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Album Reviews
Album Review: Imogen Heap – Ellipse (Megaphonic Records)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 24 August 2009
It’s been almost four whole years since Imogen Heap’s second solo record, ‘Speak For Yourself’, was released to the world. A world that had already long fallen in love with Heap’s haunting voice and fairy-pop-dance sound. ‘Ellipse’ delivers more of the same from Heap, which would never, ever be a bad thing. Every song is delivered on a musical platter that genuinely makes you feel like you’re dreaming. ‘Little Bird’, for example, just sounds like a stroll through some kind of fairy tale land. Where the album sounds best is when Heap let’s her imagination run wild on the lyrics (see the enchantment of ‘Tidal’). But the album takes a definite dip in quality when Heap sings about normal, every day things such as the monotone of everyday life (‘Swoon’) or the insecurities of a thirty-something (‘Bad Body Double’). Her sound certainly works best when she decides to escape normality and take a fantastical approach to her lyrics. These more grounded topics end up sounding contrived when mixed with her silky voice and subtle beats. I think this is because I just like to imagine that Heap exists on some ethereal plane where us mortals are not able to tread. When actually, she was born in Essex. Heap’s previous album has been constantly used by producers of US teen drama series’ as a way of instantly creating atmosphere and mood. The reason for this is that she manages to layer her tracks with intense emotions that the writers of hit shows like ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘The OC’ and ‘Heroes’ could only ever dream of conveying. Expect to hear plenty of singles from ‘Ellipse’ on your screens soon. GM
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