Elliott Smith’s brand new posthumous album hits stores November 2nd, in hope to gain fans from a new generation
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
November 2nd marks yet another posthumous release for Elliott Smith, An Introduction to… Elliott Smith, and this time it is a compilation of great tunes from 1996-2003.
The fourteen songs featured on this album are from their own separate time periods and genre, giving a great variety of Elliott Smith that is probably more than the listener can handle, like when I have seven entrees of food sitting in front of me, so happy, so content. Each song has its own soothing relief, bringing about a feeling like when I relax on a comfortable couch after a hard day of work.
This album is supposed to give a small preview about Elliott Smith’s music, intended for the younger generation. The album has a majority of songs from his most acclaimed album, Either/Or. This move is apparently intended to attract new listeners. If this album was critically acclaimed by the older generations, it would seem fitting that the new generation would enjoy these songs as well.
Ballad of Big Nothing, Alameda, Between the Bars, and Angeles are the songs featured from Either/Or. These songs are mellower, consisting of lightly played drums, and soothing melodies from acoustic guitars. The vocals are beautifully harmonized, like listening to a choir of soft vocals. A book inspired the album’s name, which was written by old time philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Elliott Smith loved philosophy, and it was an old book that went into the aesthetics of existence. It also makes the argument that life pleasures are the only thing worth living for, and that it is our duty as humans to seek these pleasures.
Three of the tracks on the album are 100% acoustic from Elliott’s old acoustic days. Two of the songs appear from the album Elliott Smith, which are Needle In The Hay and The Biggest Lie. These two songs are opposite in tone and have different effects on the listener. One song, Needle In The Hay deals with Elliott’s substance abuse and has a slow chord progression that sounds depressive, while The Biggest Lie is lighter, featuring an upbeat happy tone, speaking of more perfect relationships in life, creating a joyous tone. The other fully acoustic song from the same time period is Last Call. This song was featured on Elliott’s first album, Roman Candle. The entire album was made in a basement, and features a pessimistic attitude on life, which has dark and deep tone.
Only one track is from his album XO. This track, Waltz No. 2, is one of his more listener friendly songs, featuring the transition into a more modern pop rock sound, with a lightly distorted guitar, rhythmic up beat drums, and catchy vocal melodies with distinct and perfectly pitched tones from the wonderful vocal box that Elliott Smith possessed.
Multiple songs are demos to either recorded tracks or an unfinished demo that was never published into a full song. Miss Misery is Elliott’s most well known song, but on this compilation album, it happens to be his demo, all acoustic and it has different lyrics than his finished version, but it gives a good preview and comparison to his finished song. Happiness, a full song on his album Figure 8, is also present, but in a different form. This version, which is not the acoustic version either, is virtually the same song from Figure 8, but with a completely different instrumental to follow the end of the song. Angel In The Snow is the last demo of the compilation, which has beautiful vocals, and a harmonious guitar to accompany them.
Last but not least, two songs are featured from his posthumous full-length album, From A Basement On The Hill. These songs are by far his most experimental, featuring more noise and more focus on his lyrics. The two songs are Twilight and Pretty (Ugly Before). This time period is completely different from his other songs, like an artist who just came off drugs, which is what he was when he wrote it. The lyrics are deep and speak of his time period on drugs, and how he viewed them as his wife, or his necessity to live.
This album is a wonderful release that features a great variety of songs, but there is a problem. Why is it the industry of music has to keep kicking the dead body of a musician while he is in the grave? Just leave him alone. This compilation album is a wondrous release of songs, but why does Kill Rock Stars need more money? Elliott was not even under their label at the time of his death, and they are still pulling money off of his memory. I do not want Elliott Smith to become the next Kurt Cobain, a dead rock star who every year has something new released that sells because he is famously dead.
