It's happened again, a miracle of a first album as if from nowhere.
Rachael Yamagata calls it 'Happenstance'. That's no song title. She radiates assurance, not always in her words, in music that can fly you from New Orleans to the deep end of the orchestra pit. One achievement was to catch a listener, fly him to work for what proved to be a hard and stressful day, then lift him out of heavy, muddy boots and blow all that away.
Happily, there's no pinning Rachael down. [Such was my day, I had to borrow two of the heavy cavalry, BJ and "Jessel" -- Stephen answers to that too -- for a story or three to share the load, which is rare, and did not expect any voice to lighten my mind within half an hour of getting out of it. If I'd had the time, I'd have told BJ the basset-horn of a remarkable find.] She has a light touch even when coming on strong and loud, pens all her songs, though some with men, and seems to write most of the music, which is almost conversational, witty with the spontaneity of jazz, while taking you for a walk in country style. Some of it is jazz. What class!
As a composer and keyboard player, mainly the piano, she's done time in school, but which ones?
"If I could could take you away
Pretend I was queen
What would you say?
Would you think I'm unreal
Cause everybody's got their way I should feel?"
From the first words on the album -- "Sure, take me for the ride" (oups, that was my reply;the above her opening notions!) -- and their music, you might expect a string of ballads. Rachael's many surprises come with a range of feeling and musical expression. She can rock, she can slide, she can swing and she can dance, even waltz, you through soft chambers of instruments, where unexpectedly I fleetingly found myself back in the '70s and the court of King Crimson. She has plenty of room for strings and woodwind players. In songs like 'I'll Find a Way' she can risk
"The rain is like an orchestra to me
Little gifts from above meant to say
Girl, you falling at his feet (...)
Why do the street lamps die
When you're a passing by
Like a hand that won't stay on my shoulder tonight?"
and still make you think she's just talking to somebody, she is.
 Such slows are beautifully orchestrated. Musicians, particularly on drums and other percussion, vary from track to track, Oliver Krauss gets a mention in the despatch for cello and string arrangements, everybody's good, the credit list is huge, including "friends and family I've gained and lost."
On 'I Want You', with its fleeting reference to a "dream of London" again an odd space came to mind: halfway between that old New Orleans and the cabaret Berlin of the careless, dangerous '30s. For all that, 'Happenstance' remains an album of our times, deliciously crafted.
Americans might place Rachael's sometimes husky, tender, sometimes bright voice and accent, while her name, the album cover and snapshots inside tell of her mixed origins. She is -- I'm almost tempted to say "of course" when coming on new VoWs by now -- gorgeous. The picture on the French CD (here) is a different shot from other releases. The longest track, 'Quiet' is six minutes, all feel longer, there's a lot in them; she's gonna grow on me, that's certain.
In March last year, she released the simply named 'Ep'. At Amazon UK, someone says "you just dissolve away to this". Quite right. 'Happenstance', with a solo hidden song by the way, dissolves you for an hour that lasts at least a day and still you want more. Rachel gets five stars there: straight off, count me in.
Where does she come from? For that, I need to check the Web, having stumbled over Rachael in one of the French music monthlies, now dreading the comparisons; of course, they're there. Norah Jones? Fiona Apple? Take your pick, simply Rachael Yamagata. Chicago, I guessed quite wrong, now we know. At fan site 'The Reason Why...', it emerges she was born in September 1977 of a half-German, half-Italian mother and a "third generation" Japanese dad. That will do me. If you want to explore, I'd start with her music.
From Rachael's last journal entry:
"Have you ever been trapped in a glass box of passing time, screaming out 'thanks yous' to those who blow kisses while trying not to fall (...)
"It's been pretty nonstop for.. god - 2 years now... Malcolm Burn and the most fabulous musicians guided me through my EP. To this day it has one of my favorite recordings, 'Would You Please'. Karl Berger played this gorgeous set of vibes from Paris - his treasure on the side from his talents of orchestral arranging for the likes of Jeff Buckley and so on. We pushed them way back in the mix and they haunt the track. And thank god for Malcolm's gift of capturing moments. He pressed record as I was noodling in the other room to playback from the board on his aged upright piano. The timing was off since I was half a house away, but somehow it worked perfectly.
"From that winter on I traveled to various places opening for Sondre Lerche, Damien Rice, Gomez, and most recently Liz Phair. I ended up in California for a month doing a residency at the Hotel Cafe - a small and intimate room where I could try out new songs and bring up players that were drifting nearby. I've given up any permanent dwelling place and have suitcases with me wherever I seem to land (...)
"They're all about to go in a trailer as we take off for my first tour as the headliner across the states. We've weathered four record mergers and an ever changing roller coaster ride of insanity that is the music business. I've learned many things by trial and error and continue to cross my fingers that I'm courageous enough to always follow my instincts and forever trust my heart.
"We've made a record that I'm proud of. (...) It's a mind fuck - the first record that is ... finding your sound, being open to creative possibilities, shaping, selecting songs, and educating oneself enough to make the choices that will go down on tape. I've done my best and i hope you enjoy it. My favorites are 'Quiet' and the hidden track. The hidden track is for those of you reading this message. Most will never find it. It was one take at 3 in the morning hunched over one mic on the floor of John's living room. I'd written it that day and was doing my best to remember the guitar parts and form last minute words.
"If you want to know where I'm going, what I want to find out of myself - that's it. I found the beginning right at the very end. And when I listen to it now, I realize that it sums up the record for me in the strangest way: 'I understand the cost of craving dark instead of light'.
"Oh - and also - to me, the real title of this record is 'The Never Can Be Happenstance'. I'll spare you the details of why it doesn't say that on the front, but check the inside disc and you'll see it there. There must be a reason for everything. Hope. Protect it" (Rachael Yamagata's place).
'The never can be ... Happenstance'. Yup, she's right; I might have guessed; maybe I did. No wonder I like what she does. I can well believe the music industry is a "roller coaster ride of insanity" and won't venture yet on to unblogged ground, describing this first achievement as a "mind fuck" (neither was Sarah). It may have felt like one to make it, but I'm "proud of" finding her and buying it.
Some may read Rachael and say "Oh, she gushes". For the past couple of days, I've wondered with Lauren, who flies back to Dakar tonight after being dumped in Mali where she went to play soldiers with the US military and nine African armies, why I've been in a generous, outgoing mood.
Be reassured, it won't last.
I liked an image in a story by Lauren, where she told us how a bugler in Mali's army, which can hardly afford to dress and pay its solders, was almost drowned out by the sound of the air conditioning from the very temporary abodes of the American troops.
I was also informed by Jessel that if I headlined what he made in English of the new World Bank president addressing west African cotton farmers with 'Wolf dons sheepier clothing in Burkina Faso', I might get a sackcloth and ashes. So for today, I didn't. I still need the cash ... how else would you get Rachael?
If it's cynicism you want right now, go to the 'BBC's Weblog Watch' on "the Make Poverty History campaign putting the G8 summit in the mainstream", scroll down to the music blogs bit and you'll find plenty.
One music blog quoted there reeks of so much scornful shit by people who seem unable to be, therefore write, I could only stand five minutes of browsing and decide it doesn't deserve a link here, where you may have spotted more music sites slipping quietly on to the list of "places I drop in".
If you think this is becoming one and don't like it, I'm afraid your heart will sink further. People were asking today about portable music players. Emma said the storage space on mine was "ridiculous". When Nancy asked what all those gigabytes actually meant, Emma said: "You could put everything in your computer on it."
Unfortunately you could put several Factory computers on it. What an appalling thought! Preferring dreams to nightmares, I have many discoveries to make. Rachael's already been there for weeks. Sorry, it's like that.
I'd planned, sometime, to say I've finally finished my main bedtime book, Ian MacDonald's 'River of Gods' and say more. I will: it's bloody brilliant!
Both words apply.
If I added he's a man who writes as well as about sex as he does artificial intelligence and India, I know.
You'd start throwing stones.
"Ever been trapped in a glass box of passing time?"
11:09:33 PM link 
|
|
postbox