Officially my favorite musical artist at the current moment... Submitted on: 2009-10-12
One of the most impressive artists I've had the privilege of discovering recently, Rachel Yamagata has the ability to chill my bones while warming my heart; and she does it effortlessly. With a sound reminiscent of Fiona Apple (yes, the comparisons are justified), a haunting fragrance comparable to Poe (got to love that) and the soulfulness of Ray Lamontagne (who even duets with her on `Duet'!!!), Rachel Yamagata has her style, and her fan base, practically carved out for her already; but what makes Rachel so special is that she exceeds all expectations by making each and every track her own, never falling into copycat territory or resting easy on the coattails of those who paved the way for her. With the voice of an angel (a fallen angel, beings that the hint of smoke and whiskey rule out a heavenly hope) and the fearlessness needed to stand out in the industry, Rachel Yamagata is one of the best musical talents you've never heard of.
Now you have.
`Elephants' starts off the album with a bold and blunt outlook from this fragile looking creature. Her outer beauty is offset by her inner melancholy; both facets of her person elevating the other to create something truly beautiful to comprehend. Speaking of haunted past lives and blood-soaked jaws, Yamagata paints a vivid picture that one will not soon forget; and the instrumental version that appears in the center of the album only brings those memories back to life, full force. `Sunday Afternoon' may seem daunting at nearly ten minutes long, but don't be afraid; the track never wanes and is one of the best on the album. With a delicate introduction that leads way to a robust center, warming up to a fragile conclusion, `Sunday Afternoon' is a brilliant track that is the definition of a `full circle' or `complete' song. `Little Life' explodes with effervescent beauty at about the 2:15 point. That isn't to say that the song isn't beautiful before that, but it takes on another life. `Over and Over' soars with the use of the piano, and instrument that, in all its beauty, is the perfect vehicle for melancholy expressions. Rachel soaks into this fantastic ballad, creating a major standout on a record filled to the brim with standouts. It reminded me a lot of something off of Damien Rice's albums; something simple yet so rich with character.
`Duet' is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and the pairing of Yamagata and Lamontagne was pure genius; providing us something pure, genuine and sincere.
`What if I Leave' has a nice laid back feel to it, with soft vocals and simple musical accompaniment. `Horizon' isn't as long as `Sunday Afternoon', but it feels longer due to the fact that it isn't as stunning or as engaging. It's still a good song, and it possesses Rachel's beautiful delivery, but it just doesn't have the sparkle I was expecting. That said; `Brown Eyes' is my least favorite track on Disc 1. It just feels out of place for me, slightly distant and awkward.
The best track is the hidden track, `The Only Fault'. It's a brilliant composition of chilling reality and beautiful fantasy; exposing Rachel at her most impressive. Lyrically it is tragically beautiful, and the simple delivery is so much more complex than one might initially expect. It is much more difficult to remain engaging and poignant in sheer delicacy that it is to attempt to dazzle with large amounts of `talent'. Her voice brings to mind the delicate vocal stylings of Leslie Feist; gorgeous.
Disc 2 starts things off with the marvelous `Sidedish Friend'; a spunky and energetic number that is a breath of fresh air on the rather down-tempo album. Sadly, the rest of the Disc lacks the `full' robust flavor of the opening stunner. `Accident' tries, but it falls a little short. It has edge, but the edge lacks the `pop' that `Sidedish Friend' capitalized off of. It's a good song, but it isn't `great'. `Faster' incorporates a rockers heart, which is unexpected (in fact, Disc 2 was a little unexpected) and she pulls it off, even if her voice seems to fit the flow of Disc 1 much better. I give her major props for completely changing her style on this Disc, offering us a complete package so-to-speak. `Pause the Tragic Ending' slows things down again, with a little Latin flare to the backing musical arrangement (yes, it's there). The song is a tad forgettable, but while it's on you'll be intrigued. `Don't' closes the album in a way I'm not too comfortable with. It is nice, but a tad awkward, much like `Brown Eyes' was; just out of place.
In the end this is an extraordinary album, even if a few tracks fall short of the majority of the album. Every track is good, and all are worthy of your ears; and the standouts like `Duet', `The Only Fault'. `Little Life' and `Sidedish Friend' are some of the best songs you'll hear this decade.
A journey to the centre of the heart Submitted on: 2009-10-03
Thank God for musicians like Rachael Yamagata. In a time when musicians are increasingly selling out to instant gratification and commercial fads, Yamagata insists on expressing herself in the most artistic, individualised, truthful way.
'Elephants', the first CD in this set, is for people who have at least a fairly deep melancholic, introspective side to their nature. The music on this disc is incredibly heavy and lugubrious in mood, and moves at a glacial pace - so you certainly need patience to enjoy it. But this heaviness is beautifully entwined with tenderness, urgency, loss, longing, affinity with nature and love.
It also comes with an amazing artistic exploration of the possibilities of music. Rachael and her musicians do not only create sound; they create soundscapes. The luxurious opening of 'Sunday Afternoon' - with a fascinating orchestra of violin, keyboard, viola, cello and electric guitar - creates a desolate, mysterious planet with shimmering light. That was the vision it created for me - what will it create for you?
'Teeth Sinking into Heart', the 2nd disc, provides an interesting foil to the first with faster, louder, edgier rock. I wasn't so fond of this part, but 'Sidedish Friend' is an interesting, catchy piece on superficial friendship.
So the highlight here for me is the first disc, 'Elephants'. Rachael Yamagata tears your heart into a thousand pieces, and lovingly examines each piece. Surely one of the greatest works of music the world has ever witnessed.
Superb! She can really nail the aftermath of love gone sour Submitted on: 2009-08-18
The piano-driven songs of spurned love were the best thing for me about Rachael Yamagata's debut Happenstance (2004). However, the rest of the album was uninspiringly poppy and represented (I felt) a dramatic undersell of Yamagata's talents. Some songs were also all too clearly influenced by Fiona Apple (influences themselves are not a problem, but if you're trying to carve out your own niché and audience, it's probably better not to wear them so clearly on your sleeve). Between her first and second albums passed four years in which Yamagata released a decent EP and contributed vocals to albums by Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams, Rhett Miller and Ray LaMontagne (the latter of whom also appears on this album).
The four-year hiatus seems to have served her songwriting very well since she returns on 'Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart' with a maturer sound, more emotionally consistent lyrics and a more confident vocal delivery. The standout songs of the first half of the album - most notably 'Horizon' and 'Over and Over', the first of which exceeds the eight-minute mark - are stunning reminders of what Yamagata can do if she puts her mind and heart to it. This time around she is much more interested in creating a sustained, emotionally intimate connection with the listener. Weary, brooding ballads of lost love and changed minds delivered sometimes in a near-whisper give you the feeling that you are right there in her front room, voyeuistically participating in the cathartic aftermath of love gone wrong.
Like Anna Ternheim on her most recent album, Yamagata repeats specific sentiments and sentences almost obsessively until every last fibre of emotion is spun out of them. For example on the refrain of 'Horizon': "Nothing is clear / No, no, no, nothing is clear to me!' might sound absurd written on the page but it is sung and wrung out to brilliant emotional effect on the album. When the lyrics unravel to tell of disillusionment with an ex - "I don't believe in you / Like I so wanted to / I hope you're asking the heavens above / To forgive all the damage you've done / And if I did teach you anything at all / I hope that you learned how to love" - it's tempting to believe that they are addressed to her ex, the British singer-songwriter Tom McRae, who left her. Certainly, some of the lyrics do seem codedly to reference his: "You have blood on your hands.../ You poured blood in my heart" (Sunday Afternoon) recalls the title imagery of his album Just Like Blood; both have sung of having a meeting place down by the water and draw on rain imagery, associating it with redness (McRae on 'Sao Paulo Rain' - a song she used to cover live - and Yamagata on 'Sunday Afternoon') and lightning strikes on both Yamagata's 'Over and Over' and McRae's 'I ain't scared of lightning'. But Rachael has been more cryptic in interviews, saying: "I certainly love a great heart-wrenching lyric, but oftentimes I'm not even specifically referencing a relationship...for me, it's really all about the universal nature of just trying to relate to another person."
Although I couldn't warm to the grungier, rockier songs on the shorter second half of the album (Teeth sinking into Heart) and the vocals provided by Ray LaMontagne on 'Duet' tend towards the cloyingly and annoyingly affected, the vivid tracks mentioned above make this album one to savour.
The standouts (IMO): Horizon, Over and Over, Sunday Afternoon, Don't
Also recommended>
* P J Harvey - Who Will Love Me Now (from the film The Passion of Darkly Noon)
* Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a Mayday (2008)
* Natalie Merchant - Tigerlilly (1995)
Colossal Disappointment Submitted on: 2009-08-14
The lugubrious first disc is a total loss. Yamagata has a golden voice with terrific control and she is capable of immaculate musical phrasing. Yet on this release she decides to whisper out the lyrics. Maybe this is considered sultry and sexy by some, but I consider it a total waste of talent. On the second disc she picks up the pace and actually sings, but it's too late - only five songs are on the second disc, and they lack any of the subtlety of her earlier work. I'd characterize the background arrangements as primitive. Stick with the earlier release "Happenstance."
Average Album Submitted on: 2009-07-09
Chicago based pop chanteuse Rachael Yamagata should be one of the emerging queens of Alt. Rock by now. Actively recording since the mid 90's, Yamagata is now finally receiving her due after appearing on a multitude of other artists (Ray LaMontagne, Jason Mraz, Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst and Rhett Miller) records. On `Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart,' Rachael Yamagata's sound is split into two separate discs.
The first disc is mostly comprised of wounded and somber meditations of love and loss. Largely acoustic and quiet, `Elephants...' focuses on Yamagata's strength in her husky voice on many lushly arranged songs. The mood on the first disc is contemplative and somber until it reaches a crescendo on "Little Life." Ray LaMontagne guests on "Duet" and provides a quiet intimacy to this track.
The second disc, `Teeth Sinking Into Heart' reveals a cynical side to Yamagata. "Sidedish Friend" recalls PJ Harvey at her most prickly. "Faster" swaggers to a distorted blues riff. "Don't" closes the album with a sigh and a warning showing that this kitten does indeed have claws.
Officially my favorite musical artist at the current moment...
Superb! She can really nail the aftermath of love gone sour
Colossal Disappointment
Average Album