The reflective, flowing "You Know Where to Find Me" includes notes played on 13 pianos owned by Heap fans across Edinburgh.
The delightfully energetic "The Listening Chair" sums up the 35 years Heap has lived so far she says she intends to continue adding to it until she dies. Other compositions explore new processes instead of focusing on travel. These journeys didn't merely serve as inspiration: The songs incorporate sounds made by other artists, other people, animals and soundscape elements wherever Heap went. Working on Sparks, Heap roamed as far as travelers go, recording two songs as part of a friend's documentary project in Bhutan, and then returned home, crafting the haunting spoken-word cut " Neglected Space" as part of a community-garden project just blocks from her London home. "Xizi She Knows" reflects a six-week residency she spent in Hangzhou, China. "Mind Without Fear" has the Indian flavor of the musicians Heap met as she recorded it in phases, moving across that subcontinent. Several involved international collaborations. On one level, there's the process through which each song took form. That's really the point, in fact: Evolving along with the interests of this most adventurous pop star, Sparks demonstrates that the futuristic is interpersonal, showing how innovation happens one human encounter at a time. The music on Sparks reflects a dazzling array of compositional approaches, from the most futuristic ("Me the Machine" was written using Heap's gesture-controlled, music-making Mi.Mu Gloves) to the most interpersonal ("Lifeline," the song that launched the Sparks project, was crowdsourced through contributions from Heap's huge global network of online fans). The English singer, songwriter and tech pioneer has taken three years to shape 14 songs that answer her question in utterly distinctive ways. "What does the story hold?" Imogen Heap sings tenderly and slightly quizzically in "Propeller Seeds," the closing track on her fourth solo album, Sparks. Heap is back at it, but even better.Imogen Heap's new album, Sparks, comes out Aug. Those that are savvy enough to listen to “Sparks” in its entirety will surely be pleased. This album includes the usual trademarks for Heap with her smooth-as-caramel-sweet-as-honey voice mixed with her stellar piano skills and instances of wild syncopation. Heap’s lyrics are as poetic as her older works, which she proves with songs like “You Know Where to Find Me” and “Propeller Seeds.” Do not let some of the weirdness - that’s her thing anyway - discourage you because once you hit play on any song, you will be transported to a surreal, magical island the locals call Imogen.
The eccentric and wildly creative Brit proves to listeners that her familiar electronica-pop-techno style is still fresh. Listening to Heap’s new album “Sparks”- with that signature soothing voice - once again reminds us why we fell in love with her in the first place. Ever since Imogen Heap’s first album was released way back in 1998, the woman has not lost touch with the type of artist that she is.
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