Campbell: Tuned In: Imogen Heap, Matisyahu, The New Up

By Chuck Campbell (Contact)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

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Hasidic star Matisyahu mixes it up on new album

Imogen Heap lumps together creativity, meaning

“ELLIPSE,” Imogen Heap (RCA)

Freak du jour Imogen Heap will likely hold on to her scenester cred with her new “Ellipse.”

The oddball U.K. singer/songwriter with a penchant for vocoders pushes herself into the another dense set of claustrophobic intimacy, a performing method that landed her music on episodes of “The O.C.,” in an “SNL Digital Short” and in an Apple commercial, among other places.

The baffling songs on “Ellipse” often seem important, though her execution tends to overshadow her lyrics (and whatever meaning they might have).

Such is the case for the inventive “Earth,” awash in overdubbed vocals, as well as the one-two punch of the thick-electro “Swoon” (where Heap is baiting her trap for a date) and the even-more-urgent “Tidal” that proves inescapable. Also, the dark and theatrical chamber-pop of “Aha!” is reminiscent of an early Kate Bush tangent or a more contemporary Rasputina song.

Heap’s emotional output is sometimes sacrificed in the unconventional arrangements, her voice just another artificial-sounding instrument (even when it’s emphasized) in the clamor. Yet like any good eccentric, she finds her moments and makes them count. On the fluttering “Between Sheets,” which is more dreamlike than seductive, Heap flies away on a blissful, piano-based fantasy with, “You and me between sheets/It just doesn’t get better than this.” And sweetly charming opener “First Train Home” builds from a misty intro to a full-steam ramble as the homesick heroine desperately seeks a return to security. Heap also lets down her guard with the straightforward confessional “Half Life,” supporting a fragile alliance of nerves and hope as she sings, “There may well be others, but I still like to pretend that I’m the one you really want to grow old with.”

Ultimately, Heap triumphs with an artful blend of aural innovation and heartfelt passion.

Rating (five possible): 3-1/2

Matisyahu shines on illuminating ‘Light’

“LIGHT,” Matisyahu (Epic)

Matisyahu’s talent is catching up to his heart.

In the past, cheesy production has hindered the well-intentioned performer and cast a “novelty act” cloud over his shtick: a Hasidic Jewish New Yorker trying to spread uplifting messages by dabbling in three Rs of music — reggae, rap and rock.

Yet his new “Light” is revealing. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, Regina Spektor), the release demonstrates that Matisyahu has found artistic enlightenment to accompany his spirituality. His voice has taken on more empathetic tones, and his delivery is more professional than it was in his clunky past.

And with Kahne’s input, Matisyahu has expanded his range, folding everything from folk to electronica into his reggae/rap/rock sound.

“Light” does have its problems. Matisyahu still tends to come apart with his pacing: He’s uncomfortably slow on “Smash Lies,” for instance, while on “So Hi So Lo” he declares he, “must follow the road that nobody goes,” and it sounds like he might be texting as he drives because he meanders all over the place at erratic speeds. Also, the genre mash-up sometimes (as on “We Will Walk” and “Motivate”) seems more desperate than ambitious.

Still, the Sting-like qualities of his voice are nicely apparent as he vows commitment on the dramatic “For You” and decries “relentless pessimists” on “Thunder.” Plus his lilting soft vocals make his case on “I Will Be Light,” and his tenderness on closer “Silence” is moving.

Matisyahu still has a corny way about him and even with Kahne at the helm he continues to try too hard with the scattershot arrangements. But when he endearingly sings, “One day we will all be free” on “One Day,” it’s hard not to be on his side.

Rating: 3-1/2

Trilogy’s midpoint generates momentum

“BETTER OFF,” The New Up (The New Up)

The world’s problems can’t be identified and fixed in one album, but the members of The New Up figure they can do it in three EPs, though if you’re looking for their ultimate solution, you’ll have to wait till next year.

The San Francisco band launched this trio-release project in late 2008 with the acclaimed “Broken Machine,” an analysis of society’s problems. The new “Better Off” seeks resolution, while the concluding EP, due next spring, reportedly will explore hope after a sometimes-painful transformation.

The group’s high-minded concept is bolstered by its sound, which has the requisite indie-rock clang yet also a psyche-probing psychedelia combined with improbable flute melodies. Lead vocalist ES Pitcher provides The New Up’s greatest distinction, offering accessible feminine soul with a dulcet etherealism — something along the lines of a Deborah Harry for a new millennium.

“Better Off’s” opening cut, “Dear Life,” even has a Blondie-like bent to it as Pitcher presents her philosophy on the folly of clinging to the very things that prove detrimental to our existence.

The New Up follows with the simmering title track, which earnestly repeats the adage that, “You’re always better off than someone else.” From there the band vents through a couple of tracks that create a maelstrom of machinery, indulging in a bit more raucous swarming than would be wise for a five-track EP with a heady mission.

But “Better Off” signs out with a surreal sendoff: the piano-based dark cabaret “Wait,” which appropriately fosters interest in that concluding EP.

The New Up may not have the world figured out, but the band knows how to build anticipation.

Rating: 4

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