It took seven years for Imogen Heap to follow her debut album I Megaphone with her breakthrough Speak for Yourself (during which time Heap was in Frou Frou with Guy Sigsworth), so the four-year gap between it and its follow-up, Ellipse, feels relatively short. Speak for Yourself's stunning single "Hide and Seek" took on a life of its own, partly thanks to its use in a crucial scene in the teen drama The O.C., but mostly because it was so spare and bittersweet: Heap's heavily processed vocals became more affecting because of those effects. That sound was so distinctive, it would have been easy for Heap to fall into the trap of trying to recapture that magic. Instead, Ellipse is some of her most wide-ranging work, physically and musically speaking. Heap recorded the album in locations ranging from Hawaii, Fiji, and Thailand to her home studio; while only a few songs feel overtly globe-trotting, like "2-1"'s slightly Eastern melody and the eco-conscious "Earth"'s African-tinged arrangement, Ellipse's well-traveled origins are revealed in the immediacy and urgency of its songs. Heap has a gift for crystallizing unique emotions in her music, and that's especially true of "Little Bird," which contrasts slightly dark meditations on everyday life ("Orange juice, concentrate/Crossword puzzles start to grate") with the musical equivalent of sunbeams, and "Between Sheets," which mixes romantic bliss and bubbly electronics so completely, it suggests her bed might be on a spaceship. Heap takes listeners on a tour of characters and attitudes far more eclectic than her previous albums, from "Bad Body Double"'s sassy rant about a copycat to "Wait it Out"'s breakup aftermath. Throughout it all, she never loses the slight oddness that makes her music so distinctive, whether she describes pulling away from a kiss as "mouths are fleshing over" on "First Train Home," scatters electronic blips and flute wisps through "Tidal," or makes "Aha!" witchy and mischievous enough to appear in a Tim Burton film. Soft but far from sedate, Ellipse might not have a single moment as arresting as "Hide and Seek," but it's some of Heap's most engaging work.
Imogen Heap is an English singer and songwriter known for her role in electronic pop duo Frou Frou as well as her solo work. Her third solo album, “Ellipse”, was released this past summer, an astounding 4 years after the remarkably successful “Speak for Yourself”. The album was recorded in the basement of her childhood [...]
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It didn't take a genius to predict that Imogen Heap was just a few steps away from mainstream success. Her music positively begs to be used behind any and every flashy advertisement out there and that's before even contemplating the possibilities of movie soundtracks (you can already count Frou Frou's Let Goin The Garden State and her work on the first Narnia movie) and so, with a mix of muted ...
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'Ellipse' is the third solo album from Imogen Heap, British singer-songwriter-producer. To better both herself and her music, Heap seeks to master new instruments and technologies, and takes full advantage of social networking tools, garnering over 15 million profile views on MySpace. While she may not be a titan of...
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In 2005, Imogen Heap released the widely acclaimed Speak For Yourself, an album that dared to combine the catchiest of melodies with intricately crafted, self-produced electronica, challenging the very boundaries of pop music production. For Imogen’s next undertaking, she decided to return to the very beginning–her childhood home, in fact. Building a studio in her [...]
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Ever since striking it big with her haunting "Hide and Seek" (it was on So You Think You Can Dance? dammit), people have been clamouring for a new record from Imogen Heap. The UK chanteuse has finally obliged with the release of Ellipse.The themes Heap tackles on Ellipse are no surprise. Once again she focuses on songs of defiance and triumph. They tend to be tales of overcoming odds and the
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Trying to catch up on all the crazy tunes I’ve missed since not having a laptop — here’s one I really, really like.“First Train Home,” our first ethereal look into Imogen Heap’s Ellipse, showed us an artist that had grown without tearing down her roots. On “Canvas,” is more of the same beauty. The best [...]
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From sound decks to tweet decks, studios and status updates, Imogen Heap has had monumental success. Recently hailed as ‘The Download Queen’, her latest album ‘Ellipse’ has sent download into overload, making her one of the most successful independent artists in the UK. With ‘First Train Home’ set to storm the download charts once again, [...]
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Imogen Heap is coming out with a new album. Check her twitter page for news and reviews of Ellipsehttp://twitter.com/heapwire
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Here’s to artists who understand social media and beyond. Imogen knows her audience and has had her twitter in Ellipse mode basically since its inception. Listen to the entire new album, set to officially drop August 25.Favorite track upon first listen = “2-1″.While You're Here:Mustachioed man covers Passion Pit on a harpConor Oberst Live Concert [...]
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Imogen Heap – CanvasAhh, Imogen Heap. The toast of the digital world, innovative and with great tunes to boot. I first came across her on the soundtrack of Garden State (possibly one of my favourite films ever), and am super excited about her forthcoming new album, Ellipse, which is out in two weeks time.This is [...]
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Well, well! The official video for Imogen Heap’s first single off of Ellipse, “First Train Home,” has premiered on Spinner just as the day’s begun to break over here on the East Coast. Directed by Kanye West’s 2007 tour set designer, Es Devlin, the kaleidoscopic concept piece finds Heap running circles ’round herself and a [...]
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MUSIC NEWS - Imogen Heap has shown her tech-savviness and is a fan of music technology. Last nite the singer/songwriter showed it on Late Night With David Letterman by performing with an über-hip Monome controller. She also appeared to promote her new release, Ellipse (order your copy thru MNN here) and sang the opening track First Train Home. Heap played on her Monome as s
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 "Ellipse")
