Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Encyclopedia
Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart is the second full-length album by Rachael Yamagata
. It was released on 7 October 2008 via Warner Bros. Records
in North America, 22 October 2008 in Japan, and 2 March 2009 in the UK.
; while ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart, shows a grittier, more cynical side of the artist, who has described it as "this mix of 'Pulp Fiction
' surf guitar, PJ Harvey
[and] Tom Waits
-flavored rock tunes which would be great to play live but ... just developed into this entity that would break the beauty of ('Elephants')." The album contains fifteen tracks (one of them hidden), ten appearing in the first disc, Elephants, and five in ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart.
However, the Japanese release of the album consists of a single CD, containing sixteen tracks (the aforementioned fifteen tracks plus a bonus, "Jonah", not included in the American release.)
Most of the album was produced by Mike Mogis
, known for previous works with artists such as Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley
, and The Faint
, among others. John Alagia
, who produced Yamagata's first album, Happenstance, has also produced two of the tracks in this record ("What If I Leave", and "Horizon").
; this delay was caused by changes at her original label, RCA, which ultimately led her to be released from her contract there. She has also changed managers during that time. Yamagata is now signed with Warner Bros. Records
.
On August 26, 2008, Amazon.com
and iTunes
released a four-track EP, called Selections from 'Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart', which contained two tracks off each part of the album ("Elephants" and "Sunday Afternoon", from Elephants; and "Sidedish Friend" and "Accident", from ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart).
On October 9, 2008, a two-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring the songs "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon".
The first single off the album was 'Elephants' and the video for the song was released on 16 September 2008.
The album was subsequently released in Japan on 22 October 2008 and in the UK on 2 March 2009.
and contains two discs; the first being Elephants and the second is Teeth Sinking Into Heart
. In a glowing review, Andrew Leahey of Allmusic called Yamagata "one of the strongest songwriters to emerge during the early 21st century" while praising the song 'Elephants' for its lyrical intensity. Billboard
magazine in its review described the album as "an ambitious two-part album" and noted the contradictory yet effective musical styles between Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart.
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone
magazine also noted the different musical direction and themes between the two discs on the album. He commented that Elephants is "a hushed mood piece that's all wet vowels and damaged love" and Teeth Sinking Into Heart is "filled with rock & roll bite and gloves-off verses" while stating that Yamagata had pushes past familiar singer-songwriter fare into bolder regions with the album.
In another review on the site LiveDaily
, the album is said to "chronicles the perils of heartache and, after time, the subsequent realignment of a love life through a creative two-part album". David Peisner of Spin
magazine in his review said that the album "unwinds like a melancholy film score" and added that Yamagata is "more convincing as a moper, but the album's alternately punchy and slinky conclusion is heartening proof that she's no quitter".
Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a rating of 'B-' and stated that the problem with the album lies in its two-part structure but were impressed by Yamagata's delivery of the songs. In the same review, the song 'Elephants' was reviewed as being a standout and was stated as "belongs in the canon of great spurned-lover songs".
Ewan Sawdey of PopMatters
however, wasn't impressed with the album. He reviewed of disc Elephants "the kind of bland, ballad-heavy disc that Yamagata had avoided so gracefully thus far in her career, and it’s really a sad sight to see her finally succumb to such whims". Although dissatisfied with the first disc, Sawdey was impressed with Teeth Sinking Into Heart and stated that the second disc "with its brisk running time, Teeth leaves you wanting more".
...Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart (Japanese Bonus Track Edition)
Rachael Yamagata
Rachael Yamagata is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing four EP's and three studio albums...
. It was released on 7 October 2008 via Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in North America, 22 October 2008 in Japan, and 2 March 2009 in the UK.
Development
The album is split into two CDs: Elephants, featuring a darker, more vulnerable and intimate tone, which is said to be more similar to Yamagata's debut, HappenstanceHappenstance (Rachael Yamagata album)
Happenstance was the first full-length album by Rachael Yamagata. It was released on RCA Victor on June 8, 2004 in the U.S., and May 16, 2005 in the UK...
; while ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart, shows a grittier, more cynical side of the artist, who has described it as "this mix of 'Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
' surf guitar, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
[and] Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
-flavored rock tunes which would be great to play live but ... just developed into this entity that would break the beauty of ('Elephants')." The album contains fifteen tracks (one of them hidden), ten appearing in the first disc, Elephants, and five in ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart.
However, the Japanese release of the album consists of a single CD, containing sixteen tracks (the aforementioned fifteen tracks plus a bonus, "Jonah", not included in the American release.)
Most of the album was produced by Mike Mogis
Mike Mogis
Mike Mogis is a Nebraskan producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios ....
, known for previous works with artists such as Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
, and The Faint
The Faint
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Jacob Thiele, Dapose, Joel Petersen and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst...
, among others. John Alagia
John Alagía
John Alagía is an accomplished music producer. He is best known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. Alagia is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Georgetown University...
, who produced Yamagata's first album, Happenstance, has also produced two of the tracks in this record ("What If I Leave", and "Horizon").
Release
The release of this album comes over four years after Yamagata's debut album HappenstanceHappenstance (Rachael Yamagata album)
Happenstance was the first full-length album by Rachael Yamagata. It was released on RCA Victor on June 8, 2004 in the U.S., and May 16, 2005 in the UK...
; this delay was caused by changes at her original label, RCA, which ultimately led her to be released from her contract there. She has also changed managers during that time. Yamagata is now signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
.
On August 26, 2008, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
released a four-track EP, called Selections from 'Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart', which contained two tracks off each part of the album ("Elephants" and "Sunday Afternoon", from Elephants; and "Sidedish Friend" and "Accident", from ...Teeth Sinking Into Heart).
On October 9, 2008, a two-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring the songs "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon".
The first single off the album was 'Elephants' and the video for the song was released on 16 September 2008.
The album was subsequently released in Japan on 22 October 2008 and in the UK on 2 March 2009.
Album Packaging
The album is set in digipakDigipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
and contains two discs; the first being Elephants and the second is Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Critical reception
Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart had been widely acclaimed by most critics. The album received a score of 72/100, with generally favorable reviews on the site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. In a glowing review, Andrew Leahey of Allmusic called Yamagata "one of the strongest songwriters to emerge during the early 21st century" while praising the song 'Elephants' for its lyrical intensity. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine in its review described the album as "an ambitious two-part album" and noted the contradictory yet effective musical styles between Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart.
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine also noted the different musical direction and themes between the two discs on the album. He commented that Elephants is "a hushed mood piece that's all wet vowels and damaged love" and Teeth Sinking Into Heart is "filled with rock & roll bite and gloves-off verses" while stating that Yamagata had pushes past familiar singer-songwriter fare into bolder regions with the album.
In another review on the site LiveDaily
LiveDaily
LiveDaily was a music and entertainment site owned by Ticketmaster, created in 1998 and seen in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. It provided news updates, tour announcements, and ticketing information relative to Ticketmaster. Its news reports were used by media entities such as MTV...
, the album is said to "chronicles the perils of heartache and, after time, the subsequent realignment of a love life through a creative two-part album". David Peisner of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine in his review said that the album "unwinds like a melancholy film score" and added that Yamagata is "more convincing as a moper, but the album's alternately punchy and slinky conclusion is heartening proof that she's no quitter".
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a rating of 'B-' and stated that the problem with the album lies in its two-part structure but were impressed by Yamagata's delivery of the songs. In the same review, the song 'Elephants' was reviewed as being a standout and was stated as "belongs in the canon of great spurned-lover songs".
Ewan Sawdey of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
however, wasn't impressed with the album. He reviewed of disc Elephants "the kind of bland, ballad-heavy disc that Yamagata had avoided so gracefully thus far in her career, and it’s really a sad sight to see her finally succumb to such whims". Although dissatisfied with the first disc, Sawdey was impressed with Teeth Sinking Into Heart and stated that the second disc "with its brisk running time, Teeth leaves you wanting more".
Track listing
Elephants- "Elephants" — 4:14
- "What If I Leave" — 5:03
- "Little Life" — 4:07
- "Sunday Afternoon" — 9:05
- "Elephants Instrumental" — 1:46
- "Duet" (with Ray LaMontagneRay LaMontagneRaymond "Ray" Charles Jack LaMontagne is a Grammy-award winning American singer-songwriter. LaMontagne has released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after...
) — 4:01 - "Over and Over" — 5:25
- "Brown Eyes" — 3:46
- "Horizon" — 8:16
- "The Only Fault" (Hidden track) — 4:04
...Teeth Sinking Into Heart
- "Sidedish Friend" — 3:00
- "Accident" — 4:10
- "Faster" — 3:50
- "Pause the Tragic Ending" — 4:42
- "Don't" — 3:05
Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart (Japanese Bonus Track Edition)
- "Elephants" — 4:14
- "What If I Leave" — 5:03
- "Jonah" (Bonus Track) — 2:55
- "Pause the Tragic Ending" — 4:42
- "Faster" — 3:50
- "Don't" — 3:05
- "Accident" — 4:10
- "Sidedish Friend" — 3:00
- "Little Life" — 4:07
- "Sunday Afternoon" — 9:04
- "Elephants Instrumental" — 1:45
- "Duet" (with Ray LaMontagneRay LaMontagneRaymond "Ray" Charles Jack LaMontagne is a Grammy-award winning American singer-songwriter. LaMontagne has released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after...
) — 4:01 - "Over and Over" — 5:25
- "The Only Fault" — 4:04
- "Brown Eyes" — 3:46
- "Horizon" — 8:16
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Billboard Top 200 (U.S.) | 53 |
| Billboard Top Digital Albums (U.S.) | 10 | |
| Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums (U.S.) | 16 | |
| Billboard Top Internet Albums (U.S.) | 12 | |
| Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums was established in 2003 and was a weekly albums chart produced by Billboard magazine that ranked the biggest selling albums in the United States regardless of the product's age or method of sales.... (U.S.) |
54 | |
| Billboard Top Rock Albums (U.S.) | 20 |
Singles
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Elephants | Billboard Hot Singles Sales (U.S.) | 3 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
October 7, 2008 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
October 22, 2008 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
March 2, 2009 |