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| Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997) |
With his first two albums, Elliott Smith made a name for as a sort of lo-fi, underground god - singing mostly about doing Heroin ("Needle In The Hay"), getting hammered ("St. Ides Heaven") and generally being a bit glum ("Roman Candle"). I personally am at loathe to describe his music as folk-punk, which
many journalists have done over the years, but there really is no better description for his early efforts. All the rage, emotion and intensity are there, just unplugged. Imagine if Sid Vicious was blessed with the quivering voice of an angel and voila. There you have it.
His eponymous second album was extremely well received in the indie community and soon Elliot did what all good artists do, he moved to LA for his next album, Either/Or. From the opening chimes of "Speed Trials" it's clear the Mr. Smith isn't quite finished being morose just yet, however for the first time in his floundering career, he began to expand the musical palette beyond an acoustic guitar and some light drums. "Alameda" finds him in a floaty, Beatles-like state. "Ballad of Big Nothing" is possibly the chirpiest song ever written about a vast empty universe, and then comes "Between The Bars" - a gut-wrenching little number drenched in booze and melancholy, which is a lot better than it sounds.
Now, anyone who knows the story of Elliott Smith knows that he struggled quite monumentally with his fame, resulting in a pretty severe drug habit and ultimately his suicide. Sadly, that is also what makes his music so great, for me at least. It's incredibly personal and everything he's going through is there for us all to see and hear. "Pictures Of Me" is another upbeat number about his struggles with fame, "2:45AM" deals with the consequences of him getting beaten up by another human and so on and so forth. There is no-one better at making beautiful music out of what could be considered depressing subject matter. It just pours out of him.
This album ebbs and flows quietly along, changing gears with subtle ease, exploring the depths of the human soul while still making you hum along. Not an easy feat by any stretch. However, it's not all doom and gloom, "Rose Parade" is a lovely little number regarding an annual Los Angeles ceremony and "Say Yes", the album's last track, positively brims with hope, with Elliott repeatedly crooning "I'm in love with the world, through the eyes of a girl". Thus making it all the more ominous that his tragic end was soon to come and the world was deprived of yet another brilliant, unique, ridiculously talented individual.
If you're reading this going "who the f*ck is Elliott Smith?", sort your life out! I suggest you visit his back catalogue immediately. Starting right here.
Cheers.
JB.
