Final Fantasy, The Mountain Goats @ Showbox at the Market 11/10| 8pm| $20

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Final Fantasy, whose name comes from the popular video game series, is not so much a group as it is the solo project of Owen Pallett, although Leon Taheny is also credited with being the drummer and engineer. Owen is a violinist, composer, and vocalist from Toronto, and he is one of the mainstays of the Toronto music scene. You may not have ever heard of Owen Pallet, but you’ve certainly heard his work before. Pallett was the co-writer for the string arrangements on The Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Neon Bible. He was also the writer of the string arrangements on the Beirut album The Flying Club Cup and Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House. He has worked with many other bands, including Pet Shop Boys and Great Lakes Swimmers, as well.

Pallett might have lent a helping hand to some big bands, but in his solo work, Pallett truly shines as an artist. His first album Has A Good Home was recorded in 6 days while touring with The Arcade Fire. It’s a collection of whimsical chamber pop and some Joanna Newsome type folk. On Final Fantasy’s second album, He Poos Clouds, Pallet does an 8-section movement with a string quartet describing each school of magic from the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game.

For his live performances, Pallett is alone on stage strumming and bowing his violin and using a loop pedal. He loops previously played harmonies through his sampler and plays additional parts and sings simultaneously. It’s a quirky mix of chamber and indie pop. His music might be hard to follow because he loops in different time signatures and different keys but it’s mesmerizing to watch one man make such a huge sound. His spellbinding performances are definitely worth showing up early for.

The Mountan Goats started in 1991 as the brainchild of John Darnielle. He was simply writing poetry and putting it to music. In the early years, the recording was done on a 2 track recorder and was extremely lo-fi. It was a period of intensive song writing, where Darnielle wrote short fictions about everything from drug dealers and debt collectors to mummified vikings and attic dwellers. The lo-fi recording came to its pinnacle in 2002 when Darnielle teamed up with his friend, bassist Peter Hughes, to record All Hail West Texas and Tallahassee. The two toured relentlessly over the next several years. They released several records, including the great albums Get Lonely and Heretic Pride.

While Get Lonely sounded almost like a confessional, with John Darnielle crooning about a dissolving relationship, Heretic Pride was a return to Darnielle’s short fiction style of song writing, as he sings about joining cults and gathering in smoke filled rooms. On October 6th of this year, The Mountain Goats released their newest album, The Life Of The World To Come. All the tracks are named after bible verses and they’re supposed to be as universally relatable as the book itself. John himself said the album was about 12 lessons the Bible has taught him. Whether singing about the helplessness of watching someone die of cancer, or driving in the rain just to shoot up in your car, the album is full of metaphors that can directly relate to your life.

During the live shows, John Darnielle is captivating. He commands the stage, sometimes in a whisper sometimes with a yell. Either way, it will keep you coming back for more. Catch him at the Showbox at the Market on Tuesday November 11th.