Happenstance

By sheer happenstance, I discovered another artist who writes heartbreaking music. Gee whiz, what's with Canada's waters? I think maybe someday, I'll move there and go gaga over watching its musical gems live. I liked Celine Dion before she became a huge star. That was pre-Beauty and the Beast. She may not be a songwriter but the guy who wrote a lot of her hits is also Canadian - David Foster. Then she became one Titanic singer and it just kinda wore off. I also was crazy about Alanis Morissette - singing along with all that angst did me good, I think.  It ended with Jagged Little Pill, anyhow. Even Avril Lavigne - I enjoyed her initial outing, Let Go. I actually thought it was a fun record - reminded me a lot of my teenage years (which wasn't so long ago, hehe). Recently, I discovered Maren Ord.  Another young talent with crystal clear voice and a bagful of pop tunes in her pocket. What I like about these girls is that, save Celine, they write their own music and they're multi-instrumentalists, most notably the piano and the guitar. Dreams of mine that can never be at this point. Add to the list Bryan Adams, Chantal Kreviazuk, Nelly Furtado, Diana Krall, and my friend Star's eye candy - Michael Buble. And Joni Mitchell's Canadian, right? A true artist, this one - songwriter, musician, and painter. Both Sides, Now maybe her most recognizable hit, but my favorite is Blue. Which brings me to the one artist I like over everybody else: Sarah McLachlan. Her music and voice just breaks my heart. Who can argue with the enduring popularity of Angel  from the movie City of Angels? Apparently, that song had been a lifesaver, too. Not too shabby for an overplayed record, eh?.

So, because I'm getting tired of the songs in my iPod, I searched for new music online and stumbled upon this artist - Rachel Yamagata and her latest album Happenstance. The CD was actually released in 2004. Why I only heard of her now, I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't listen to the radio. But her MySpace blog announced a new record so maybe it's not too late to get myself familiarized with her music. This is how she described Happenstance:

Happenstance…the never can be…

Main Entry: hap·pen·stance; Etymology: happen + circumstance: A circumstance especially that is due to chance. - Merriam Webster Dictionary

I apologize for insisting on writing my own bio, but I just cannot be satisfied with another’s account of my psyche when even I don’t understand it myself. Welcome to the world of this indecisive control freak hopeless romantic…

Happenstance, produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews etc.), is a collection of songs inspired by my obsessions, often love related, but not always. It’s about the battle between chance circumstances and the belief that everything happens for a reason. The title and the back cover addition of ‘the never can be’ suggest that I’m not really endorsing chance, but, in fact insisting that there must be a reason for repeated broken hearts – perhaps a promise of a better situation, learning experience, the greater love etc. It’s a circular argument… and it’s merely a matter of ‘happenstance’ that the title is what it is anyway. Without the hopefulness of reason, how could anyone weather the highs and lows of relationships and this delightful junk called love.

Here's a sample. A song called The Reason Why

It's about a love that could've been if only love was enough. Well, at least that's the easy interpretation. The truth is, according to Rachael, that song is about group dynamics in a business relationship. Talk about how songs acquire a life of their own when released to a world of people who give them their own personal meanings.