Published originally by Blogcritics Magazine October 22, 2009
English songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Imogen Heap is a one-woman machine. For over 11 years, she has made a distinctive brand of music that is a mix of electronica, experimentalism, electro-pop, and rock.
Sound-wise and vocally, her songs range from the dramatic to the majestic, and contain hints of everyone from Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, and Tori Amos, to Annie Lennox and Bjork. In fact, Heap’s ex-Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth co-wrote songs with such noted non-conventional pop artists like Seal and Bjork in the early and mid-1990s before co-producing Heap’s 1998 debut album i Megaphone with Lennox’s Eurythmics bandmate Dave Stewart.
Since then Heap has made three records, one with Frou Frou (2002’s Details) and two more solo full-lengths, including the two-time Grammy nominated Speak For Yourself (2005) and its eagerly anticipated follow-up, Ellipse (RCA/White Rabbit).
Her new album debuted at a personal career-high #5 on Billboard’s 200 chart last month and also debuted #1 on Billboard’s Internet album and Dance/Electronic album charts. When you take a close listen to the album’s 13 tracks, it’s not hard to see why.
To start, the warm electro-pop track “First Train Home” retains the infectiousness of Heap’s prior album’s hit single “Goodnight and Go” and is an instant album highlight.
Besides being a call-to-action to clean up our planet, “Earth” is an experimental all a cappella track with a digital vocal harmonizer coloring its melodies, much like Speak For Yourself hit “Hide & Seek.” It also contains some of the oddball lyrics Heap is known for coming up with, such as her imagination of “lego land empires.”
The album loses steam for a bit on the calm but largely unmemorable electronic track “Little Bird.” It picks up its perkiness once again with the slightly spooky electro-pop love song “Swoon.”
Ellipse was recorded in various places around the world, including Hawaii, Japan, China, Thailand and at her newly built studio inside the basement of her family’s 18th century home in London, England. The new album’s name is a reference to the “elliptical” shape of this house.
“Bad Body Double,” written in Japan, is about looking at oneself in a bathroom mirror one day and not liking the image staring back at you. The sight of healthy and fit Japanese women surrounding Imogen Heap and the sudden realization that her own body was out of shape inspired this album highlight. Besides its overtly catchy rhythm, it features brilliant production, complete with actual bathroom-sounding reverb for a short stretch early on and a snare drum made via a sample of Heap slapping her own buttocks, according to an interview of Heap in The Sunday Herald in August. (Talk about experimental sounds!)
The romantic number “Between The Sheets” features some of the catchiest piano phrases Heap’s written yet, but is over before you know it (and seems a lot shorter than 2:54).
“Aha!,” with its brooding synths and Middle Eastern-sounding and cinematic strings is a typical enchanting Imogen Heap track, one clearly ready for a future soundtrack to a scary film. In fact, “Aha!” appeared in a 2009 episode of the new Melrose Place, and “Bad Body Double” appeared in the current (and fourth) season of Heroes, which is no surprise given her contribution of the song “Not Now But Soon” to the 2008 soundtrack to this hit NBC show.
Heap has become a master of marketing her music to TV, films, and soundtracks over the years, from the Garden State soundtrack (with Frou Frou) to The Chronicles of Narnia and the teen drama The O.C. being just some examples.
Elsewhere, spacey, warped beats accompany the romantic cellos of “2-1,” while “The Fire” recalls “Candlelight” from her debut album, as well as Under The Pink-era Tori Amos, due to its ghostly melodic piano runs. Album closer “Half Life” has delicate strings and Sarah McLachlan-esque piano chords - think “Angel” – but doesn’t actually sound like the Canadian songstress overall.
In all, Ellipse is a well-written and arranged album (by Heap), at least 80% of which is worth re-experiencing again and again. Compared to the British songwriter’s other two solo works, this one is, relatively speaking, her quietest collection, even if at least half the material is full of upbeat music.
It’s the first album in which she does not have at least one outright rocker to shake things up a bit, even if "Tidal" does rock a bit towards its end. It’s not a disappointment but a sign of a new direction. And with a batch of engaging songs like Ellipse has, Heap’s rabid fan base will surely continue to follow her career in whatever direction it takes her.
4 Stars
Stream Imogen Heap’s entire Ellipse album at her website, and in exchange for one tweet, download the "Canvas" video to your computer. You can also view a recent video interview from Shockhound.com.
Showing posts with label Electronica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Electronica. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Music Review: Radiohead - Hail To The Thief: Collector's Edition
Radiohead is such a powerful and insanely creative force that in 18 years of recording, it has not and probably can not repeat itself from album to album if it tried. Even if its much hailed early 2000s works Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) shared a common theme of experimentalism, almost every song was a new revelation. The same was true for the recently reissued follow-up to Amnesiac, 2003’s Hail To The Thief, now complete with a second bonus disc of live tracks, remixes and demos.
When you read critics or fans say – as they have - that Hail was, among other things a slight return to the more guitar-heavy sound of Radiohead’s 1990s output, this should not be taken to mean it sounds like old material, though there are a couple of hints of older songs to be found. The “slight return” really means that pure, delicate acoustics, clean and distorted electric guitars, and actual solos via Jonny Greenwood are present here more than on the band’s previous two albums.
In fact, guitar-centered tracks are a significant minority - six by my count - on Hail but are nowhere near as numerous as they are on the band’s first three records, Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer.
At nearly an hour in length and 14 tracks long (plus 14 more on a bonus disc), Hail To The Thief is at its core a healthy, complex mix of forward-looking experimental beats, electronics and other synth/keyboard-heavy technology and more conventional instruments like guitar, bass, drums, and Thom Yorke’s methodical piano work. In political terms, it has bipartisan appeal, with just enough guitar work to satisfy old fans and a lot of creative, adventurous sounds for the more versatile music fan.
Looking back, this is a stronger and more consistent album than I originally thought it was, with guitar-central tracks “There, There,” “Go To Sleep,” “2+2=5,” and “A Wolf At The Door” not only being the album’s highlights but among true Radiohead classics. The latter track ("Wolf"), with Yorke's rambling and frantic lyrical verses that give way to the band's swirly melodies in the refrains, along with Yorke's gorgeous falsetto at song's end all combine for a soothing and well selected way to close out the album.
As impressive as it is, Hail has just a few clunkers that prevent the album from being one of Radiohead's best: the deep bass booming and tape loop-dominated “The Gloaming,” which is a noble experiment but in the end an uneventful track, the funeral music/vocals of “I Will,” and the slow and sour piano-based “We Suck Young Blood.” Not that they are bad songs, but the latter two tracks may suck the life out of any room they're played in and would’ve been better off as b-sides.
On the newly included bonus disc, highlights include the lovely, folky acoustic "Go To Sleep” b-side “Gagging Order,” a live acoustic rendition of its A-side, the Four Tet remix of “Scatterbrain” and an exciting live 2003 performance of “2+2=5”. Other tracks are fairly intriguing at first but lose its cool upon repetitiveness or lack of substantive content, like the strange strings and funky bass of “Paperbag Writer” and the quasi-industrial experiment “I Am Citizen Insane.”
This 14-track bonus disc complements HTTT pretty well as a total package but isn't quite as essential as it would be if it contained a full show or comprehensive disc of demos and b-sides from the era.
HTTT was the last proper album Radiohead recorded specifically for a record label (EMI). And though it may not be the band's very best CD, its inventiveness and songwriting depth was truly remarkable for a sixth album and should not be under-appreciated. In that respect, it’s at least better than debut Pablo Honey, which itself is an underrated album. Radiohead, you see, doesn't make bad records.
In sum, if you’re a Radiohead or alt-rock fan who missed HTTT the first time around, it would be an unwise move to miss out again on an album with as much rich music as this one has.
Note: Originally published October 2, 2009 in Blogcritics Magazine
When you read critics or fans say – as they have - that Hail was, among other things a slight return to the more guitar-heavy sound of Radiohead’s 1990s output, this should not be taken to mean it sounds like old material, though there are a couple of hints of older songs to be found. The “slight return” really means that pure, delicate acoustics, clean and distorted electric guitars, and actual solos via Jonny Greenwood are present here more than on the band’s previous two albums.
In fact, guitar-centered tracks are a significant minority - six by my count - on Hail but are nowhere near as numerous as they are on the band’s first three records, Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer.
At nearly an hour in length and 14 tracks long (plus 14 more on a bonus disc), Hail To The Thief is at its core a healthy, complex mix of forward-looking experimental beats, electronics and other synth/keyboard-heavy technology and more conventional instruments like guitar, bass, drums, and Thom Yorke’s methodical piano work. In political terms, it has bipartisan appeal, with just enough guitar work to satisfy old fans and a lot of creative, adventurous sounds for the more versatile music fan.
Looking back, this is a stronger and more consistent album than I originally thought it was, with guitar-central tracks “There, There,” “Go To Sleep,” “2+2=5,” and “A Wolf At The Door” not only being the album’s highlights but among true Radiohead classics. The latter track ("Wolf"), with Yorke's rambling and frantic lyrical verses that give way to the band's swirly melodies in the refrains, along with Yorke's gorgeous falsetto at song's end all combine for a soothing and well selected way to close out the album.
As impressive as it is, Hail has just a few clunkers that prevent the album from being one of Radiohead's best: the deep bass booming and tape loop-dominated “The Gloaming,” which is a noble experiment but in the end an uneventful track, the funeral music/vocals of “I Will,” and the slow and sour piano-based “We Suck Young Blood.” Not that they are bad songs, but the latter two tracks may suck the life out of any room they're played in and would’ve been better off as b-sides.
On the newly included bonus disc, highlights include the lovely, folky acoustic "Go To Sleep” b-side “Gagging Order,” a live acoustic rendition of its A-side, the Four Tet remix of “Scatterbrain” and an exciting live 2003 performance of “2+2=5”. Other tracks are fairly intriguing at first but lose its cool upon repetitiveness or lack of substantive content, like the strange strings and funky bass of “Paperbag Writer” and the quasi-industrial experiment “I Am Citizen Insane.”
This 14-track bonus disc complements HTTT pretty well as a total package but isn't quite as essential as it would be if it contained a full show or comprehensive disc of demos and b-sides from the era.
HTTT was the last proper album Radiohead recorded specifically for a record label (EMI). And though it may not be the band's very best CD, its inventiveness and songwriting depth was truly remarkable for a sixth album and should not be under-appreciated. In that respect, it’s at least better than debut Pablo Honey, which itself is an underrated album. Radiohead, you see, doesn't make bad records.
In sum, if you’re a Radiohead or alt-rock fan who missed HTTT the first time around, it would be an unwise move to miss out again on an album with as much rich music as this one has.
Note: Originally published October 2, 2009 in Blogcritics Magazine
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Music Review: Royksopp - Junior
Note: Yeah, I've been neglecting my blog while attending to other duties. Unfortunately, it happens. But now, here's my Royksopp review originally published in Blogcritics Magazine 5/20/09
It is hard to believe four years have passed since Royksopp dropped their second LP The Understanding to the masses and that it’s been eight years since the native Norwegians graced the world stage with the magnificent debut record Melody A.M..
For its third release (with a fourth planned for later this year), Royksopp’s Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland came up with some instrumental gems, but opted to make a mainly vocal-based record, with their own pipes alongside guests including long-time collaborator Anneli Drecker (on "Vision One"), rising young Norway pop star Lykke Li (“Miss It So Much”), Robyn and others.
Cutting right to the chase, Junior is simply the most consistent and playful album Royksopp has recorded yet. Let me count the ways.
The clap-happy first single and mind-trip of a video “Happy Up Here” is chock full of light-hearted electronics and vocals, and also features a Parliament sample. Thus, it’s a proper introduction to a record full of coolness.
The hot dance track “The Girl And The Robot” sounds like a New Order “Blue Monday” remix-meets-Madonna’s “Hung Up.” It also sees the recently resurrected Swedish pop star Robyn making a cameo and singing about loneliness and frustration about her man working like a robot. It’s a situation so bad she goes “mental” over it and later resorts to watching MTV, which does nothing for her: “Fell asleep again in front of MTV…No one’s singing songs for me”.
On “Vision One” (and to a lesser extent “Happy Up Here”), Royksopp prove they are on the cutting edge in synthesizer technology. The deep, expanding and contracting synth used here is more than rad cool. It’s bleepin’ awesome, especially when heard through high quality headphones or stereo system. The amount of well-produced and structured otherworldly soundscapes on this album is enough to make the likes of Daft Punk and Air jealous.
“This Must Be It,” featuring the passionate and breathy vocals of The Knife’s Karen Dreijer-Anderson and oceanic wave-like synths at its end, is arguably the most blissful house number Royksopp’s written to date.
“Silver Cruiser,” the most peaceful and trippy track and instrumental on the album sounds like electronic Radiohead if they were inspired by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
The rest of these tracks are enjoyable to listen to as well, though "True To Life" may test your patience, as it doesn't veer all that much from its initial melody and take off into flange-aided psychedelic territory until its last minute or so. And a corny lyric or two on “Tricky Tricky” may make you wince for a couple of seconds, but this slice of synth-heavy electronica is an otherwise effervescent rave-up.
In all, Junior not only keeps its streak of extraordinarily produced records alive, it bridges the divide between the lovable instrumental soundscapes of its first record and the more pop vocal-oriented material from its second, only with better results this time around. In other words, it’s a must-have for any serious Royksopp fan. [4 stars]
Key tracks: “The Girl And The Robot,” “Vision One,” “This Must Be It,” “Silver Cruiser”
Click here to watch Royksopp's "Happy Up Here" video.
It is hard to believe four years have passed since Royksopp dropped their second LP The Understanding to the masses and that it’s been eight years since the native Norwegians graced the world stage with the magnificent debut record Melody A.M..
For its third release (with a fourth planned for later this year), Royksopp’s Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland came up with some instrumental gems, but opted to make a mainly vocal-based record, with their own pipes alongside guests including long-time collaborator Anneli Drecker (on "Vision One"), rising young Norway pop star Lykke Li (“Miss It So Much”), Robyn and others.
Cutting right to the chase, Junior is simply the most consistent and playful album Royksopp has recorded yet. Let me count the ways.
The clap-happy first single and mind-trip of a video “Happy Up Here” is chock full of light-hearted electronics and vocals, and also features a Parliament sample. Thus, it’s a proper introduction to a record full of coolness.
The hot dance track “The Girl And The Robot” sounds like a New Order “Blue Monday” remix-meets-Madonna’s “Hung Up.” It also sees the recently resurrected Swedish pop star Robyn making a cameo and singing about loneliness and frustration about her man working like a robot. It’s a situation so bad she goes “mental” over it and later resorts to watching MTV, which does nothing for her: “Fell asleep again in front of MTV…No one’s singing songs for me”.
On “Vision One” (and to a lesser extent “Happy Up Here”), Royksopp prove they are on the cutting edge in synthesizer technology. The deep, expanding and contracting synth used here is more than rad cool. It’s bleepin’ awesome, especially when heard through high quality headphones or stereo system. The amount of well-produced and structured otherworldly soundscapes on this album is enough to make the likes of Daft Punk and Air jealous.
“This Must Be It,” featuring the passionate and breathy vocals of The Knife’s Karen Dreijer-Anderson and oceanic wave-like synths at its end, is arguably the most blissful house number Royksopp’s written to date.
“Silver Cruiser,” the most peaceful and trippy track and instrumental on the album sounds like electronic Radiohead if they were inspired by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
The rest of these tracks are enjoyable to listen to as well, though "True To Life" may test your patience, as it doesn't veer all that much from its initial melody and take off into flange-aided psychedelic territory until its last minute or so. And a corny lyric or two on “Tricky Tricky” may make you wince for a couple of seconds, but this slice of synth-heavy electronica is an otherwise effervescent rave-up.
In all, Junior not only keeps its streak of extraordinarily produced records alive, it bridges the divide between the lovable instrumental soundscapes of its first record and the more pop vocal-oriented material from its second, only with better results this time around. In other words, it’s a must-have for any serious Royksopp fan. [4 stars]
Key tracks: “The Girl And The Robot,” “Vision One,” “This Must Be It,” “Silver Cruiser”
Click here to watch Royksopp's "Happy Up Here" video.
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