Speak For Yourself

Imogen Heap.

Have you heard her name before?

If you don't recognize the name, surely you'll recognize the song 'Hide And Seek' which has graced many TV shows such as 'The OC' with its strange and beautiful electronic harmonies. This song in particular has garnered Imogen some very well deserved fame, but this is far from her best piece of work; all of her songs are pieces of creative compositional artwork.

She combines electronics, her beautiful voice and recorded sounds from all types of strange, exotic instruments and objects you would never think could become part of a breathtaking song. The layers and vocal intricacies are what make Imogen's music so rich and interesting, and her new album 'Ellipse' showcases her skills as a singer and producer of her own music. It is subtle, intricate and beautiful. However, the pop melodies and hooks found throughout 'Speak For Yourself' combined with her distinctive style, make it my favourite album to date.

As I've touched on, Imogen does everything herself. She was part of a 2 person band called 'Frou Frou' in which her heavy influence is still notable, but in her solo work she is her own boss, her own producer, her own greatest critic and her own best friend. Accompanying her distinctive vocals and harmonies are instruments like the array mbira, piano, 'The Hang' and anything else she can find. She's used sounds such as tapping on a piano for a beat, or sampling sounds of her and her then-boyfriend eating dinner for the background of the track for 'Hide And Seek' or the sound of a shower running in the background of 'Bad Body Double'. All of these small and unique touches add that special something that draws you into Imogen's music. She also has a fascination with the shapes of sounds, and uses electronic means to manipulate ordinary sounds into strange and extraordinary noises to incorporate into her music.

Her lyrics are also unique and interesting. She doesn't focus as much on rhyme, and instead has a lot of flowing, assonant language that contains cryptic clues as to what the song is actually about. While some songs are more obvious like 'Goodnight And Go';

Why do you have to be so cute?
It's impossible to ignore you!
Must you make me laugh so much?
It's bad enough we get along so well...

some are more cryptic like the song 'The Moment I Said It'

The moment I said it,
The moment I opened my mouth;
Lead in your eyelids
Bulldozed the life out of me.

This is why I love Imogen Heap. She is one talented woman, being able to sing, produce, market, play an incredible number of instruments and write gorgeous lyrics. She's a force to be reckoned with so watch out, because while she isn't in it for the fame and the money, she is unstoppable and she's headed to the top!