Ellipse (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

For a work so heavily reliant upon synthesizers and other unnatural tones, Ellipse sounds surprisingly organic. This is mostly thanks to Imogen Heap’s delicately emotive voice, which she loops and processes into various forms ranging from the scat singing of “Earth” to the bubbly bounce of “Swoon” to the ethereal atmospherics of “Between Sheets” and “Half Life.” Her interesting song structures and the multiple layers of odd electronica give her tunes their rich textures, especially on such standouts as “First Train Home,” “Aha,” and “Canvas.” Not all of the songs on the album are so sonically dense; Heap also offers the relatively minimalist “2-1,” with its slow build and pleasant use of strings, as well as the spare piano instrumental “The Fire.” Ellipse is the third release from the former Frou Frou member and it’s a charming and intriguing patchwork of sounds. This deluxe version includes instrumental versions of each song.