imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: add {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

2025-05-31T08:57:14Z

add {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

New page

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart
| type = [[Album]]
| artist = [[Rachael Yamagata]]
| cover = Elephants cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = October 7, 2008
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[blues rock]]
| length = 71:37
| label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| producer = [[Mike Mogis]], [[John Alagía]], [[Rachael Yamagata]]
| prev_title = [[Loose Ends (EP)]]
| prev_year = 2008
| next_title = [[Chesapeake (album)|Chesapeake]]
| next_year = 2011
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Cover for ''Selections from 'Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' EP
| cover = Selections from Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart by Rachael Yamagata.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption =
}}
}}

'''''Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart''''' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter [[Rachael Yamagata]]. It was released on October 7, 2008 via [[Warner Bros. Records]] in North America, October 22, 2008 in Japan, and March 2, 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, ''[[Happenstance (Rachael Yamagata album)|Happenstance]]''; 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'')."<ref name="Billboard.com">Graff, Gary. [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044684/yamagata-readying-a-record-in-two-parts "Yamagata Readying 'A Record In Two Parts'"]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', July 24, 2008.</ref> The album contains fifteen tracks (one of them hidden), ten appearing in the first disc, ''Elephants'', and five in ''...Teeth Sinking into Heart''.<ref name="Indiependent Music">Indiependent Music Blog [http://indiependentmusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/rachael-yamagata-record-in-two-parts.html "Rachael Yamagata "A Record in Two Parts: Elephants…Teeth Sinking into Heart" out Oct 7"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708043015/http://indiependentmusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/rachael-yamagata-record-in-two-parts.html |date=2011-07-08 }}. Indiependent Music Blog, August 23, 2008.</ref>

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 (band)|Bright Eyes]], [[Rilo Kiley]], and [[The Faint]], among others. [[John Alagía]], who produced Yamagata's first album, ''Happenstance'', has also produced two of the tracks in this record ("What If I Leave", and "Horizon").<ref name="Skope Magazine">Skope Entertainment Inc. [http://skopemag.com/2008/07/12/warner-bros-records-to-release-rachael-yamagata "Warner Bros. Records To Release Rachael Yamagata"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123035802/http://skopemag.com/2008/07/12/warner-bros-records-to-release-rachael-yamagata |date=2009-01-23 }}. ''Skope Magazine'', July 12, 2008.</ref>

==Release==
The release of this album comes over four years after Yamagata's debut album ''[[Happenstance (Rachael Yamagata album)|Happenstance]]''; 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".<ref name=LiveDailySessions>[http://www.livedaily.com/sessions/36.html Video performance of "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon" by Rachael Yamagata at LiveDaily Sessions] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010024634/http://www.livedaily.com/sessions/36.html |date=October 10, 2008 }}</ref>

The first single off the album was "Elephants" and the video for the song was released on September 16, 2008.

The album was subsequently released in Japan on October 22, 2008 and in the UK on March 2, 2009.

==Album packaging==
The album is set in [[digipak]] and contains two discs; the first being ''Elephants'' and the second is ''...Teeth Sinking into Heart''.

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1423903|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''
| rev2score = (positive)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081029052219/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3ic9d5859352b634392dfa58d2bc5ac8c6 Billboard review]</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081103103702/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/23321498/review/23947381/elephantsteeth_sinking_into_heart Rolling Stone review]</ref>
| rev4 = [[Entertainment Weekly]]
| rev4score = B−<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081003001932/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20230099,00.html Entertainment Weekly review]</ref>
| rev5 = [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>[http://www.spin.com/reviews/rachael-yamagata-elephantsand-teeth-sinking-heart-warner-bros Spin review]</ref>
| rev6 = Sputnikmusic
| rev6score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>[http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review_29182 Sputnikmusic review]</ref>
| rev7 = [[LiveDaily]]
| rev7score = (positive)<ref>[http://www.livedaily.com/news/15006.html LiveDaily review]</ref>
| rev8 = [[PopMatters]]
| rev8score = {{Rating|6|10}}<ref>[http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/64121/rachael-yamagata-elephants-teeth-sinking-into-heart/ PopMatters review]</ref>
| rev9 = [[The Times]]
| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110616194355/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article5808481.ece The Times review]</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[The Independent]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-rachael-yamagata-elephantsteeth-sinking-into-heart-warner-brothers-1633100.html The Independent review]</ref>
}}

''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 [[Metacritic]]. 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)|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)|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".

Evan 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".

==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 LaMontagne]]) — 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'' <small>(Japanese Bonus Track Edition)</small>
# "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 LaMontagne]]) — 4:01
# "Over and Over" — 5:25
# "The Only Fault" — 4:04
# "Brown Eyes" — 3:46
# "Horizon" — 8:16

==B-sides==
# "He Loves You Deep Inside" — 3:38

==Charts==
''Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart'' debuted at No. 53 on [[Billboard Hot 200]] with sales of 9600 copies.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

===Album===
{|class="wikitable"
! Year
! Chart
! Position
|-
|rowspan="6"| 2008
| [[Billboard Top 200]] (U.S.)
|align="center"| 53
|-
| Billboard Top Digital Albums (U.S.)
|align="center"| 10
|-
| Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums (U.S.)
|align="center"| 16
|-
| Billboard [[Top Internet Albums]] (U.S.)
|align="center"| 12
|-
| [[Billboard Comprehensive Albums]] (U.S.)
|align="center"| 54
|-
| Billboard [[Top Rock Albums]] (U.S.)
|align="center"| 20
|}

===Singles===
{|class="wikitable"
! Title
! Chart
! Position
|-
| "Elephants"
| Billboard [[Hot Singles Sales]] (U.S.)
|align="center"| 3
|}

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable"
! Region
! Date
|-
| [[United States]]
| October 7, 2008
|-
| [[Japan]]
| October 22, 2008
|-
| [[United Kingdom]]
| March 2, 2009
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.rachaelyamagata.com/ Rachael Yamagata official site]

{{Rachael Yamagata}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart}}
[[Category:2008 albums]]
[[Category:Rachael Yamagata albums]]
[[Category:Warner Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by John Alagía]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Mike Mogis]]

Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart - Revision history

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: add {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}