Artist Owen Pallett

Before giving it up, Owen Pallett performed for almost five years under the name Final Fantasy, a surprise for all the obvious, copyright-related reasons. But even without the moniker, Pallett’s songs evoke a kind of video-game pastoralism. Pallett is a skilled violinist and composer (he’s arranged tracks for Arcade Fire and Beirut, among many others), and he makes use of extensive looping, electronic unease, and unpredictable orchestral arrangements to create dense songs that crack and swoon. His 2010 album, Heartland, is the most audacious in this format, but Pallett recently promised a change in his live setup via his frequently hilarious Twitter feed (@owenpallett).

Updated 03/09/2011