This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, October 2004
Songs of sadness, songs of love, and a soundtrack for a life. Elliott Smith’s songs seem to be the soundtrack that has helped thousands of listeners get through a rough part of their lives. A discussion of Smith’s music doesn’t tend to involve musicianship, vocal ability, songwriting or even individual songs. It’s the memories associated with it that matters. Smith leaves behind a general feeling of comfort and warmth that few others have achieved in music.
Elliott Smith started his professional music career in 1993 as a member of the band Heatmiser. Along with collaborator Neil Gust, Smith was able to form a strong songwriting team. The sound of Heatmiser would confuse a lot of Elliott Smith fans. Their style is loud and heavy-laden with guitars, bass and drums, often evoking the style of other bands like Pearl Jam. Heatmiser’s debut, Dead Air, was mostly filled with Gust’s voice. Smith took the back seat, not only as a singer but also as a songwriter. It wasn’t until the following year with their next album, Cop And Speeder, that the world was given an opportunity to truly hear Smith’s music. Songs like “Bastard John” sound like the Elliott Smith we would come to recognize, but the aforementioned style utilized by Heatmiser proved distracting.
“Elliott’s music is something that helps me everyday. The beauty in the music and his voice makes me stronger, and it’s like a lighthouse when I’m lost. I get picked on at school all the time. I can come home and put on his albums and it’s like the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders.” – Sarah Chastain from Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, USA
While still a member of Heatmiser, Elliott Smith was ready to make his debut as a solo artist. Roman Candle was released on Cavity Search in 1994. Sparse in its arrangements, it is the type of album that keeps an audience listening over and over. The guitar and Smith’s voice stand out and leave an impression on the world. “Condor Ave.”, “No Name #3” and “Kiwi Maddog 20/20” are album-highlights and show Smith’s more recognizable style emerging. The music is pared down to a man and his guitar. Other instruments hide in the background, rarely coming out to seek attention. The songs on this Roman Candle are less memorable than Smith’s later material, lacking his flair for brilliant melodies, a skill which would go on to make his songs outstanding in the future.
A significant improvement over his first album, Elliott Smith included standouts like “Needle In The Hay”, “Good To Go” and “Coming Up Roses,” songs which are all true to form as far as Elliott Smith’s style is concerned. Recorded in a low budget, lo-fi environment, his sound remains solid. With a voice that is gentle and strong at the same time, Smith makes bolder sounds and distances himself even further from the Heatmiser sound. Ready for a spotlight of his own, Smith was well on his way towards developing a style of his own.
In 1997, Elliott Smith released his third album, Either/Or. Adding more instruments than ever before, Smith has also managed to add a new dimension to his songwriting, beginning to shine as one of the best songwriters of the 1990s. “Pictures Of Me”, “Speed Trials” and “Alameda” are all rockers, while “Punch And Judy” and “Rose Parade” are upbeat modern folk songs. Perhaps the best song on the album is “2:45 am.” Its simple nature and haunting melody stands out from the rest and is followed perfectly by the amazing track “Say Yes.” Smith is able to spin stories like no one else in his generation.
“Say Yes,” “Between The Bars” and “Angeles”, all from Either/Or, were featured in the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting in the same year. Another song included on the soundtrack, “Miss Misery”, was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. Smith unfortunately lost to Celine Dion and her terrible epic ballad from Titanic (“My Heart Will Go On”). Meanwhile, the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting, which was augmented by Danny Elfman’s score and songs by The Dandy Warhols, Al Green, Luscious Jackson and others, brought much attention to Elliott Smith. The spotlight was focused on him as he was preparing his next masterpiece.
“My girlfriend at the time had just been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Music, always my solace in hard times, became unlistenable for the first time in my life. I kept searching for something to make the daily trips to and from the hospital bearable. None of the old standbys seemed to work as my world was turned upside down. Then I put on the album I had purchased a few weeks earlier, Either/Or. For months after that, I would lose myself in the fragile voice of Elliott Smith every day. His lyrics had nothing to do with what I was experiencing, but they were somehow the only thing I could relate to. Music, books, television, and magazines all seemed ridiculous and uninteresting. But the plaintive singing and guitar on Either/Or broke through that barrier and saw me through the worst experience of my life.” – Adam Harendorf from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
XO was Elliott Smith’s debut on Dreamworks and I remember a good part of my life spent listening to this album on repeat. The guitars opening “Tomorrow Tomorrow,” Smith harmonizing with himself, the lyrics, the voice, “I got static in my head/the reflected sound of everything”1. Smith was able to bring me into another world: never sad, never happy, always able to sing along and know there was something better around the corner. Songs like “Oh Well, Okay” and “I Didn’t Understand” are songs of sorrow and regret that capture the listener, filling every note with a power no other musician can capture. XO is arguably Elliott Smith’s greatest work.
Elliott Smith was a musician who managed to keep his fans loyal by consistently delivering quality and remaining true to himself. His music seems to find the listener at the right time and latches on.
With the bouncy single “Son Of Sam”, Elliott Smith followed up the amazing XO with a fifth album, Figure 8 (2000). A sixteen song record, Figure 8 is surprisingly dull for an Elliott Smith record. It does have some redeeming moments, though, such as “Junk Bond Trader”, “In The Lost And Found (Honky Bach)” and “Everything Means Nothing To Me.” The album seems recycled from what Smith had done before with “Everything Means Nothing To Me” sounding like “2:45 am” and “Son Of Sam” sounding like “Sweet Adeline.” “In The Lost And Found (Honky Bach)” was the most original sounding song on the album with its playful piano that engages the listener.
Between 2001 and 2003, Elliott Smith had been working on a double album which he never finished before his unexpected death on October 21, 2003. The upcoming Anti. release From A Basement On The Hill was compiled by Smith’s family and features the songs that Smith had mostly completed. Fitting 15 songs onto one disc, From A Basement On The Hill includes less than half of the songs that Smith had been working on. It is a fitting conclusion to a career that was cut way too short. Highlighted by such amazing songs as “Memory Lane”, “Fond Farewell” and “Pretty (Ugly Before),” Smith proves that he still had the skill and craftsmanship to compete with his previous albums.
Whether or not Elliott Smith’s death on October 21, 2003 was a suicide remains a mystery. What is certain is the impact that his life and music has had on others. I will always remember the impact that XO has had on my life. For others it may be Either/Or or his other records. What matters is the difference he made on lives throughout the world. When I hear songs from XO, I’m transported to a place where nothing can harm me and there is only good in the world. “This is just a fond farewell to a friend”2.
1. Elliott Smith. “Tomorrow Tomorrow.” XO. Dreamworks, 1998.
2. Elliott Smith. “Fond Farewell.” From A Basement On The Hill, Anti., 2004.