Imogen Heap ‘Thriller’

I’m loathe to reference anything having any association with Michael Jackson at this point, as it seemed we’d finally reached a point where people had stopped feeling it necessary to eulogize him at every opportunity (or active camera feed). But this is one of those rare combinations that absolutely, unquestionably should not work, yet somehow does. Maybe it’s because I have a heap (har har) of respect for Imogen, and have always been impressed with her vocals (if not always as blown away by her music). She’s arty and odd in a seemingly genuine way, not a ‘My press agent said this was the best way to market me’ way.

It’s the sort of thing I could see say, Amanda Palmer doing, and I’d probably hate it. That’s not to say I don’t like Dresden Dolls or Amanda Palmer, but she’d probably do that whisper-then-scream thing that she likes to do, and I’d find myself less likely to hit repeat. Imogen keeps to the slow burn approach throughout, but she has that sort of bubbling intensity underneath every word without ever actually giving into it. It creates a substantial tension that’s sustained through the entire 4 and half minutes. It’s the rarely seen but always appreciated good cover song.

Tags: imogen heap, michael jackson