TLOBF Interview :: Owen Pallett

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Owen Pallett’s music is intricate and densely layered, frequently concealing a sprawling lyrical theme buried just beneath the surface of his lovely arrangements. He has played with Arcade Fire, Beirut and Grizzly Bear (to name just a few), as well as writing string arrangements for Fucked Up, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Rumble Strips and The Mountain Goats. But he has started to establish more of his own personal musical identity as of late, shedding the Final Fantasy moniker that he used when recording the Polaris Prize winning He Poos Clouds, and releasing an album under his own name for the first time with the sublime Heartland.

I was fortunate to be able to ask Owen a few questions about how things have changed for him since coming under a larger public spotlight, how the new album coalesced for him, and he’s able to liken me to Lili Taylor’s character in Pecker and jokingly admit to not knowing who Arcade Fire are. It’s a bit of a convoluted interview, just like the artist himself I guess. But Heartland is clearly one of the best records to be released this year, and this conversation sheds some light on the creator of that gem, Owen Pallett.

Heartland’s an incredible, lush album. I was wondering how difficult it was for you to fit the story you wanted to tell about Lewis within the grand arrangements and song structures of the record, or was it just a natural connection?
Ennh, it just all came together like a sloppy nine-course meal.

I was fortunate to see you open for the Mountain Goats in Minneapolis (both sets were fantastic). Does touring with such great songwriters fortify your own songwriting, or challenge you to dig deeper with your own narrative?
Most of the time it’s cool, but with John it really ‘quaked the foundations’. He’s such a power-writer, he does so much with so little and it was like getting beat up every night.

With Heartland being the first album released under your own name, does it reflect that this album is your fully realized artistic vision as Owen Pallett, or is it just as simple as you realizing you couldn’t get away with using Final Fantasy anymore?
“Couldn’t get away with” is putting it really savagely. I could get away with it, but it’s complicated. It’s definitely a grey area, but one that, legally, the owners of the Final Fantasy trademark would be obliged to venture into. I definitely could’ve made an effort to continue and plead my case as being independent of the franchise–and not trying to capitalize on their success–which obviously I wasn’t–but I’m more interested in making music than spending time talking to lawyers. You?

How has working with the litany of superb artists in your past helped you realize and refine your own artistic ambitions? Do you take away specific moments in certain songs you’ve helped arrange where you want something in your own work to have that sound, or instances where you make a mental note that you never want your own work to sound that way?
Yes.

How has your approach to songwriting changed since you’ve gone from being a smaller, behind-the-scenes artist to a more visible, prominent frontman of your own project-one whose album is eagerly anticipated the world over?
It’s been interesting. It’s a weird thing, seeing your narrative and musical voice shift from a local sphere to a larger one. I can’t really put my finger on it… Did you ever see the movie “Pecker”? I’m Edward Furlong, you’re Lili Taylor. Is that a dis? No it isn’t. You’re only trying to help, but then you want to have sex, and then my house gets burgled.

Were the two EP’s you released prior to Heartland a bit of trial and error for you, from specifically a production and songwriting standpoint, where you experimented with what works and what doesn’t before you attempted to finish the larger scope and sound of the full-length record?
If you’d have ever made a record yourself, you’d know that 50% of album making is trial and error. Which is why it always boggles my mind when you blogs send a Musician A to Mount Olympus and Musician B to the slaughterhouse. But yeah, those two EPs, and the 7″s before that, I was working to actually produce a record, instead of just function as songwriter/performer/arranger.

Your song ‘Keep The Dog Quiet’ begins with the lyrics “My body is a cage.” Is this you expounding on an idea you thought was interesting based on Win’s lyrics, or just a knowing nod to your friends? Anything you can tell us about how the recording of LP3 is going for Arcade Fire?
I don’t know this band you call Arcade Fire. Are they local? Just kidding.

I think there is a way for listeners to enjoy this record strictly on its surface, based on the gorgeous music alone, without ever digging too deeply into the narrative. Then perhaps later, after they’ve become familiar with the songs, to actually try and follow along with the rough adventures of Lewis and Owen. Was this what you had in mind when recording the record? How important is it to you that people understand the heart of your story as long as they like the music they’re hearing?
Can’t really say I care too deeply either way.

I knew I would enjoy ‘Oh Heartland, Up Yours!’ based on the title alone. I laugh every time I think of it (living in the Midwest certainly helps with its appeal). Did you feel an added pressure to make that song first-rate simply due to the confrontational (but awesome) title?
Funny that you’re implying that the title came before the song. Which it did. Well, the lyrics existed for a long time and it took me a while to figure that shit out. Originally I was hoping that song—and most of the album, in fact—would be a fast, positive jam, but it came out one day fully formed so I just rolled with it.

Thanks Owen. I look forward to seeing you again in April when you come back to play in Minneapolis. Cheers!
Thanks guy, looking forward to it, I love your city.