ELLIOTT SMITH
"So sick and tired of all these pictures of me"
Either/Or (1997)
Rating (Out of 10): 8
Tracklisting: speed trials/alameda/ballad of big nothing/between the bars/pictures of me/no name no. 5/rose parade, punch and judy/angeles/cupid’s trick/2:45 am/say yes
It seems like there is a never ending list of singer songwriters who have ended their own lives despite possessing a unique talent. Elliott Smith is the latest in a long line of tortured geniuses whose life ended in its prime robbing the music world of a very talented musician. When Smith died in 2003 aged just 34 years old he had already released 5 albums and had another one ready which was released posthumously. He had also contributed tracks on the soundtrack of the Gus Van Saint movie, ‘Good Will Hunting’, and received an Academy Award for the song ‘Miss Misery’. Yet despite all this glittering success, Smith struggled with depression and drug addiction and finally stabbed himself twice in the chest resulting in his death. Not only is the life story of Elliott Smith similar to that of Nick Drake, but his musical style is also very similar. His songs have a very folky, very understated style with acoustic guitar being the main instrument backed very beautifully by strings and orchestral groupings. Smith’s voice is kept well back in the mix creating a mumbled vocal, a vocal that isn’t the centre point of the song. The songs themselves are very delicate, very fragile sounding, with a barely there feel to them. They are songs that could well disappear if you don’t grab hold of them and keep them close to you.
By the time Smith’s third album ‘Either/Or’ was released he had already accumulated a huge cult following including Gus Van Saint who asked Smith to contribute songs to his latest movie. Smith’s music lends itself very well to a film soundtrack, particularly the songs on ‘Either/Or’. The overall sound is very relaxed and laid-back, very atmospheric. All of tracks share a similar sound and feel, and flow in and out of one another almost as if it were one long piece of music rather than 12 separate songs. They are similar yet they are different. The delicate ‘Speed Trials’, followed by the upbeat ‘Alameda’ and the poppy ‘Pictures of You’. They all work very well together, their differences contrasting one another beautifully. The fact that he went on to kill himself may lead you to believe that Elliot Smith’s music is stark and depressing, but that is not the case. Many of the tracks on the album are upbeat, poppy affairs, but with intensely poetic lyrics. This isn't run of the mill pop music. It is something intelligent, something special. Think along the lines of Ron Sexsmith, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley. ‘Either/Or’ is the perfect album to put on late at night after a hard day, then lie back and forget about the world.
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From A Basement On A Hill (2004)
Rating (Out of 10): 8
Tracklisting: Coast to Coast/Lets Get Lost/Pretty (Ugly Before)/Don’t Go Down/Strung Out Again/A Fond Farewell/Kings Crossing/Ostrich And Chirping/Twilight/A Passing Feeling/The Last Hour/Shooting Star/Memory Lane/Little One/A Distorted Result
‘From A Basement On A Hill’ was released almost exactly one year after Elliot Smith’s tragic death in October 2003. He had been working on material for it since 2000 and by the time of his death he had enough material for a double album. Having died before he managed to release the album and as he left the album in an unfinished state meant that his familiy fot to make a lot of decisions on the album many of which went against Smith’s wishes resulting in the final version of the album that was released being very different from the album that Elliot Smith had intended to make. His parents removed several tracks from the album deeming them too bleak. One track entitled ‘Suidicide Machine’ was considered inappropriate due to nature of Smith’s death and was also removed. It’s a real shame that these tracks would never get to be heard, partly because they might have provided some insight into Smith’s state of mind at the time of his death but mainly due to the fact that the songs that he put so much hard work into would never reach their intended audience. It is very difficult to listen to FABOAH without wondering what it would have been like if Smith had been able to finish it himself. It definitely makes you look at it in a different way, but accepting it for what it is, FABOAH is a very good album. It is very positive considering the circumstances, but then again, for me, the music of Elliot Smith has never come across as depressing. However, there are little indicators here and there that hint at an awareness that this would be his final album. Many of the song titles read like goodbyes - Lets Get Lost, A Fond Farewell, Twilight, A Passing Feeling, The Last Hour,Memory Lane. Whether or not he knew that this was his last album there is definitely a theme of looking back, things ending, new beginnings.
Like any album released posthumously, you can’t help wonder what might have been. It goes without saying that Elliott Smith possessed an incredible talent and had an uncompromising artistic vision. His death robbed the music world of a beautiful spirit, and this final album is yet another example of his talent as a guitarist, singer, writer, performer. All the things we know and love about Smith are all present on FABOAH - Unassuming yet unique vocals, poetic yet honest lyrics, and an overwhelming delicate beauty that surrounds his songs. The thing I love best about Elliot Smith, the thing that makes him stand out from everyone else is the way he keeps his vocals low down in the mix, mingled in with the music, giving it an almost muffled sound, making it hard to distinguish between the music and the vocals, making them melt into one resulting in a very hazy, hypnotic, dream-like effect. It is something that makes Elliott Smith stand out from the crowd and gives him a very unique sound.
Even now, 3 years after his death, the exact circumstances surrounding his passing remain inconclusive. Having been stabbed twice in the chest it has been assumed that it was suicide although there have been suspicions of murder, but with no evidence. It is such a terrible, bleak ending for someone who created such delicate, beautiful music. But at the least the music will live on, and it’s beauty will never fade.
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