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TechnoTV - Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart (2 CD)
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List Price: $15.98
Our Price: $7.99
Your Save: $ 7.99 ( 50% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Warner Bros.
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093624983712
Label: Warner Bros.
Manufacturer: Warner Bros.
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 2008-10-07
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: not another Happenstance, but isn't that a good thing?
Comment: I too loved Happenstance. To be honest, upon my first listening of Elephants, I was disappointed. I was expecting the piano-driven, great for singing along to while driving, Fiona Apple-esque feel of Yamagata's debut. I thought that this new Elephants album was slow, boring, and as another review put it, that the songs were rather "samey" sounding.
However, as I listened to it a second, third, and now fourth time, I really like it. Elephants (disc 1) feels very raw and sincere. Yamagata's new songs have more acoustic guitar, and not as much piano as on her debut. Elephants is pretty heartbreaking and sometimes haunting... well not haunting, but something like that. It is more subdued, but each song is something special. Happenstance's songs feel pretty retrospective; I would say Elephants' songs feel like they were written right in the midst of her experiences, like they're more immediate-feeling.
With Elephants, Rachael has progressed from the attitude-driven piano-rock pop of her debut and seems to have found her sound more, and it's not what you'd expect. But then again, it's usually better when musicians take their music in a direction that surprises you.
"Elephants" opens the album with quiet, pretty piano and builds up, ending with the warning "for those of you falling in love, keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right / Throw yourself in the midst of danger, but keep one eye open at night".
"What If I Leave" is kind of like "Paper Doll" from Happenstance. It's my least favorite song on the album. It is a little boring, but a boring Rachael Yamagata song is not that bad.
"Little Life" I'd describe it as imagine if Murder By Death and Cat Power had collaborated on a song for MBD's album Who Will Survive...
"Sunday Afternoon" is one of my favorite tracks. It's like something from Fiona Apple's When the Pawn... (but of course is very much Rachael's own).
"Elephants (Instrumental)" is a pretty piano/orchestral version of the album opening track.
"Duet" is probably my favorite song of the record. It is in every way beautiful and heartbreaking. The acoustic guitar, the lyrics, Rachael's voice, Ray LaMontagne's voice. I love how their voices meld into each other's. It's as haunting and perfect as Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's duets from the Once movie soundtrack.
"Over and Over" is the fastest-paced song of disc 1, including twangy guitar and some piano. It's got the sing-a-long-ablity and single potential of Happenstance's songs.
"Brown Eyes" is a mellow, whisper-y song, very Azure Ray (Maria Taylor, of Azure Ray, lends backup vocals) with light, strum-y acoustic guitar.
"Horizon" will remind Happenstance fans of "Even So". The piano is nice, and it builds a bit, but not as dramatically as a lot of Happenstance songs do. It ends the album well, even if a bit uncertainly.
As for Teeth Sinking Into Heart (disc 2), "Sidedish Friend" and "Faster" are good, catchy songs driven by electric guitar. I would say these are the gems of disc 2. These two are good enough that the rest of the disc's songs can be forgiven. "Accident" is okay; catchy, but missing something. "Pause the Tragic Ending" piqued my interest at the beginning of the song... it sounds like it could be a Bond movie theme song or like she was trying to channel Fiona Apple's "The First Taste". But after the first half of the song is through, it's just... eh... and it ends only to disappoint. The last song, "Don't" is not worthwhile. At all. The sincerity that is evident with Elephants isn't really present in these songs. They feel really forced.
All in all, Elephants is worthy of a second listen if upon the first you're not interested. I'm glad I didn't just write it off. Rachael is still very talented and now that I've listened to her new album a few times, honestly, I'm glad she didn't just make another Happenstance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Listen Twice Through!!
Comment: I really think people need to listen to this album at least twice through before brushing it off. Happenstance is one of my top 10 albums and i had great expectations for this album. I hated Elephants, as a whole, first listen through.Then while doing dishes one night i put my ipod on and listened again. and again. The songs may take a few listens to get into your head, but after a few listens they will get under your skin. I think it was a good decision to put the first part of the album on disc one and the faster on disc two, as a whole the mood entirely shifts with the faster songs. My favorites on this are Elephants, Sunday Afternoon, Horizon, What if I Leave, Faster, and Sidedish Friend. If you get the chance to see her live, do so. I think her faster songs on this album translate better live and her voice is even more amazing than on her albums
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Bit Jaded : Yamagata's Creative Juices Stop Flowing
Comment: Artists like Rachael Yamagata are rare. When her "Happenstance" came out, I readily compared her to Fiona Apple (which should generally be a huge compliment for anyone). However, over the course of the last few years, her self-imposed hibernation seemed to suggest that she was working on something vital and interesting, but the sad truth is that this double-CD is but a pale imitation of its predecessor, and not even in a good way.
While "Elephants" contains the same acoustic-indie numbers with a folk-rock edge that made "Happenstance" such a winner, its also a more subdued and badly produced record. Seriously, the instrumentation on this one is quite bad, and the recording sounds very disjointed for some reason (listen to it and you'll know what I mean). I'm not sure if this a problem with the mastering or if its intended, but either way I wasn't very impressed at all.
The other major problem I have are with the lyrics. While her last album seemed to indicate a woman with a piercing world view and an interesting view of human relationships, this album seems more dry and straight-forward. Which is fine, but the problem remains that she isn't telling us anything here that musicians such as Ani DiFranco or Regina Spektor already have on their many varied albums (they are also two much better recording artists, Im afraid to say).
"Elephants" is also very samey-sounding. I think the title track on Disc 1 is actually the worst as it sets the tone for the whole listening experience. I believe the opening track of any CD should be killer (remember how "Sleep to Dream" literally MADE Fiona's "Tidal"?). No such luck here, as by the time you get to Disc 2 (you must listen to the pathetic "Pause the Tragic Ending"), it seems as if Yamagata has been reduced to a pseudo-philosophical high school student with stars in her eyes. At least, thats what her boring lyrics suggest.
The upside is that this is music you can play and leave on in the background - but as a listening experience, its definitely very mediocre and substandard. What a letdown, Rachael.
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
Customer Rating:
Summary: Getting Even Better!
Comment: The title says it all a fantastic follow up album well worth the wait. Those of you who are not familiar with Rachael Yamagata I urge you to buy this album. From start to finish this oozes quality, This would make a great Christmas present to yourself!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A little too painful
Comment: I like Yamagata and thought 'Happenstance' was brilliant, but this one just plodded on - you'll need to be in an almost comatose mood to enjoy it... I'm told Disc 2 is more promising, but I couldn't even get past track 3 on Disc 1... am hopeful that further spins may reveal some gems...
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Editorial Reviews:
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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.
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