Are you one of those who thought the soundtrack for the movie “Garden State” was amazing? I am. Included in that soundtrack, was the hit single “Let Go” by Frou Frou. You may or may not know this, but one half of Frou Frou is this great girl Imogen Heap and a couple weeks ago she released a follow up to Speak for Yourself. The album (consisting mostly of music machines and a harmonizing Heap) comes four long years after Speak for Yourself and I have to say that I am quite impressed with Ellipse.
The English songbird brings forth a pretty ambitious attempt in Ellipse. My favorite tracks are “First Train Home,” “Earth,” “Between Sheets”, “2-1” and “Aha!”
Opening the album is the beautiful-sounding “First Train Home.” Imogen Heap is an expert at making her tracks feel serene and peaceful and that is exactly what she accomplishes with this opening track. It’s the perfect way to begin the journey that is Ellipse. Soft synthesizers and her voice that goes from deep to whispery soft make way to a bit of a bigger beat with more synths and machines. The chorus is especially catchy and upbeat but the lyrics may say otherwise. We have all wanted to escape to somewhere (whether physically or psychologically) and “First Train Home” is the first song to listen to while doing so!
“Earth” features some pretty awesome a Capella work, if you’re into that kinda thing … which I totally am so I dig this song! The song just focuses on Heap’s whispery and wispy voice with hardly any machines at all. Though her voice was highly compromised, Speak for Yourself did this with “Hide and Seek,” a song that had absolutely no music at all but only consisted of Heap (or “several Heaps,” I should say) and her voice alone. “Earth” would be the closest equivalent to capturing Heap in that same light, but it does not come close to the awesomeness that is “Hide and Seek”!
Imogen Heap comes up with the most interesting sounds and beats in her album and “Between Sheets” is an example of this. The song starts out with something that sounds like a boomerang is flying around your head but then the song simplifies and is reduced to merely a piano, small sounds and her voice. The melody played on piano is beautiful and a nice little break from all the machines, even though they are still present. One of the shortest songs on the album, “Between Sheets” is probably my favorite for it’s simplicity and sweet romantic nature. The cute factor in this song may be too much for some though, bordering that feeling you get when you have those friends that just refuse to tone down the PDA!
A change of pace comes immediately after “Between Sheets” in “2-1.” The song is full of deep questions anyone would ask when they question their purpose on Earth. Heap seems to be questioning religion in this song, or at least questioning you on whether or not you’re really sure you want to believe in this bigger force that you’re bending over backwards to please. I, personally, don’t think she’s dispelling religion, just merely questioning and thinking in bigger terms. It’s almost as though she’s pleading with a lover to think twice with the line: “I care about you darling/and I care about you/cuz I care about you/more than anyone else.”
If you thought “2-1” was a change of pace, be prepared for “Aha!” which flips you around yet again. The song begins with a toy piano, cello and a bunch of creepy la-la-la-la-la’s that remind me of “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” which I still have trouble watching sometimes (I know, I’m lame)! But the song is pretty hilarious if you listen to the lyrics carefully because Heap is singing about hypocrites. It’s pretty obvious how her sense of humor works when you hear Heap singing, “Wheat-meat-dairy-free, tee total/So happy clappy high on life/You should try it, you know/Go ahead, no one’s looking/Aha! Caught you now!/Caught ya red-handed in the biscuit tin/Cost you to keep me quiet.” The music accompanying her is so creepy and sneaky, it goes along perfectly with the character she’s playing.
I am a huge fan of her album Speak for Yourself so of course I had been looking forward to Imogen Heap’s next release impatiently. I really enjoy Ellipse but still not sure if it tops her previous album yet. Regardless, have a listen because it’s still a pretty amazing album full of layers, great lyrics and different sounds. She’s one of those artists where you can’t really enjoy fully what she’s doing unless you have some headphones on to hear every single little thing she’s got hidden in there!
Ellipse is out now and the deluxe edition contains the instrumental tracks of every song … If you’re into that kinda thing.
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
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