..and you will know us by the trail of puns

...and you will know us by the trail of puns//SSD Podcast #19 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

Imogen Heap

Ellipse

I, Megaphone

Rating: 4/5

 

Look, I know I promised you some punk reviews, but I'm not done digesting Shinobu's Strange Spring Air or colossal Exhaustive, Exhaustive yet, and I've not yet got Lemuria's Pebble in the post, so. I'll probably add some more BTMI! stuff in the next couple of days, but I gave my handwritten Keep Your Heart review to a friend's blog, so yeah, you get an Imogen Heap review. 

Did I also mention that I finally have the masters for Metamusic's World to Come EP on my "desk"? Yeah, well it's a fucking incredible EP, and that's another reason why I'm feeling a little distracted from my punk duties. Sadly, the new Radiohead record hasn't distracted me at all, but that's another story. In Rainbows is £9.99 (inc delivery) on wax over at HMV.com now, so maybe you want to get that instead. Just sayin'. 

ANYWAY, I'm going to talk about Imogen Heap. I've seen her live three or four (I think the former) times in the last year, and she's pretty much the most incredible performer out there right now. It was therefore with some trepidation that I finally buckled and actually bought myself an album, unsure as to whether the album experience would stand up on its own without the curiosities of her live show. Ellipse was the obvious choice, as for some reason Speak for Yourself appears to be out of print (what the fuck?). 

Opening on 'First Train Home', the best cut on the record, the listener is dealt some Cocteaus-ish wails before the song resolves into pleasantly driving electronica, a trait shared with other high-water mark, the dramatic 'Tidal' (though anybody who's seen her live can't help but conclude that it's poorer for the lack of a keytar solo). Though the more ballad-like 'Wait it Out' and 'Swoon' are probably what some people most appreciate about Heap, that's not what I'm here for; the beat-boxing and a cappella vocal antics of 'Earth', intricate pop of 'Bad Body Double' or orchestral sweep (yes I am a hack) of '2-1' are what keep me tuned in. Definitely worthy of a mention is 'Between Sheets', which firmly breaks the pattern of the rest of the record- live, I'm ambivalent towards it, but on the record it's lush, intimate and sickeningly sweet. Though the instrumentation is what seals the deal, the lyrics wouldn't be out of place on a Lemuria record, and that's definitely no bad thing. 

Verdict: it was never going to be as good as Imogen Heap's live show but it's fucking great anyway, end of.

Imogen Heap Strikes Back...

(This picture is nothing to do with me, I just got it off the internets)

Imogen Heap

Royal Albert Hall

5th November 2010

Rating: 5/5

Once again I found myself at an Imogen Heap gig, and since I don't own any albums I'm sitting there, vaguely wondering whether the thirty pounds plus train fare was going to be worth it. Was she really that good last time, or is it just my memory playing tricks on me?

For the first set, pre-interval, the orchestra takes their places and the maestro enters, complete with sequinned conductor's jacket. What follows is a film entitled Love the Earth, and, as is her wont, the film has been compiled by fans, with Imogen writing the score whilst on her most recent tour.

Her first attempt at audience-participation falls a bit short, as the crowd don't really seem to get into it, or even try at all. This is a bit of a shame, as it's kind of the trademark of her shows, as well as the fact that drone notes are cool. Anyway, as the only person in my area of the crowd under thirty, and judging by the number of bottles of fifty quid champagne I saw bought at the bar, I get the feeling a lot of people here think themselves a little above it all. Their loss.

The orchestral pieces that follow vary in interest and intensity; undoubtedly the most cacophanous is the crescendo to passage 8 ('Beauty') as a horn section rudely enters the mix and very much renders the sweeping strings below reminiscent of Takk-era Sigur Rós. The highlight of the entire piece is the gripping 5b ('Unseen') that begins with an acoustic guitar in much the same vein as 'The Bell' by Mike Oldfield, before gradually bulldozing away every instrument present with percussion and orchestral flourishes. It's absolutely breathtaking, and since I assume the whole show is being filmed for a future release, I'm sure you'll get the chance to see what I mean before long.

When passage 1b comes back, the crowd actually attempt to sing the drone note and add the whispers that Imogen requests (maybe that champagne has hit the mark by now?), and the effect is remarkable, especially in a building with the acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall.

With that, she's done, and there's an interval before her main set.

Returning for her main set, I'm instantly reminded of why I'm here: whatever Imogen sounds like on the record, the fact is that live, she's fronting a rock band. A really weird, weird, rock band, yes, but a rock band nevertheless. It's the sonic experimentation of playing such a bizarre plethora of percussion and obscure instruments within the context of this band that makes her live show so arresting, so vital. Bringing in, for example, violins and cello is cool, but it isn't that uncommon- Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, off the top of my head have both gone down that road, and that's before we've even got into the utter pretentious tosh that the Verve were doing with Ashcroft at the helm.

Uhm, where was I? Oh yes. So basically, Imogen Heap is probably the most talented single musician in any kind of musical mainstream right now. Yep, that's right. I can listen to other musicians and kid myself that yeah, sure, with a year off work and a piano/drum kit/glockenspiel/fucking nose flute I could be that good, but I'm just sitting there feeling inadequate on a very deep level, and that's the sign of being confronted with true talent. Don't agree with me? Then I will fight you. Fight Club style- no shirt, no shoes, no belt, no rules.

What did she play? Who cares, it's all good. 'Last Train Home' was a highlight, and 'Tidal' was the best track, as usual, but yes she did play 'Hide and Seek' and 'Speeding Cars', and yes, they were great. Just do yourself a favour and go and see her live. Who gives a shit that they don't sell male t-shirts at the merch desk? You insecure philistines.