Moroni's Retro-Review of Elliott Smith's "Either/ Or"

Elliott Smith

I had never even heard about Elliott Smith until his untimely death in 2003.  At that point, I went and checked out his music, which I found haunting and achingly beautiful.  His tale is one that is all too common - the tortured artist haunted by drugs and depression, capable of making exquisite music, and then taken from us when they are too young.  Jim Morrison.  Tim Buckley.  Nick Drake.  Jeff Buckley.  And of course, Elliott Smith.  All of them were gone before their time.  None of them received the appreciation they deserved until they were gone.  All of them were a huge influence on artists that followed.  Elliott Smith is an admittedly huge influence on one of my favorite bands, Silversun Pickups.

Previous to this, the only music I had from Elliott Smith was the soundtrack to "Good Will Hunting".  And of course, "Needle in the Hay" from "The Royal Tenenbaums", which was set ironically to an attempted suicide scene.  I always had the intention of exploring his music further, but I always had other music that I wanted to get.  Being laid up in bed after leg surgery this summer, I was reviewing EW's July issue of "100 Greatest Albums of All Time".  In my boredom, I was cataloging how many I owned or had owned.  (I think I scored around 40.)  Elliott Smith's third album, released in 1997 - "Either/ Or" - was included on that list.  That very day, I decided to download it.

Coming out of the post-grunge era, this album is considered by many to be the quintessential Elliott Smith album.  Stripped down to mostly just an acoustic guitar, Smith whispers his intelligent lyrics with a soft voice.  The album is somber and contemplative.  It is hard to imagine that - with just a guitar and his voice - that a person can evoke such feeling with songs like "Between the Bars" and "Angeles", which is my favorite song on the album.  Then there are songs like "Pictures of Me" that show a definite Beatles' influence, and "Cupids Trick" that almost rocks hard.

This album is a very good place to introduce yourself to Elliott Smith's music.  I am looking forward to exploring more of his music, which is the legacy of a musical genius, haunted by his inner demons and taken from us too soon.