In preparation for the debut of her new album, Rachael Yamagata released an EP of the best tracks from her previous albums. This new compilation highlights what you should expect of Yamagata within the coming months—mainly an album featuring soft-spoken lyrics and dominating acoustic roots.
If you enjoy Ingrid Michaelson and Regina Spektor, you are likely to enjoy Yamagata’s work. Although Yamagata’s profile classifies her music as alternative rock, her style leans much more toward indie folk and pop.
One of the most well-known tracks from the EP is the half upbeat, half melancholic “Be Be Your Love,” in which Yamagata reflects on her unrequited love. You may recognize the song from any one of its uses in popular media, such as One Tree Hill, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Brothers & Sisters, The L Word and So You Think You Can Dance.
“Be Be Your Love” is catchy and fairly popular because of its familiarity and relatability. Listeners enjoy music most when it resonates with them and Yamagata excels in this aspect, making it the perfect opener for the EP.
Yamagata’s second track on the EP, “Elephants,” is strongly reminiscent of “Morning Grace” by Ritsuko Okazaki, a Japanese song released back in 2002. Though it is hard to imagine the songs have much in common regarding influences, their simple vocal and musical arrangements and gradual build-ups draw from the same pool of emotional awareness and serene reflection.
“Elephants” stands out for its relative quietness and its lack of obfuscating elements. However, despite the gentleness of the song itself, the lyrics convey an entirely different tone, such as when Yamagata sings, “And I am dreaming of them with their kill / Tearing it all apart / Blood dripping from their lips / And teeth sinking into heart.”
With lines such as these, Yamagata portrays a character broken down by her pain, still angry but unwilling to fight any longer. Her objections fade into silence as time goes on and they are left unrecognized.
Yamagata’s voice works well in a variety of arrangements. She can grumble angst-ridden lyrics over dulled electric guitar just as well as she can croon over a piano. As a diverse performer, Yamagata could choose to vary up her formula, but why do that when it works so well? Her restraint and selectiveness works to the advantage of the EP as a whole—they lend consistency to a compilation of tracks collected from several albums.
Though the music on Yamagata’s EP is good for a number of situations, it isn’t energetic or particularly buoyant. You can listen to it easily after a breakup or play it on top of an emotional scene in a TV show— but you can’t play it at parties. It should go to say that this isn’t really a criticism, but rather an inherent characteristic of the genre.
For all its internal consistency, competent lyricism and pleasant musical arrangements, Yamagata’s EP lacks in originality. It bears similarities to many artists today and seems to lack a lot of the quirkiness present in other albums, such as the anti-folk trills of Regina Spektor.
In short, Yamagata’s work is the kind of music you want your local coffee shop to play. If you like the compilation EP, then you’ll doubtless enjoy her upcoming album, given the artistic uniformity she has demonstrated throughout her career.
Rachael Yamagata’s EP is free to stream on her website, rachaelyamagata.com. You can also pre-order her new album on PledgeMusic, which comes with perks such as tour updates and a digital download of the album obtainable upon its release.