Product Description

Rachael Yamagata has hardly been idle since her acclaimed 2004 full-length debut, Happenstance, and its Adult Top 40 hit 'Worn Me Down.' So for her Warner Bros. premiere, the singer-songwriter-pianist with the sultry voice unveils a double disc set: Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. Produced largely by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, The Faint), and also John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Happenstance), Elephants is darker and more vulnerable while the more guitar-driven Teeth Sinking Into Heart is grittier and more defiantly cynical. Together, they reveal the two sides of one of today's most entrancing artists.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Elephants
2. What If I Leave
3. Little Life
4. Sunday Afternoon
5. Elephants (instrumental)
6. Duet
7. Over And Over
8. Brown Eyes
9. Horizon

Disc 2:

1. Sidedish Friend
2. Accident
3. Faster
4. Pause The Tragic Ending
5. Don't

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7143 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-07
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

Yamagata, matured...
I was a big fan of Rachael Yamagata's first album, Happenstance - not only for the music that hit the Top 40, but the lyrics of an up and coming songstress. It's been 4 years since that, and I was curious to where the maturity would take her as an artist.

This is definitely not where I thought it would go. In an age of jaded pop artists, I couldn't blame her for going more mainstream by playing for a different market. However, Elephants is a journey into a mature, darker place within her heart, tingling with being jaded and aching to show a different side of her.

Elephants definitely warrants a second listen through, if not to appreciate what she's done: Instead of diverting herself to the mainstream, she's turned inward to become an artist and a musician. I get the feeling that I'll be listening to this more than Happenstance.

Musicians like Rachael Yamagata don't come across very often, and I can't wait to see where she goes next.

Patience Pays Off
I waited a long time for this release, and it proves to be well worth the wait. Ms. Yamagata will obviously never "sell out" just to sell records. With beautifully soaring vocals and instrumental arrangements Rachael stays true to her roots. You have to respect a woman who writes ALL of her own songs. (I don't understand the parental advisory - I heard nothing even close to offensive.) True fans will not be disappointed and new ones will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty and sometimes heartbreaking honesty in her lyrics. I first thought "Oh boy, TWO discs? Why does she have to be so different?" But after listening, two discs makes sense, showing progression from sadness to see ya! I do look forward to the day she is a relationship and we get to hear the happy stuff! Buy it. If you get a chance to see her live- go! She is very gracious, funny and entertaining.

Completely agree with other reviews - this is a brilliant album!
Rachael Yamagata is one of those artists it's okay to fall asleep to while listening to her music. Not because it's boring (unless you incorrectly equate "slow" with "boring"); her songwriting is comforting, careful and intimate - and her voice matches these qualities perfectly. In fact, her vocals are more consistent and maybe even more mature this time around. It's been four years since Happenstance (her first studio album) and her songwriting has seemed to find a balance between soft pop-rock (and I use all three terms very loosely) and even softer, richer lullabies (I'm thinking of "Meet Me By the Water" from Happenstance and "Over and Over" from Elephants...). That being said, Rachael is definitely not the artist to listen to while you're driving down the freeway (at least not in my 2000 Saturn that rattles); she was amazing live in Seattle (at a small venue off Madison called Chop Suey) and amazingly, she sounds just as personal and incredible with earbuds. Her melodies are just as beautiful, brilliant and inspiring as her first album and EPs, though perhaps not as experimental (as "Collide" or "Under My Skin"). I think the highlights are "Sidedish Friend", "What If I Leave", "Pause The Tragic Ending" and "Sunday Afternoon". Rachael could stop creating new music today and I would still think she contributed something truly unique and heartfelt to the musical canon, but of course, I hope she releases many, many more albums.