on his children, because "hard days make peaceful nights."

You'd think all the songs would be like that. But it's wrong. With the very next song (a tribute to Arcade Fire's Win and Regina), he weaves electronic edges to his quirky violin plucking.

And in the songs that follow, Pallett tries out a variety of styles. Each...Read more

A wonderful and creative album. Not only a new and unique style and sound, but the songs are also written quite well and not just different to be different. The kind of CD you could put on repeat all day at work or leave in the car for a month.