AKA William

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Pork is back, folks! That’s right, Pork returns to AKA William with his weekly post bringing you the best of this week’s new music releases.

What’s up, peoples? The end of summer is only a couple subway stops away and approaching. It’s hotter in New York City than it’s been all year, but the record companies are still saving their hottest stuff for once it’s cooled down and we’ve headed inside and can pay attention. I’ve found a handful of releases that are available today that are cool breathes of fresh air amidst the drudge.

Enter Imogen Heap: Maybe you are familiar with her solo work. Maybe you know the music of Frou Frou. Maybe you don’t know her at all. Today you should change that. To instantly catch some possible lame asses up, I offer you this introduction/refresher that in my mind has become an immediate classic: “Hide and Seek” from Imogen’s last album, the Grammy-nominated Speak for Yourself.

Ellipse, Imogen’s third solo album, is another brilliant example of pushing boundaries with vocal arrangements and digital madness through restrained production. Some songs are constructed and held together simply (or not so simply) by a chorus of acappella Imogen’s. We’re talking way thicker than any 7 layer bean dip. I try to only pull on comparisons when I’m trying to expose a possibly-new/unknown artist, but Imogen’s a difficult one for that as she defines unique. Sarah McLachlan on Ecstasy? Dido’s other-worldly alter-ego? Imagine if Enya had an impossibly hipper sister. (Yes, I said it.)

Not to say that Ellipse is by far a strictly-acappella affair…there are blips and bleeps, swirls and swoops. Thuds and whacks, chirps and chimes. What will seep into your system, however, is the voice(s) that penetrate it all with a single howl or a small wall of harmonized tones. They will sweep you away…by design. Flowy, etheral waves that sometimes stop abruptly. Welcome to her virtual reality digital lullaby.

The first single, “First Train Home,” takes me back to 1996 and “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis, but then flies down the tracks to and past the present…

No one will ever be able to accuse Imogen Heap of not using her voice to its fullest potential…or any of her musical skills for that matter. (All of the tracks were written, produced, engineered, programmed, “and everything in between” by Imogen herself.) Ellipse is sonic artistry without the pretension. It’s both massive AND miniscule at the same moment. Most of all, it’s incredibly listenable. For more Imogen, head over to here for many more great visuals and a killer vBlog.