Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

In Conflict

Owen Pallett

In Conflict

Fourth full-length from the Canadian violinist who scored the movie Her with frequent collaborators Arcade Fire. Also featuring Brian Eno

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Domino
UK Release date
26/05/2014
US Release date
27/05/2014
Listen on Spotify
Related Links
Last.fm Myspace Wikipedia
Share
Share |

  1. 10.0 |   Time Out

    A beautiful and powerful album, light as a feather in its delivery of complicated musical and lyrical ideas, but packing a punch that’s sharp enough to floor most other records released this year
    Read Review

  2. 9.1 |   Consequence Of Sound

    In Conflict is ominous, gloomy, and marked with some of the most playful arrangements Pallett’s laid to date
    Read Review

  3. 9.0 |   All Music

    In Conflict's 13 tracks exist, sonically, somewhere in between the sugary opulence of Kishi Bashi and Jónsi and the chilly refinement of Homogenic-era Björk
    Read Review

  4. 9.0 |   The Digital Fix

    An extraordinary, beautiful and intense marker of inhibitions shed and intent actualised
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    In Conflict straddles worlds, not mixing desks - a fully-realised work of art whichever way you look at it
    Read Review

  6. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    As invigorating as it is soothing, as exciting as it is impressive and as complex as it is accessible
    Read Review

  7. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Pallett has always crafted emotionally rich songs, but he seemed on previous albums to be trying to worm his way into listeners’ heads via inventive cleverness. On In Conflict, he seems much more comfortable taking aim at the gut
    Read Review

  8. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    No matter what developmental turns Pallett makes, his songs could never sound like anyone else’s
    Read Review

  9. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    It took a few listens for In Conflict to really hit, but, like a friendship that grows deeper with time, I can’t imagine not having the album around now
    Read Review

  10. 8.0 |   Pitchfork

    In Conflict might not be an autobiography the way you or I would write it, but make no mistake: the deeper you look into it, the deeper Pallett himself stares back at you
    Read Review

  11. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Hits a perfect art/pop balance
    Read Review

  12. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Whether he is assisting others or going it alone, it seems that Owen Pallett can do no wrong, and long may it continue
    Read Review

  13. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Art set loose on pop with its teeth bared
    Read Review

  14. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Though less immediate than previous efforts, repeat listens to the darker, subtler In Conflict reveal yet another fascinating entry in Pallett's excellent catalogue
    Read Review

  15. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Feels starkly personal, wrestling with topics of love and human fallibility. Print edition only

  16. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Pallett proves that he has both the moxy and the natural aptitude to unite the pop, indie rock and classical worlds without anyone batting an eyelash
    Read Review

  17. 8.0 |   NME

    Pallett discussing everything from his drug intake to having sex to The Smiths. Compulsive and conflicted
    Read Review

  18. 8.0 |   Spin

    In Conflict is queer outsider art at its most fraught and compelling
    Read Review

  19. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    In Conflict doesn't find Owen Pallett breaking new ground, but that might not matter. He's still bringing his exacting ear to perfect arrangement
    Read Review

  20. 7.0 |   The Music

    Nothing about In Conflict is easy, nor should it be. This is Pallett’s world, one of ingenuity, flamboyance and verve, and no compromises are necessary
    Read Review

  21. 7.0 |   Fact

    In Conflict is an impressive record of worthy content, but the day he finds a way to reconcile his musical chops to his pop ear, then Owen Pallett will surely make his masterpiece
    Read Review

  22. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Ultimately, for all the undeniably impressive technical flair on display here, one is left frequently longing for the texture of unpredictability
    Read Review

  23. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    A pop treasure that's also a stirring, personal work of art
    Read Review

  24. 7.0 |   Earbuddy

    Maybe by focusing on one or two aspects of his artistry he would be able to create the true masterpiece that he is surely capable of
    Read Review

  25. 6.5 |   Crack

    It’s an undeniably strong album. It just isn’t Heartland
    Read Review

  26. 6.0 |   DIY

    It’s an undeniably strong album, in which existing fans will find much to love. It just isn’t quite ‘Heartland’
    Read Review

  27. 6.0 |   Mojo

    A little loosening up might help those serotonin levels. Print edition only

  28. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Pallett's choirboy voice placing him somewhere between Arthur Russell and a less hysterical Rufus Wainwright
    Read Review

  29. 6.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    You get the feeling that the always reliable and eternally reserved Pallett potentially has his best work ahead of him yet, a suspicion confirmed by this collection of electro tinged tracks which showcase a skillful development in sound.
    Read Review

  30. 6.0 |   No Ripcord

    Despite the running theme, the songwriting lurches from one song to the next, at one point a bit too much to take
    Read Review

  31. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    If there’s a problem with the album, it’s in the lyrics, which – virtually to a song – come across as stream-of-consciousness doggerel
    Read Review

  32. Back to main chart

blog comments powered by Disqus
buy it at amazon download it from itunes

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

Owen Pallett: In Conflict

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. I Am Not Afraid £0.89
  • 2. In Conflict £0.89
  • 3. On a Path £0.89
  • 4. Song For Five & Six £0.89
  • 5. The Secret Seven £0.89
  • 6. Chorale £0.89
  • 7. The Passions £0.89
  • 8. The Sky Behind the Flag £0.89
  • 9. ---> (1) £0.89
  • 10. The Riverbed £0.89
  • 11. Infernal Fantasy £0.89
  • 12. Soldiers Rock £0.89
  • 13. ---> (2) £0.89
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

Public Service Broadcasting  The Last Flight

The album closes with the absolutely haunting “Howland,” named for the island where Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were supposed to stop to refuel. Clocking in at eight and a half minutes and ending with actual field recordings of the island itself, it’s a worthy and mournful ending to a tragic story Under The Radar

Kendrick Lamar  GNX

Burning down the industry with a reinvigorated competitive spirit Consequence Of Sound

Kim Deal  Nobody Loves You More

Sounds both like it could have been a long-lost session from 1996 and, somehow, perfectly of the moment Consequence Of Sound

More reviews

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.

  1. 9.3

    Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly

  2. 9.2

    Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters

  3. 9.1

    Kendrick Lamar Damn.

  4. 9.1

    D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah

  5. 9.0

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen

  6. 9.0

    Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure

  7. 8.9

    Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways

  8. 8.9

    Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree

  9. 8.9

    Frank Ocean Channel Orange

  10. 8.9

    Dave We’re All Alone In This Together

See full list