Rachel Yamagata got her musical start playing in a Chicago-based funk band called Bumpus in the late '90s. Yet the artist's first solo foray, her 2002 self-titled EP, revealed a more traditional singer/songwriter approach that leans toward melodic adult alternative pop. Yamagata's first full-length, Happenstance, appeared in 2004. Songs by Yamagata have appeared in the television shows ER, One Tree Hill, and The O.C. Her sophomore album, Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart, and a digital release-only EP entitled Loose Ends appeared in 2008. ~ Anthony Tognazzini