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.
It's the first day of 2009 and we decided to look back at our most played albums on the air for 2008. Everyone argued over a top ten or one hundred list because there were so many choices. We decided that instead of bickering over different music choices (and trust us...this is what we love to do...bicker about movies and music), we would present to you our most played albums on the air last y...
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Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata (and frequest radio guest on The Time Machine) takes a break on a Portuguese balcony to share the latest on her upcoming tour and album.It's 5 am in Portugal and the dogs are barking at a cockadoodledooing rooster. It's dark, I'm smoking up a bathrobe and a balcony and attempting to sequence the record for Japan. I'm fairly certain that I can see the lights o...
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We've been spinning singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata's live version of "Elephants" for the past couple of years and we posted the new studio version from her forthcoming release in October in a previous post. Now we get to listen to another tasty track from "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart". This uptempo song is titled "Sidedish Friend". Enjoy! Official Website for Rachael Yamagat...
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Love this live performance and the lyrics...I know, we all know shes amazing...I can't talk to youYou think i'm lost inside my mindYou're like an old tatooAnd I know you'll fade in timeI'm not the girl you think you knowI'm not the girl you waited forI'm not the one for youIt's just one thing left to doWhy don't you let me beCuz I'm a million miles awayWhy don't you set me freeCuz you don't tre...
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Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata (and frequest radio guest on The Time Machine) takes a break on a Portuguese balcony to share the latest on her upcoming tour and album.It's 5 am in Portugal and the dogs are barking at a cockadoodledooing rooster. It's dark, I'm smoking up a bathrobe and a balcony and attempting to sequence the record for Japan. I'm fairly certain that I can see the lights o...
More >
It's the first day of 2009 and we decided to look back at our most played albums on the air for 2008. Everyone argued over a top ten or one hundred list because there were so many choices. We decided that instead of bickering over different music choices (and trust us...this is what we love to do...bicker about movies and music), we would present to you our most played albums on the air last y...
More >
We've been spinning singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata's live version of "Elephants" for the past couple of years and we posted the new studio version from her forthcoming release in October in a previous post. Now we get to listen to another tasty track from "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart". This uptempo song is titled "Sidedish Friend". Enjoy! Official Website for Rachael Yamagat...
More >
Wow. What a whirlwind of a week. And I'm not just talking about this guy...A deluge of musical discoveries have made their way to my headphones these past few days. Some completely foreign until now, others merely overlooked, but all stop you in your tracks and plead for you to give them your rapt attention.What would I do without Bob Boilen and the All Songs Considered Podcast? If you don't su...
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We will have a menagerie of Rachael Yamagata posts coming in the future, but today I am happy to share with you the excellent video for "Elephants", the opening diddy from her just released "A Record In Two Parts…Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart" double shot. Make it happen folks, see you next week!Tourtastic:October 28 - 9:30 Club - Washington DCOctober 30 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, N.
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If you expected a slow acoustic song, as Racheel is known for, you can expect a big surprise, Rachael shows her ability to pick up the tempo a bit here with her song, Faster!
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Elephants |
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| 2 What If I Leave |
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| 3 Little Life |
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| 4 Sunday Afternoon |
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| 5 Elephants [Instrumental] |
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| 6 Duet |
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| 7 Over and Over |
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| 8 Brown Eyes |
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| 9 Horizon |
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| 10 Sidedish Friend |
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| 11 Accident |
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| 12 Faster |
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| 13 Pause the Tragic Ending |
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| 14 Don't |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart")
