Imogen Heap - Sparks

Sparks
Imogen Heap
Tiger Rating: 9.0 / 10
Experimental / Electronic

Posh, quirky, English multi-instrumentalist girl who took a frog to the Grammy's, Heap's "thing" has always been experimental creativity. Beneath the layers of autotune and between the bubbles and blips of post production - even beneath the make-up and mad hair - is talent, control, great ideas and genuine talent though. Nowhere is that more apparent than on her mega masterpiece 'Sparks'.


Recorded over three years, pieced together track by track, and inspired initially from every day sounds (a bicycle, a dishwasher, a burning match) 'Sparks' grew organically and lovingly.
Here is a woman who nurtures every creative seed she finds. In this way Imogen is a hoarder. Never one to let any opportunity for creativity pass her by, she not only indulged in the creative process of making this album but saw each detail to fruition. And not in the scary, controlling way some visionaries do. But gently, lovingly and commitedly. As such, every detail of this album - from it's concept to its construction - is inventive and unique. Contributors as varied as DJ superhero deadmau5 and Hindi score kings Vishal-Shekhar provide the album breadth and so make it expansive and bold. The oriental percussion and mood invades nearly every corner of 'Sparks', and yet it remains weirdly accessible and almost familiar. Nowhere is this strange but appealing balance more apparent than on 'Xizi She Knows' - an unusual concoction of an Asian girl counting, an electronic pop beat and Heap's auto-tune guiding you through the strange landscape with joy and quirky effervescence. Closing track 'Propeller Seeds' begins subtly, simply with vocals (a la Suzanne Vega), softly swelling with soft synths, before alighting gently where it began.
On the deluxe version of 'Sparks' there is whole other album of symphonic versions of every track.


Imogen Heap comes across as neither contrived (despite her Grammy outfits), insecure, twisted or annoying. She's simply a joyful mastermind. Like a fairy leading you through her strange landscapes.
My advice? Just go with it and enjoy. It's beautiful.
WVS