Critical Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Billboard | (positive) |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− |
| Spin | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| LiveDaily | (positive) |
| PopMatters | |
| The Times | |
| The Independent | |
| The Sun | |
Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart had been widely acclaimed by most critics. The album received a score of 72/100, with generally favorable reviews on the site Metacritic. In a glowing review, Andrew Leahey of Allmusic called Yamagata "one of the strongest songwriters to emerge during the early 21st century" while praising the song 'Elephants' for its lyrical intensity. Billboard magazine in its review described the album as "an ambitious two-part album" and noted the contradictory yet effective musical styles between Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart.
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone magazine also noted the different musical direction and themes between the two discs on the album. He commented that Elephants is "a hushed mood piece that's all wet vowels and damaged love" and Teeth Sinking Into Heart is "filled with rock & roll bite and gloves-off verses" while stating that Yamagata had pushes past familiar singer-songwriter fare into bolder regions with the album.
In another review on the site LiveDaily, the album is said to "chronicles the perils of heartache and, after time, the subsequent realignment of a love life through a creative two-part album". David Peisner of Spin magazine in his review said that the album "unwinds like a melancholy film score" and added that Yamagata is "more convincing as a moper, but the album's alternately punchy and slinky conclusion is heartening proof that she's no quitter".
Entertainment Weekly gave the album a rating of 'B-' and stated that the problem with the album lies in its two-part structure but were impressed by Yamagata's delivery of the songs. In the same review, the song 'Elephants' was reviewed as being a standout and was stated as "belongs in the canon of great spurned-lover songs".
Ewan Sawdey of PopMatters however, wasn't impressed with the album. He reviewed of disc Elephants "the kind of bland, ballad-heavy disc that Yamagata had avoided so gracefully thus far in her career, and it’s really a sad sight to see her finally succumb to such whims". Although dissatisfied with the first disc, Sawdey was impressed with Teeth Sinking Into Heart and stated that the second disc "with its brisk running time, Teeth leaves you wanting more".
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