(2) German Trance project of Ralph Fritsch & Detlef Hastik, active throughout the 90s which ended with the double A-side release: "You're My Angel / The Moon Is Shining" in 2003. "You're My Angel" was later covered by the UK duo Styles & Breeze.
(For Final Fantasy videogames, please use 植松伸夫 and other respective composers. More information available on Wikipedia or just use Musicbrainz Picard).
Further information on (1) entry below:
The Canadian musician decided to stop using this moniker in December 18th, 2009 and start using his own name, Owen Pallett, as he planned to release his third album in the Japanese market, where the name 'Final Fantasy' may have conflicted with the famous video game franchise. He also announced that previous albums will be re-released under his name
Owen Pallett is a violinist and singer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the principal member of the band Final Fantasy, which is essentially a solo group, although Leon Taheny is also credited as drummer and engineer. (This band should not be mistaken with Square Enix's famous game series "Final Fantasy" - its music is mostly composed by 植松伸夫. The name "Final Fantasy" is in fact a tribute to the well-known video game series.) On September 18th 2006, Final Fantasy won the inaugural Polaris Music Prize for the best Canadian album (based solely on artistic merit).
Pallett has been noted for his live performances, wherein he plays the violin into a sampler controlled by foot pedals, which then loops back one or more of the previously played musical phrases as he plays additional parts simultaneously. He has also performed with more traditional string quartets as backing musicians.
He believes his work is somewhat influenced by his sexuality, saying "As far as whether the music I make is gay or queer, yeah, it comes from the fact that I'm gay, but that doesn't mean I'm making music about it." in a recent interview.
"I'm taking a cue from Joel Gibb," he begins. "He and I are very different people, and we're very different in terms of the way we've assessed our sexual identities, but one thing I really respect about him is that his music has less to do with his identity and more to do with the more interesting aspects of himself." He states in an earlier interview in Toronto's NOW Magazine concerning his sexual identity and its use in his music.
On 12 February 2005, his debut album, Final Fantasy Has A Good Home, was released by the recording club Blocks (sometimes referred to as 'BlocksBlocksBlocks'), a cooperative, Toronto-based record label of which he is a member. A second album is entitled "He Poos Clouds", and inspiration for the songs are based on the eight schools of magic used for Dungeons & Dragons and how they relate to modern times. It is released under Tomlab.
His previous projects included a 3-piece Toronto-based band, Les Mouches, now defunct. He is still a member of another Toronto band called Picastro. Owen has also recorded and toured with The Hidden Cameras and The Arcade Fire. One of his songs, "This Is the Dream of Win & Regine", was inspired by the principal members of the latter group, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, and a Dntel song of a similar name (This is the Dream of Evan & Chan). Owen also co-wrote the orchestral arrangements for both of The Arcade Fire's albums, along with Régine Chassagne.
The Pooka Sings
Final Fantasy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your dry and desperate tongue
You've told a lie! a lie! a lie!
For every pretty note your reddy voice has sung
Do we believe in devils? No.
Winged men? The healing pow'are of love? No.
Enchantment? Social justice? No.
Dead child actors in a white, white world above? No.Then why are all your songs about the things that don't exist?
Do not resist! You'll burn these lies tonight and never let them live
Oh, stoke the fire, you'll burn these words tonight
I cannot let them live
The Pooka wings away
His power o'er me's at an end
And I put down the violin
I leave it down, never again!
The lyrics to Final Fantasy's song The Pooka Sings speak of lies and deceit, and the power of unfounded beliefs. The opening lines refer to the subject's eyes as "greedy" and "desperate", suggesting a lack of authenticity in their actions. The reference to "a lie! a lie! a lie!" implies a repeated pattern of dishonesty, which is then linked to the subject's "pretty note[s]" and "reddy voice". The following lines question our beliefs in various concepts such as devils, winged men, enchantment, social justice, and dead child actors in a white world above. The line "Then why are all your songs about the things that don't exist?" points towards the subject's tendency to sing about imaginary or non-existent things. The final lines urge the listener to reject these lies and burn them, suggesting a need for truth and authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! your eyes, your greedy eyes!
Your avaricious eyes reveal your motivation
Your dry and desperate tongue
Your parched and hopeless speech expresses your emotions
You've told a lie! a lie! a lie!
You have mendaciously spoken untruths over and over again
For every pretty note your reddy voice has sung
Your soothing and appealing voice has concealed your deceit
Do we believe in devils? No.
We do not believe in the existence of evil spirits
Winged men? The healing pow'are of love? No.
We do not believe in winged humans or the curative influence of love
Enchantment? Social justice? No.
We do not believe in the charm of magic or societal fairness
Dead child actors in a white, white world above? No.
We do not believe in deceased juvenile performers in a pure and heavenly realm
Then why are all your songs about the things that don't exist?
Why are all your compositions about non-existent elements?
Do not resist! You'll burn these lies tonight and never let them live
Do not hold back! You will destroy these falsehoods this very evening and never allow them to exist again
Oh, stoke the fire, you'll burn these words tonight
Oh, kindle the fire, you shall incinerate these words before nightfall
I cannot let them live
I am compelled to prevent their existence
The Pooka wings away
The mischievous spirit takes off by flapping his wings
His power o'er me's at an end
His dominion over me has ended
And I put down the violin
I lay my violin aside
I leave it down, never again!
I abandon it forevermore!
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Owen Pallett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PurpleJam22
I don't care about the flat notes/unpracticed piano that everyone seems to be commenting on. The emotion in this was incredible. Tears in my eyes.
@DJPoundPuppy
This is such a gut-wrenching song. It's so lovely it makes me sick.
@DarknessHowls
Brilliant!
@Horsman
Agree entirely. To put it in context however: Owen stated before playing this that a japanese girl flew all the way here to see him and specifically requested this song (which he has apparently NEVER played live before this date), he also had to write teh lyrics down and had no idea if he was going to be able to pull it off. All in all I was hugely impressed.
@davenowacki
Well, there aren't much more than that, i think I heard three or four more than you, but either way, it's just a few notes, though I think they put his vocal performance slightly below his piano performance, if compared here. This is my opinion, but the flat notes are there. And since it was apparently his first live performance of the song, it turn out fantastic.
@TheOneThatFlewOver
Umm, I have to entirely disagree. Here he struggles with the vocal portion far more than the piano. many flat notes in here. I think this is simply a weaker performance than usual. Be that as it may, the man is a master songsmith and is always fantastic. Everyone has rough days.