Track of the Moment

Jagged Little Thrill

May 9, 2012 0 Comments

Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe throws a sonic curveball on her new album, The Body Wins, largely leaving behind the hushed, acoustic instrumentation present on previous releases.

Produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Okkervil River), and Jaffe’s exploration of new textures on The Body Wins reminds me of when Suzanne Vega dirtied up her folk-rock sound on 1992’s 99.9F°, venturing into electronic, even industrial territory with Mitchell Froom pointing the way. Jaffe’s switch isn’t as startling a change — The Body Wins is her sophomore album, while 99.9F° was Vega’s fourth LP — but the net effect is the same, drawn in by her unexpected embrace of the intricate and interesting.

“Glorified High,” the first single from The Body Wins, is outfitted with distorted, buzzy bass and a soaring, full-bodied chorus accentuated by piano and synths. With Congleton’s new blood, Jaffe makes some delicious noise.

Purchase Sarah Jaffe – “Glorified High” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.