I’ll Let It Rest / I Swear I’ll Let It Rest

I’ll Let It Rest / I Swear I’ll Let It Rest - bryanb

Posted by bryanb

Although i never bought into the “Queen of Electronica” title that has been bandied around for the last couple of years, I do know that Imogen Heap, in her solo form, can on occasion make some excellent music. What she does very, very well and what made Hide and Seek so darn intoxicating to the point of revulsion is her ability to get lost inside herself. Like a hipper version of Enya (I swear she does background harmonies on this new album), her voice can become an orchestra of coos and whispers, hums and trills. There’s an emotional button she pushes and a tone she hits, especially when riding over muted steel drums as Little Bird crests into its majestic finale that is pure ambient bliss. While the majority of her recordings get bogged down in middling, tepid sound collages and weak beats, it’s moments like this, where she is exploring the capacity of her own sonic limits, that make Imogen so fascinating.

Imogen Heap – Little Bird (206 kbps)

And while we are at it, here’s a favorite track from her one-off, 2002 group release as Frou Frou, collaborating with the all around pop wizard Guy Sigsworth:

Frou Frou – Psychobabble (192 kbps)