Owen Pallett

Released in the midst of a whirlwind North American tour that has Owen Pallett (née Final Fantasy) supporting bands like Dirty Projectors, the National, Arcade Fire and Spoon, A Swedish Love Story is a ten-inch vinyl/download EP featuring four new compositions that brim with as much life as prudence. Released eight months after the remarkable Heartland LP, the Polaris Prizer continues his flirtation with electronic-style sequencing. Opener "A Man with No Ankles" burns with fierce violin accents and lovelorn chants, while "Scandal at the Parkade" and "Honour the Dead, or Else" come closest to classic Final Fantasy, crafting a claustrophobic mood through valleys of layered sound and grousing arrangements. But it's closer "Don't Stop (on my Account)" that comes off as the EP's standout track, sounding hopelessly romantic and needy without coming off as awkwardly goofy and nerdy. A Swedish Love Story works well as a stopgap release, showing Pallett easing into his new musical get-up just fine, thank you.