Rachael Yamagata

It's been nearly five years since she released her debut album, Happenstance, but Rachael Yamagata hasn't been just lazily kicking around. She's kept busy, whether playing a pivotal roll in turning Mandy Moore from a forgotten pop star into a rather respectable and folksy coffeehouse idol or laying down vocals alongside the likes of Jason Mraz, Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams, and Bright Eyes. It's a good resume. But happily for fans of the 31-year-old singer-songwriter, her latest, Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart, sees her returning to the spotlight and focusing on her very own musical career. The new album, in two distinct CDs, is anything but a cheerful reunion, though.

The first half of her new work, entitled Elephants, kicks off with the self-titled track, an absolutely gorgeous and damaging ballad that sets the overall tone for the nine-song collection. Here, over her haunting trademark piano and swelling violins, Yamagata warns those of us falling in love to "Keep one eye open at night." To that end, Elephants is not exactly a love letter. Rather, it's dark, it's moody, and it's largely about break-ups and sadness. Even a duet with friend Ray Lamontagne (the aptly titled "Duet") stays restlessly melancholy as the two wish for their lovers to come back. Outstanding rainy day songs like "Over and Over" and the epic eight-minute penultimate track, "Horizon," still shine as well, bolstered by Yamagata’s alternatively scratchy and clear voice.

But if Elephants is a blue record, the second disc, Teeth Sinking Into Heart, is red. Here, Yamagata gets over her sadness, replacing it with scorn, sass and fiery rock. In "Sidedish Friend" she plays the girl not satisfied with staying on the sidelines, and with "Faster" she's really had enough, exclaiming, "I'm going faster, you're going backwards, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone." Closing with "Don't," Yamagata may sound like she's returned to the drowsy musical elements of Elephants, but the lyrics and sentiments have changed. "Don't fuck me right in front of me," she warns as the track comes to a close.

Like any good love affair, Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart is a rollercoaster. And Yamagata is more than capable of hitting all of those highs and lows. Sure, when it's low, the album is pretty fucking low, but that's not in any way to say we shouldn't be listening. Please do, for this collection is one of the more powerful, moving and personal records to hit the folk-rock genre in sometime. To miss it would be the saddest thing of all.

—Matthew Allard
10.09.08

Rachael Yamagata's wistful voice has made numerous appearances since her solo debut in 2004: on albums by Ray LaMontagne and Rhett Miller, on soundtracks to TV sitcoms, on Ryan Adams & the Cardinals' acclaimed Cold Roses, and on a pair of Yamagata's own EPs. Despite such a flurry of activity, however, the songwriter found herself dropped from the RCA roster after Happenstance's release, a move that prolonged the finishing of her second studio LP. Arriving in 2008 on the Warner Bros. label, Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart literally splits Yamagata's musical personality into two parts -- the first disc, Elephants, pitches its tent closer to the Happenstance camp with lushly textured ballads, while Teeth Sinking Into Heart plays up the singer's debt to rock artists like PJ Harvey. The latter CD is the biggest surprise here, as it displays a swaggering confidence that wasn't as evident on Yamagata's previous releases. She raises her voice in volume and pitch, affecting a measured snarl during songs like "Sidedish Friend" and "Faster." The potent set ends with "Don't," a weary ballad that recalls Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and flaunts an expletive-filled refrain. While the song's lyrics are aligned with the rest of Teeth Sinking Into Heart, its sound still emphasizes Yamagata's strength as a master of slow-moving, wounded love songs. Elephant furthers that bittersweet style with ten songs (one of them hidden), effectively doubling the size of Teeth. The disc features a gorgeous cameo by Ray LaMontagne, whose Southern croon does a slow dance with Yamagata on the aptly named "Duet." Like LaMontagne's most intimate material, Elephant moves in quiet circles, mining Yamagata's heartbroken past for melodic effect while dressing up her songs in subtle layers of strings, woodwinds, and acoustic instruments. This is where her voice truly shines -- even when it seemingly hides from the spotlight, reducing itself to a cracked whisper while delivering Yamagata's lyrics. Fittingly, she matches such strong songcraft with equally strong content. "So for those of you falling in love," she advises during the first disc's title track, "keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right. Throw yourself in the midst of danger, but keep one eye open at night." Spoken like a true veteran of solitude and heartbreak, and performed like one of the strongest songwriters to emerge during the early 21st century. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide