Rachael Yamagata’s sophomore album, Elephant ... Teeth Sinking Into Heart, released Oct. 7, 2008 by Warner Brothers Records, is a two-disc offering that varies widely within the folk-rock genre; the tracks range from straight guitar plucking and voice folk to nigh-pure indie rock. The opening track begins with light, simple piano playing and Yamagata’s gentle voice — somewhere in between Damien Rice, Feist and Ben Harper. Her lyrics are powerful and convincing, however hushed they may be sung.

The words are sedate but not boring, compelling listeners to drop what they are doing to revisit the nearly universal ground her subject matter trends: frustration with lovers — romantic or platonic — scorn and longing.

Sometimes her verse is direct, as in some of the opening lines of “Elephant”: “And how dare you send me that card when I am doing all that I can do/ You are forcing me to remember when all I want is to just forget you.” At other times, it is more figurative — also from “Elephant”: “And if the hawks in the trees need the dead/ If you’re living you don’t stand a chance/ For a time though you share the same bed/ There are only two ends to this dance.”

... Teeth Sinking Into Heart, the second disc, comprised of five cuts, will likely ruffle the mind right out of sleep or a sad spell and compel the middle finger to rise.

“Sidedish Friend” begins with a swift guitar riff and a thumping drumbeat, showing that Yamagata doesn’t just perform folk; she does folk-rock.

The lyrics remind the listener they do not have to be a victim of love and that anger brings a sense of empowerment: “If it’s understood that I don’t want you hanging out with me/ But I want you when I call/ And we can stay together separately and we won’t be lonely at all.”

The subsequent tracks — excluding track 14 — continue to show Yamagata’s newfound energy and propensity to laugh in the face of the problems that torment her. The tempos are generally faster, the melodies strong and mobile and the lyrics less contemplative and more defiant.

Fans will likely find this release an intelligent, suberbly engineered and written album. And it is. Those who have never heard of Rachael Yamagata, but enjoy intelligent singer/songwriter folk-rock, should at least play the brief clips of these songs offered online or on iTunes.

Praise aside, the first disc is slow for long periods of time, and it may seem static. The second disc, in which Yamagata’s prowess for creating exciting indie-rock songs is on display, could have been extended. Or, perhaps the songs from the two disks should have been mixed to create a more dynamic album.

Yamagata has created a sprawling epic here, and though some might scoff at her slow unshakeable focus on love and pain in the first disc, the theme lends that part of the album cohesiveness — it is complete tapestry, each song working together to create a larger picture.

Reach reporter Camden Swita at opinion@dailyuw.com.