Don't Disconnect

Working with Midlake’s McKenzie Smith, Sarah Jaffe further explores the electronic worlds that often befuddle acoustic singer/songwriters. Though Jaffe was once looked upon as an acoustic coffeehouse type of person, the defiant young Texan discovered she didn’t need to ruminate over the same old "cowboy chords" to get her emotive insights across. If anything, Jaffe has found a far more personal sound within scattered synthesizer notes and fractured mechanical beats. Songs such as “Ride It Out” with its fat buzzy synth, “Fatalist” with its easy-rolling gait, and “Either Way” with more ghostly arrangements, certainly extend the concept of who Jaffe can be. But at the heart of these songs, and especially the later tracks, such as “Slow Pour” and “Your Return,” there’s a sense of comfort, a sense of discovery, and a sense of relief in finding new ways to express oneself that don't rely on the same worn schematics that made Jaffe feel like just another in a long line of sensitive singer/songwriters. Here, she’s clearly finding a new self.