...as in what the future of music probably looks like. It doesn't sound like Yes, and frankly it doesn't sound like Henry Cow either, or Magma or Zappa, or PoiL, not that all that isn't excellent. It's going to combine virtual reality, video gaming, performance art and electronics and I think Imogen Heap is actually that lower case "p" prig everyone's going on about. Check out the song at 13 mintues and discuss!
Yes Fred, this is great. I saw it for the first time yesterday morning via Todd Godwin. Kinda in the vein of Laurie Anderson but much more melodic and innovative. Gonna have to get her new album.
Yep, I stole this from your newsfeed. Pretty excellent, though it's probably much better as a performance piece than it may be on record, that we'll have to see. I really like most of her older stuff. This is just too cool in terms of a new form of musical expression though.
Hmmm... interesting - but I'll skip and wait for the musical pants to arrive.
Not that familiar with Ms. Heap.
This example looked Performance art ala Laurie Anderson 30 years ago.
It is pretty much ambient/new age without the visuals, and even with them just ok.
At least no laser harps.
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Very impressive.Technology has advanced by orders of magnitude since Dutch electronics whiz and instrument maker Michel Waisvisz first used "The Hands" back in the mid 1980's.
Kudos to Ms. Heap.
"please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide
IIRC, Hogarth used musical hands in the early 90s with Marillion. Technology certainly does march on, as Imogen's have much more capability imo.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
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Laurie is certainly in Imogen's DNA but Imogen is a legit pianist, musician and singer whereas I always really saw Laurie as an visual/performance artist that had a bit of musical ability. Laurie isn't going to be invited onstage with Jeff Beck any time soon.What I see Imogen doing now is a more musically valid manipulation of technology imo. It's more Todd Rundgren than Bjork (and Bjork is clearly another influence, but Bjork is a singer and conceptualist and not a player either). BTW Imogen can flat rock too.
I think she is totally prog... as in progressive...
this is my favorite, its so fresh and different when it comes up on my shuffle. love it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIAfiVGluk
I'm a big fan of Imogen! Though I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed with her latest album, Sparks. Maybe just because "Speak For Yourself" was such a strong album from start to finish and I keep hoping to hear her top it, which she hasn't yet done with "Sparks" or "Ellipse." That's not to say they aren't worthwhile too; I just think the tunage isn't quite as strong as on SFY... or her former duo (with producer/musician/composer Guy Sigsworth), Frou Frou's "Details," for that matter. Still, I love her voice, textures and arrangements!
... and composer, producer, arranger, engineer and programmer. She's a classically trained pianist who apparently was a ProTools ace by the time she was 12. More importantly, she's a pop artist who does it for the music and doesn't seem to care about being a big star or having her albums go platinum.Originally Posted by trurl
Yup, fantastic tune! Of course, the usage of the vocorder draws the Laurie Anderson comparisons, but the tune stands up on it's own. I've seen YT videos of people performing it with just voice and acoustic guitar and it works because a great tune is a great tune, regardless of how it's presented.
This is how "Me the Machine" sounds on "Sparks," her latest album:
Ah, cool! Yeah, there are clearly bits that are more specifically played, probably keyboard, along with the gloves stuff. Man, her sense of sound design kills me. Just amazing. Although I have to agree, SFY has yet to be topped. I think I like this song better than Ellipse so far.
I was really disappointed that her kickstarter didn't work out.
I like her hair.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Not for me.
Because of the huge amount of time required to develop a system like this, and the huge amount of human memory required to use it in a practical manner, I have to agree it's Prog.
Practical? No. Prog? Yes. I was bored silly listening to her explain every little nuance of her rig. Just play it!
The explanation was for people like me, who do care. That's why I said jump to 13 minutes...
I enjoyed the explanation and the performance. Very interesting. I'd love to try a pair of those mittens.
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They will come as speedos next year
I'll wait for the musical muff.
This didn't really do much for me.
Very nice that she's doing this. It has a certain soundscaping quality about it that'll compliment a contemporary arrangement (bass, gtr, keys, etc.) as well as a traditional one. Letting my mind wander, I could hear it fit nicely into King Crimsons "Red" or "LTIA pt 1" -but it needn't end there. Applications are only limited by the imagination. I'm not surprised to hear/see she's giving this a try. She certainly showed potential as far back with her single "Daylight Robbery" (can't recall the name/year of the disc).
This instrument brings to mind the Theremin. I wonder how much area is required to prevent intereference from other instrumentalists though. I don't see it replacing other instruments, but I'm intrigued by it.
You could always pound down a bunch of spicy bean burritos.
Groovy. Can you imagine if Gabriel had had access to this kind of technology during his Genesis days? Hell, even in his late 70s/early 80s stuff. I'm pretty sure it would have been very cool.
And I like her stuff. She's part of a wave of pop artists who are being really innovative with technology.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
Nice but...could we stop with the Laurie Anderson bashing? Please? Remember, she was classically-trained, too (as a violinist).
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Yeah she's great. I personally like her much better than Laurie Anderson, though for female proggy artists, Kate Bush's 'Sensual World' is still my number one.
I jumped on the Imogen bandwagon back when her second solo album ("Speak for Yourself") was released. The gloves are just icing on a very innovative cake. She is "the total package": superb producer, lovely singer, creative instrumentalist and smart songwriter who is not afraid to continually push her own boundaries.
"But is it Prog?" For my book: absolutely! "Speak," "Ellipse," and "Sparks" are a terrific trilogy that belongs in the music library of anyone who digs lavishly innovative (yet still melodic) songcraft. Also excellent (though a bit more straightforward Pop) is her collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, Frou Frou - Details. All of the above are highly recommended.
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