He Poos Clouds [Vinyl]

 (12 customer reviews)

No, this is not THAT Final Fantasy. This is Owen Pallett, who has backed up the Hidden Cameras and Arcade Fire, and whose classical training comes in handy for some of the weirdest pop out there. "He Poos Clouds" is a bizarre mixup of atheism, death, experimental violin and... Dungeons and Dragons.

It opens with a sharp classical violin solo, which makes you sit up straight. "She drives a little white car to the seminar on Modern Romance/Possible possible ideas for a date include... a shooting range/And her chest is full to bursting with thoughts of an evening..." murmurs Pallett, telling a story of two people who long for love, but have hearts "that will never melt."

He trips through a tense, heart-pouncing ode to fantasy ("Gotta rescue Michael from the White Witch!/Gotta find and kill my shadow self!") and into all varieties of oddball violin'n'piano pop: eerie sea ballads, trippy one-minute songs, swirling experimental pop, and everything that lies in between...Read more

It's difficult to describe exactly what this album is, and that's far more of a complement than a detraction. The closest I could come is 'classically-influenced experimental pop,' but that doesn't quite do it justice. The classical influence is very 20th century, but think more Shostakovitch instead of Schoenberg - there is a central tonality that is dominant event around the more dissonant bits. The orchestration is primarily strings, piano and tympani. The result is this exquisite blend of interesting musical experimentation and pop sensibilities.

Because it is somewhat experimental, it is likely not for everyone. However, if you are looking for something a little challenging and out of the ordinary, I can't recommend a better album from this year.

Although I liked "Has A Good Home" better as an entire album, any of the songs on "He Poos Clouds" (especially "This Lamb Sells Condos") could rank among the best of 2006.