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Volume 16, Spring 2004 |
Arts & Leisure
Everybody's Poet Laureate
Staff Writer
It is striking how many people enjoy Elliott Smith's music. In a rock universe defined by category, it seems like every listener claims one, two, or perhaps several genres as his or her own. I have shared Smith's music with devotees of indie rock, punk, classic rock, folk, alternative rock, heavy metal, and oldies. The conclusion, it seems, is always the same: everybody loves Elliott.
Smith started out as a torchbearer for lo-fi indie rock, crafting subdued, intimate, fractured acoustic lullabies.
Smith started out as a torchbearer for lo-fi indie rock, crafting subdued, intimate, fractured acoustic lullabies. His first records showcased, almost exclusively, his minimalist, acoustic guitar lines and the restrained emotion of his angelic, heartbroken vocals. The songs were plaintive, spare, and fragile. The lyrics were often vague and cryptic, but he delivered them so passionately that his delicate spirit was revealed to listeners with startling clarity. Nobody else can sing these songs - they came from the heart, and he poured his soul into every vocal.
The first half of his career culminated in Either/Or, his 1997 album, and probably his first bona fide masterpiece. While he was backed up by a full band on a handful of tracks, the intimacy was never compromised by the instrumentation. Indeed, the other instruments melt with his voice and guitar so seamlessly that the listener almost forgets the band is there at all. The album seems like a modernization of Nick Drake's haunting Pink Moon, undercut by the kind of bitterness you would expect on a Clash record. For an acoustic singer-songwriter, Smith, on songs like the scathing "Angeles" and the frustrated "Pictures of Me," shows his ability to express resentment, cynicism, anger, and bitter self-doubt without raising his voice. Like the character in "Ballad of the Big Nothing," a track on Either/Or, it often seemed he was "watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger."
Either/Or is a showcase of gorgeous melodies, tortured lyrics, minimalist production, and, of course, Smith's elegant vocals.
Either/Or is a showcase of gorgeous melodies, tortured lyrics, minimalist production, and, of course, Smith's elegant vocals. Ryan Schreiber, editor-in-chief of pitchforkmedia.com, wrote, "Whispering his way into your heart with the voice of an angel, Elliott's new solo record, Either/Or, is the type of music you'd hear in Heaven's elevator: while everything's nice and pretty, you're still pretty bummed out that you died." With songs like the romantic "Say Yes" and the tender "Between the Bars," it is easy to see why Either/Or is often cited as Smith's most inspired moment.
In 1997, Elliott gained increased exposure thanks to the success of his contributions to the film Good Will Hunting. "Miss Misery," one of a half dozen of Smith's songs featured in the movie, even earned an Oscar nomination. From added publicity, Smith was able to afford an elaborate studio production for his next album, XO . The 1998 album is another masterpiece, at once akin to Either/Or and wholly removed from the spirit of that record. While Smith's lyrical concerns are just as hazy and dark, the album is meticulously recorded, and harmony vocals and complex instrumentation achieve a rich, warm, fully realized sound.
XO recalls such immaculately produced masterworks as The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom.
XO recalls such immaculately produced masterworks as The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom. The record is propelled by its remarkable consistency. Highlighted by tracks like the insistent "Waltz #2 (XO)" and the heartbreaking "Oh Well, Okay," there is not a mediocre moment on the album. Its innovation is startling, and it's perhaps Smith's most focused artistic statement. Douglas Wolk of Spin describes the album as "[.] haunted and trembling beneath its composed surface of chiming guitars and soothing electric piano." Nonetheless, his sharp tongue still manages to cut through the elaborate production. "I Didn't Understand," a hushed, majestic a cappella track consisting only of Smith's multi-tracked vocals, is marked by lyrics like "Trying to occupy space/What a fucking joke."
With Figure 8, released in 2000, Smith once again took advantage of the recording studio to create an album that is longer, more varied, more theatrical, and more buoyant than XO . Smith's genius is undeniable on Figure 8 , but it is like comparing Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited with his epic Blonde on Blonde . Some of the greatest rock and roll records - The Beatles' White Album, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life - are defined and made beautiful by a wealth of ideas, melodies and innovations. If XO was focused, Figure 8 is a relentless barrage of creative ideas that, although they result in something less coherent than either of his previous two records, do nothing to diminish the album's power. In addition, Smith's "smoldering anger" of Either/Or seemed to be slowly burning itself out. Songs like "Somebody That I Used to Know" and "Everything Reminds Me of Her" are marked by sadness and longing, but Smith's attitude has made a subtle shift from bitter resentment to resigned yearning. In any case, it is clear that Figure 8 marked Smith's third great work in a row and offered further proof that his musical gifts were not to be underestimated.
Elliott Smith was a singer and songwriter who crafted albums nobody else could have made and sang them more beautifully than anyone else could have.
Elliott Smith possessed a rare kind of genius. On October 21, 2003, Smith was found dead of an apparent suicide. It is all too likely that Smith is yet another of David Bowie's "rock 'n' roll suicide[s]." His death has robbed the world of a vital, unique talent, and we will never know the beauty of what would have been. Nonetheless, the music is still alive. Elliott Smith was a singer and songwriter who crafted albums nobody else could have made and sang them more beautifully than anyone else could have. The handful of records he has left us is enough to immortalize him as one of the most accomplished pop craftsmen in recent memory.
Dan Warren graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2003 with an English degree, and is looking for a career as a magazine writer. He loves Bob Dylan, Kurt Vonnegut, mix tapes, and hot chocolate. Warren spends his time reading, writing, listening to music, and writing and performing his own songs.