Either / Or
Either / Or
Blessed with the voice of a wispy angel, Elliott Smith creates sad little pop songs, which, like the work of Nick Drake (to whom he’s been compared) threaten to disappear into the night air. Several of the tracks here were featured in Gus Van Zant’s movie Good Will Hunting, and they’re among the album’s best (though “Miss Misery,” nominated for an Academy Award is only available on the soundtrack album). “Angeles” and “Say Yes” are bittersweet laments that feature Smith’s idiosyncratic guitar picking, which is well served by the album’s decidedly low-fi production. –Rob O’Connor
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Mr. Smith goes to…,
As we’re bearing down on the relase date for “From a basement on the Hill,” I thought it might be time to put in my say concerning this, my favorite album from everyone’s favorite Fool on the Hill…
Subtle chord changes, the occasional drums and backing instruments. If you prefer, as I do, stripped down Elliott (the KRS albums) to full on Beatles-orchestration-bandleader Elliott (the Dreamworks) then this is your album. It holds together more cohesively than his previous, self-titled release.
Be that as it may, I think Elliott never put out a perfect release. But his flaws are perfect in their way… Kinda like his buterfly wings voice, so apparently frail on the surface: haunting and fluttering- always on the verge of sounding like he was about to slip off-key… but he never did…
Truth be told- There’s a couple of songs on this that I can’t stand, skip ‘em every time. But the ones that I love (Between the Bars, Alameda, Speed trials, Angeles, Pictures of me, 2:45, The morning after, and especially No Name #6) are all among not only my hands-down Elliott picks but are also some of my most favorite songs, period. ‘Between the Bars’ alone would be worth this, easily one of the most achingly soulful, sad, sad songs ever to take shape in the human soul.
This stands firmly poised on the precipice, intimating the tempestuous break from KRS and the switch to Dreamworks, right around all that Good Will Hunting madness… The answers may not be forthcoming on the why and how of Mr. Smith’s demise. resign yourself to it. We can only guess at the inner workings of this guy- peering in through the windows he’s left us. This is my favorite room, looking in.
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So Glad To Meet You, Angeles,
Okay, here’s the deal with Elliott Smith. There’s nothing new to him. There’s nothing he does, be it the Beatlesque melodies, the Arlo Guthrie fingerpicking, the Nick Drake lyrics melding anguish with cynicism– there is nothing he does that hasn’t been done before. That’s not the point. Elliott Smith is not a living genius, nor is he destined to change the face of pop music as we know it (if anything, he’s destined to remind us of how incredible it can be). But he is a damn good songwriter, and “either/or” is his best record.
Basically, this is a great album. It’s not quite as downbeat as the previous “Elliott Smith;” while it gets pretty heavy there’s nothing like “Needle In The Hay” to really depress you. Instead, Smith adopts sort of a sly sense of humor on some of his songs, particularly “Rose Parade,” which when viewed in one light is absolutely hysterical. He also seems to be viewing love a little more on the bright side, in “Say Yes” (though even that has an unfortunate, but perfectly natural spin). The melodies are all very simple, usually repeated two-bar phrases before the chorus, but they’re great melodies, showcasing Smith’s delicate tenor, and also focusing attention to the lyrics (no small feat, especially when he practically whispers half his lines).
The best moments are when Smith lets his guard down a little, like “Between The Bars,” or “Cupid’s Trick.” Other than the Penny Lane shuffle of “Pictures Of Me” and the mild stroll of “Ballad Of Big Nothing,” the album is quite low-key. No big surprises, no gallant orchestras, just some great songs.
And all in all, this is one of my all-time favorite records. Every song is consistent enough to stand on its own, yet they all fuse so well together. There’s nothing too thematic, or grandiose, and I could definitely cite albums that had a greater emotional impact when I first heard them, but this is just a very, very solid collection of teriffic songs. It showed Smith was still progressing as an artist and still had a really good way to go (and we got to experience all of it!). His subsequent two releases have been much more studio-oriented, with expansive arrangements, more complex melodies, and orchestrations that would make Brian Wilson proud; and it is true, some of the intimacy, the living-room-guy-with-a-guitar sound has been lost. But that’s okay, because there’s still “either/or,” which is still my favorite. You won’t be disappointed.
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