Imogen Heap - Ellipse
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Free Music Notes for Ellipse
Free Music Review: Best Album Yet from Imogen
Hit: 5 Stars
After the amazing 'Speak For Yourself' album, expectations were quite high for this follow-up. Initially, after a few listens, I thought that 'Ellipse' didn't quite measure up, but after immersing myself in the album for the past few weeks, I have to say it's her best yet. It's not one of those albums that sinks in right away. It challenges you to dig beneath the surface and once you do, it rewards you handsomely. There may not be as many catchy tunes on this effort than from 'Speak For Yourself' or the 'Frou Frou' album, but there is more depth, more musically satisfying arrangements, more emotion and more haunting melodies that linger in your mind long after you've stopped listening.
Imogen's sound programming, instrumentation, and orchestration of those stunning sounds just keep getting better and better with each new release. The same can be said of her singing. Despite all the electronica and overdubs, there's an organic feel to the songs and the performances. It sounds like a full band with musicians that are very comfortable with each other and that's a testament to Imogen's arranging and production skills. Having been a big fan of her vocal harmonies and backing vocal arrangements, I'm once again amazed by the way Imogen always seems to have new tricks up her sleeve in the way she uses her multi-faceted voice to evoke new feelings, moods and tonal colors at will.
The opening track 'First Train Home' is definitely the right way to kick off this long-awaited album. The more you listen to it, the more you hear in the background and the hidden melodies that are sprinkled throughout the song. You get the sense that the album will be more subdued than her previous efforts but that it beckons further listening with your full attention, not as background music in the car while you're on the cell phone or in the office. There are so many musical details in each and every song that it cannot be fully appreciated unless you give the album the attention and the listening effort the album deserves.
I've been a big fan of iconoclastic female singer-songwriters for decades - from Joni Mitchell to Kate Bush, from Annie Lennox to Shirley Manson, from Sinead O'Connor to Tori Amos, from Laurie Anderson to Bjork - and I feel that Imogen may be the most complete and satisfying yet. She's got it all and you know that she is still ways off from reaching her creative peak. Certainly, she's not for all and her creative endeavors may sometimes leave some (even her longtime fans) scratching their heads, but she challenges the norm and stretches her abilities to the limit and that's what you get on 'Ellipse'. There may be some uneven moments here and there but it's a superb effort that will grow on you with repeated listenings. Personally, I now can't stop listening to it after an initial week or so of waffling on it myself.
Free Music Review: Imogen does it again
Hit: 5 Stars
Describing Imogen Heap as an eclectic and talented musician is akin to saying Michal Jordan was a pretty good basketball player: a vast understatement. Since her days as the front woman for Frou Frou, Imogen has done nothing but grow as an artist, vocalist, and composer. With an uncanny, near perfect-pitch voice, classically trained musical skills, and the ability to give electronic riffs evocative emotion, she is without equal in her field.
Ellipse is proof that she continues to grow and learn, something that prodigies don't always do--sometimes it's easy for them to just coast. Not so for Imogen: if Speak for Yourself was both beautiful, nerdy, witty, and occasionally wantonly silly, Ellipse is nearly all of those things with the exception of silly; it is melancholic, yearning, sad, haunting, and ultimately lovely and satisfying on several different levels. It's great pop music if that's what you're looking for, but it's also a complete artistic work that pays off the careful listener. Imogene's song writing has always been about the revealing moments of life, and Ellipse has the same focus, deftly portraying homesickness, lost love, the power of art, etc., all set to her particular brand of homespun indie electronica and sung lovingly.
Ellipse is not significantly different from SPEAK FOR YOURSELF in either a good or negative sense. It shows progression and perhaps even a maturing, but ultimately it's Imogen doing what she was born to do: tell stories through song with electronic beats and synth sensibilities. The result is an album that is easy to embrace for new and old fans alike, and one of the most unique and desirable releases of 2009.
5/5 Star. Fantastic music. A must buy.
Free Music Review: Like a Musical Breath of Fresh Air
Hit: 5 Stars
I first became interested in Imogen Heap's music when I heard Frou Frou's creative version of "Holding Out for a Hero" that plays as the credits roll in Shrek 2. I just had to know who the singer was, so I researched it on-line and discovered Imogen. This led to a quick purchase of Frou Frou's excellent album "Details" and, later, Imogen's "Speak for Yourself." I've been a big fan ever since.
I listen to straightahead jazz and classical music nearly all of the time and dabble in pop and other styles only occasionally, but something about Imogen's music really draws me in. She has a sound that's uniquely her own. I love the creative soundscapes she creates behind her always-interesting and nuanced vocals, and her lyrics are imaginitive and sometimes witty. Like many fans, I watched the vblogs and was anxiously awaiting the release of "Ellipse." I was delighted to discover that it's an even stronger album overall, in my opinion, than "Speak for Yourself," and that's saying something because "Speak for Yourself" is also excellent.
Other reviewers here have already provided good track-by-track descriptions of "Ellipse," so I won't duplicate that. What I will say is that if a middle-aged jazz lover like me can enjoy Imogen's music, there's a good chance you will too if she's new to you, even if you don't normally listen to this kind of pop. If you loved "Details" and "Speak for Yourself," you'll probably love "Ellipse" too. She's done it again--an album with a wide variety of moods and textures, interesting lyrics, and a bit of wit thrown in for good measure. My favorite tracks are "First Train Home," "Canvas," "Swoon," "2-1," "Tidal," and "Bad Body Double." I also found that I enjoyed "Ellipse" a bit more on the second listen, although I definitely enjoyed the first listen. I suggest spinning it at least a couple of times before you form a final judgment. Highly recommended.
Free Music Review: intricate, fragile, genius
Hit: 5 Stars
The first time I heard Imogen Heap's name was as songwriter for Way Out West's 'Mind Circus' a few years back - a melodic pop/breaks masterpiece at the time - but only discovered her all-round brilliance as an artist more recently.
Once I realised that she was also the production and engineering brains behind her own material I was even more intrigued and compelled - so quickly tracked down all I could find, gobbling up the Frou Frou album (created in tandem with the equally brilliant Guy Sigsworth - check out Alanis Morissette's 'Flavors Of Entanglement' for more of that production goodness) and 'Speak For Yourself' as soon as I could get my hands on them.
Both albums were chock-full of melodic and lyric invention coupled with detailed, layered electronic production - all of which revealed themselves further with repeated listening.
'Ellipse' is no exception. The first couple of hearings let the bigger hooks and general feel of the songs seep into your brain - one brain and 2 ears can only take so much in at once. But once you allow yourself to really get to know the material it reveals more and more layers of production and Imogen's melodies gradually untangle themselves like intricate puzzles, until eventually your head is swimming with the melodies and lyrics. And you can't wait to listen again, to learn more...
A number of online reviews have been lukewarm - and I can understand how this might be. Until you immerse yourself in the detail, the overall effect might seem middle-of-the-road or Enya-esque. But such reductions do the material an enormous disservice as there is WAY more going on in there than initially meets the ear.
Simultaneously melancholic and uplifting (that magical alchemy), this is pop - but it's the trickiest pop you're gonna hear for a while. If you're into that kinda thing :)
Free Music Review: Ellipse
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard of Imogen Heap on a remix of a Frou Frou song on a mixed dance cd several years ago. The first thing that stood out with me was her distinctive vocals. A few years later I became reaquainted with her vocals when Frou Frou's "Let Go" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Garden State. When I saw that Imogen had released a solo album post-Frou Frou called Speak For Yourself, I knew I had to check it out and enjoyed it immensely. Ellipse is the follow up album to Speak For Yourself. While I did enjoy Speak For Yourself quite a bit, I find myself enjoying Ellipse even more so. I immediately knew the album was going to be something special when I heard the first song/single "First Train Home". I really like how Imogen branches out with her vocals like on the song "Earth" which features no instruments. The focus is on Imogen's distinctive husky vocals. I also enjoyed "Little Bird" which is similar but with minimal instrumentation. The keyboards are very minimal. My other personal favorite track is the closing track "Half Life". It is a beautiful ballad. It was the perfect closer to the album. Unlike on Speak For Yourself, the lyrics on Ellipse felt more intimate and personal to me. They truly captured certain moments of Imogen's life and what was going on in her life at the time. I personally was not disappointed with Ellipse. This is a great album by a great artist that I hope people will check out. Music needs more singer/songwriters like Imogen Heap and less of Britney Spears and her ilk.