Imogen Heap: Ellipse

Ok, I am a gigantic fan of Imogen Heap. She’s my favorite singer (tied with Peter Gabriel) and I was one of the thousands who stayed up to date with the production of her new album Ellipse on youtube. I thought it was great how she stayed connected with her fans and used youtube as a means to get feedback from them and improve the quality of what was already great music. I waited patiently for the August 25th release date for America, but I was so happy when she announced on Twitter that she had put the full album on her website for free streaming. And I have got to say that the result is magnificent.

This album is definitely her best work. I’m happy because she said on one of her V-Blogs that it would not be more of the same of what we got on Speak For Yourself. Instead this album feels like its own animal, but of the same genus as Imogen’s previous work. I think there are several high points on the album, and there isn’t a single track on here that feels like filler. I think my personal favorite on the album is Tidal. In fact, along with Tidal, there are several parts of the album that have a very classical sounding violin. It’s like if Mozart had decided to play around with some of today’s technology and make pop music.

The tracks Swoon and Bad Body Double have a playfulness to them that makes them good repeat listens.Of course First Train Home and Canvas will be flagship in terms of the marketing of the album. I think the track on here that shows the most amount of change for Imogen is Half Life. I say this because the song is much more simplistic compared to the rest of them. Utilizing a piano, a flute, the ambience of a crowd, and her breathy voice she manages to hit such a range of emotions that you can’t help but keep listening to it. What I love about her music is the fact that her voice, while being the star of the album, doesn’t overdominate the music. She lets the music speak for itself (no pun intended).

So yeah, if you like Imogen Heap already, pop music, or GOOD music in general then I urge you to buy this album. If you’re going to get it, then get it in the special edition which comes with a bonus disk with the instrumental tracks. It’s very well worth it! Ellipse (Bonus Track Version)