Final Fantasy

Watching Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) perform is a sheer wonder. It is as though he has taken an entire orchestra and concentrated it into a one man performance. During the time of his earlier live concerts (around the release of “He Poos Clouds”) he worked almost exclusively with violins, loop pedals and vocals. His sound mixed Vivaldi style suites with musical motifs referencing the sound of Japanese video games. Owen is a master of taking older forms of music such as classical baroque and modernizing them, extrapolating certain qualities on to pop a format. He has shown how these older forms are still relevant within present day styles both in serious and mainstream contexts. Owen’s sound has continuously gotten more complex both in his studio recordings and live performances. Though his stage setup is still fairly minimalistic he has recruited the help of two touring musicians: a percussionist and bass player. Both add immensely to the live sound. I can’t imagine the performance of songs like “Midnight Directives” or “Tryst with Mephistopheles” without them. The drumming and bass create very interesting and unpredictable rhythmic patterns reminiscent of the trance inducing pulse of Krautrock bands such as “Neu!”.
Owen has also incorporated synth and experimental electronic music into his sound. It is unlikely now days that you will see him absent of his Nord keyboard and on his most recent album “In Conflict” he collaborated with legendary producer and electronic composer Brian Eno.
Keeping track of all the details that goes into Owen’s performance is no easy task. It is nearly impossible not to get caught up in his incredible live sound. To see him switch between beautiful violin melodies and arpeggiated keyboard flourishes is simply mesmerizing. His delivery is so impassioned and impeccable it is enough to make anyone in the audience speechless.
I was fortunate enough to see Owen Pallett at one of Arcade Fire’s after-show parties during their Reflektor tour. I drove an hour and half in the midst of my final exams to get there. I didn’t get back home until four in the morning and I have absolutely no regrets. Owen’s performance was completely inspiring, nothing short of brilliant. If he comes back I would not dream of missing it.