When an artist makes as large a sonic shift as Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe does from debut to sophomore album there is a fear that it will backfire as a massive misstep. Jaffe faces no such issue on her excellent, electro-kissed second album. The rustic folky charm of her debut is largely abondoned in favor of lush string and piano filled arrangements, accented with electric creaks, groans, and slick vocal loops. The electro snarl haunting the funky beat, shooting horns, and sweeping strings of the title track is all you need to hear to be sold on her new, more expansive sound. To call the results stunning would be an understatement.
Her alluring vocals cooing through the piano and synth thump of "Halfway Right" and the icy chill of "Fangs" prove she still has the ability to grab your attention in sparse spaces with her sharp songwriting skills, despite her bold move to a more elaborate soundscape. The bouncy "Mannequin Woman" succeeds on the strength of its mellow piano-dipped cool and wonderful melody, while her bellowing vocals soaring through "Hooray For Love" display a new-found power in her voice. The fuzzy, purring bass infecting the jangling piano and lovable hook of "Glorified High" finds Jaffe in Feist territory, delivering a solid balance of experimental indie cool and pop sensibilities. She even drifts into new wave territory, with distorted riffs firing through warm synth tones, on "Talk" for a more rock focused surprise. Short of Jaffe turning to hip-hop, it would be hard to imagine a more different album than her debut. It would also be just as difficult to imagine one this good.
Seek - "Glorified High", "Sucker For Your Marketing", "Talk"
For fans of - Feist
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