Jared Christensen
Design, Music, & Sundries

Speak For Yourself
Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap has a voice from another world and a musical soul to match. As half of the electro-pop duo Frou Frou, Imogen gained some exposure when the band’s song “Let Go” from the album Details was included on the Garden State soundtrack and featured in the movie’s closing credits.

Speak For Yourself is Imogen’s second album. Recorded over the space of a year on her own dime, the album drawns from the same musical gene pool that makes Frou Frou soar. Heap has an incredible knack for melody, and spares no hook in building an expansive alt-pop landscape.

The standout track “Hide and Seek” is acapella at its finest; Imogen’s voice burns through the cyborg tones of a double-tracked vocoder, creating a strange angelic warmth out of the mechanical modulations. It’s both odd and completely magnetic, and nearly unfathomable that the song took essentially 10 minutes to lay down.

Mixing it up is the name of the game for this album; case in point: the overdriven wall of sound of “Daylight Robbery” vs. the glossy drum and synth-pop of “I Am In Love With You”; the cinematic burning of “Closing In” vs. the the eerie atmospherics and celestial harp of “Have You Got It In You?”.

At the end of it all is the amazing realization that all of this output came from one person. If you’re a Frou Frou fan (say that 5 times fast), buy this album. It’s a no-brainer, really.

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Comments

sxates » 24 October 2005 #

I think I’ve listened to “Hide and Seek” about 6 times in a row just now, at high volume, and you’re right, this rocks. Wish Napster had the whole album available, hopefully they’ll add it soon.

I have Frou Frou’s album, like it alright. Thanks for the music tip :)

Joshua Blankenship » 25 October 2005 #

“Speak For Yourself” is so good I almost wonder why she even bothered with the Frou Frou collaboration.

ruben eudave » 6 November 2005 #

i listen to alot of different music but the sound and the vibration Heaps

voice penetrates deep in ones mind and body

Alex » 8 November 2005 #

I hate to compare this album to Details, but it’s all I can do. Heap’s vocals are a different beast without Guy manipulating them. While the production of this album isn’t as lush and liquid as Details, it’s interesting in an edgier way. Frou Frou erred on the sickly sweet side, while Speak for Yourself has a little more grit to it (as Imogen’s first album did). In the end, I totally agree, it’s a great cd.

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