Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy has a new album due out in January. This time it is for real and this man is not kidding. Heartland has an album art ready:
And one track has been floating around the Internet for preview:
I believe that Final Fantasy is taking a step forward in Heartland. The theme of this track has the similar feel of the previous EP release, Spectrum, 14th Century, which I initially suspected that Heartland might be a continuation of this EP. However, there is no word of it other than the fact that Heartland is going to be something liken to a "one-sided dialogues with Lewis, a young, ultra-violent farmer, speaking to his creator." (Pallett, source).
As a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, I am excited. This track has been spinning on repeat for me now, and is likely going to remain that way until January 12th.
I have been to that lovely little mosaic that they have build across the street from where John Lennon was shot... it is nice. For some reason though, I don't feel like it catches the magic... or even that the word magic catches the just want John Lennon did for music.
I told someone once that if John Lennon were a live today and making music it would sound a lot like Modest Mouse did on Good News For People Who Love Bad news... (that was a great album) but i since then i think i have realized that if John Lennon were a live today and making music, it would sound much like the music that is around today... because in his time he made music like today's music.
That was a ramble, this is a video of John Lennon doing Instant Karma:
Before you judge me for this review, I must make it clear to you, readers, if anyone is still reading this(?), three of the following about me:
Not a Secret: I listen to Animal Collective Secret: I dislike Animal Collective Big Secret: I am an Animal Collective fangirl
Now that we get that out of the way, on to the review.
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP (Due out: December 15, 2009)
I have been listening to this EP for a while now. If this record is not called Fall Be Kind, then I think, it would be called The Return of the Merriweather Post Pavillion--featuring tracks that Animal Collective had had no heart to finish before the epic album leak in 2008, leaked by Animal Collective themselves. I still cannot tell if this is a win or a fail.
Fall Be Kind features five decent tracks, one of which I recognized from an encore track in the live album leak, called "Graze" (not "Grace" if you, like me, acquired it from a bad leak). Graze is sunny and it sounds like an opening to a fairy tale movie. Try: Once upon a time there were flowers, and flowers are pretty. So, one day flowers are not pretty anymore... dark, dark clouds are rolling and that is when track number two, "What Would I Want? Sky", kicks in. After the sky, the clouds thicken, your universe changes. Welcome to the bloody future, er, I mean, high-voltage room, that is track number three. Track #3, "Bleeding", digitally transitions you to a different reality--a high-speed reality, which according to me, is possibly the transition to the best track in the EP, that is "On a Highway." Switching gears from the bleeding, Track #4 is fun, loaded with strange yet interesting sounds, and is zooming back into confidence with the trademark Animal Collective vocals we are all familiar with. This EP closes with the most confusing track ever, "I Think I Can", which contains a range of moods that begins with a spooky twilight zone, climaxes with various experimental drums and clapping, ends with vocal overlays and chants (IthinkIcanIthinkIcanIthinkIcanI...), and finally cuts it with another twilight zone.
After perhaps 10-15 rounds of listen to this record (yes, I am obsessive) I still do not know what to feel about this EP. It is not bad but it is not excellent either. I liked Merriweather Post Pavillion. However, I think it would be possible that I would have liked this EP better if I had not been listening to acquainted with Panda Bear at all.
Here is "On a Highway." Give it a try. Maybe you like it.
Don't know if I should make an explanation of the disappearance but that dastardly real life business was in the way. In short, I was living by itinerary after itinerary in the summer. Crossed the Pacific Ocean. Crossed the American continent. Crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Coughed out trails of carbon monoxides behind my deep, gray carbon footprints. And now, I am back in the good old lowland/flatland desert of Arizona again.
Hello!
While I have a couple of good music to review down my belt, I feel like I must kick start the season with a detour from what I originally planned. You ought to bear this with with me--none of this (this return) would have happened if I had not partied so hard this weekend.
Apparently the entire Mormon community is now a fan of Owl City. I kid you not. I worked so hard this weekend to become a party girl and here I am. Figuring out what is the deal with Owl City. If it weren't for one of the parties I would not have been prompted to return (ha) with this review.
In one of the electro indie communities that I belong to, I heard Owl City and the hype of here and there but never bothered to give 'em a chance. Fortunately for Owl City, one such chance was given tonight. It turns out, Owl City is the same guy from Swimming With Dolphins. If you remember Ambient Blue--yes that happy electropop clubby type of deal--Owl City is of the same vein, that is Adam Young.
Owl City fortunately got lucky and managed to get hyped up and exploded at the right time this year. With the release of Ocean Eyes in July 2009, album sales skyrocketed at a respectable rank. Furthermore, the scrobble rate for Owl City on Last.FM is accelerating for competency with larger names like Coldplay, MGMT, Decemberists, and so on and so forth.
Here's a breakdown of what I think about Owl City after going through every material released by Owl City tonight.
First Off, Ocean Eyes. My first Owl City album. Ocean Eyes run for nearly one hour long. It opens with the first track called Cave In--the chorus of this song concludes this album, this noble project of Adam Young, and its entirety for me: get me out of this cavern before I cave in. Don't believe me? Try this:
Cave In (Ocean Eyes)
And this:
Panda Bear (Of June)
And this:
Hello Seattle (remix, Of June)
And this:
Super Honeymoon (Maybe I'm Dreaming)
And this:
Hot Air Balloon (Myspace Monthly Release?)
And this:
Strawberry Avalanche (single)
And this:
Christmas song (single)
If you went through these seven tracks, you get a taste of the entirety of Owl City and what Adam Young will offer you throughout the years--the past, the present, the future.
After tonight, I admit to like and dislike Owl City all at the same time. But after tonight, I do not think I can handle anymore of Owl City for the next 90 days at least. Seriously? I decided that Owl City is just a big hype, lures you in with its candy-flavored melody and beats, but recycles the same deal of music because hey, recycling is green and sexy these days.
Yes, this is just one of those big hypes with no sense of variety, no evolution of style. There is no way--in this world and in this age--that I can place Owl City in my memorable list of 2009.
Not convinced? Buy the albums. Really. Worth checking out, not worth keeping. That's Owl City.
