Falling Back in Love with Imogen Heap
I remember falling in love with Frou Frou’s Let Go after seeing Garden State in 2004, and continued falling more and more in love with the track (and, frankly, with the entire album) after each play of the film’s soundtrack. (Honestly, who didn’t? That must be one of the best movie soundtracks of all time.)
That one song marked the beginning of something. I don’t remember if I already had Frou Frou’s Details album (2002) — Imogen Heap’s and Guy Sigsworth’s short-lived duo project — buried in my then-unmanageable iTunes library (hellllloooo college), or whether I snagged it from my sister’s dusty collection shortly thereafter the Garden State release. Either way, Imogen’s striking vocals paired with her electronica influence were to die for and set her apart from the Britney Spears, Maroon 5 and Ashlee and Jessica Simpson pop overplayed on the radio at the time.
Months later, the unforgettable and unmistakable chants of Hide and Seek aired in The OC’s season 2 finale, and I remember the confusion: Frou Frou? Or Imogen Heap? What was the difference? And regardless, how do I get my hands on her music?
And now, after countless plays of I Megaphone (1998 – I’m sure you’ve heard, Come Here Boy), Speak for Yourself (2005), and a smattering of singles (my favorite: Speeding Cars), her latest album, Ellipse, is scheduled for release:
- August 24th: in the UK and internationally (except, of course, in the U.S., where everything comes out on Tuesdays)
- August 25th: in North America
BUT. The coolest things about her upcoming album release? Not only did she tweet about the production of the album (this falls into the love category of my love-hate relationship with Twitter) and keep vBlogs along the way, making her feel less like a total celebrity and more like one of us — simply a young woman who’s realizing her dream — but it’s streaming live. Right now. Pre-release.
The results? Thought-provoking lyrics. Whimsical vocals. Sprinkled with piano cords and the same electronic flavors that made us love her in the first place.
Listen and decide for yourself!