Product Overview
Author: Elliott Smith
Brand: Import
Details: Product Description "I kept recording more songs with no regard whether or not they were gonna be on anything. That's what I'm used to doing, recording all the time and not going, 'What should I record for this record?' Usually I put out whatever happened in the last six months. With this, I had way too many songs and no mechanism for picking between them."Elliott Smith, Tape Op Magazine, 1996, on finishing Either/OrArguably the most gifted song-writer of his generation, Elliott Smith produced a large body of work that includes five solo albums, as well as From a Basement on the Hill (2004), a collection of songs completed before his death in 2003. On May 8, 2007, Kill Rock Stars will release a double CD of music by Elliott Smith entitled New Moon. The album contains 24 songs recorded between 1994-1997, a prolific time in Smith's career, when he recorded his self-titled album and Either/Or (both also released by Kill Rock Stars). Like his other work, New Moon reflects the power of Smith's ability to integrate rich, melodic music with poetic, multi-layered lyrics. Only three songs have seen prior release all on compilations most extremely limited runs. The final mixing for New Moon was done by Larry Crane, who is also the archivist for the estate of Elliott Smith. A significant portion of proceeds from the album sales will go directly to Outside In, a Portland-based social service organization dedicated to providing diverse services for homeless youth and low-income adults. Review Elliott Smith's legacy is best spoken by his records. For all the emphasis placed on his unhappy backstory and the distressing nature of his death, Smith left behind a body of work that defies and exceeds any stereotyping. Sadness may be the easiest emotional current to pick up on in his songs, but Smith's expressive range was as wide as it was subtle; his music could be angry, funny, hopeful, and despondent, often at the same time. New Moon collects two CDs worth of material recorded around the same time as 1995's Elliott Smith and its 1997 follow-up Either/Or, and unlike typical posthumous releases (not to mention second ones), is a genuinely worthy addition to a stunningly consistent catalog. Part of what makes both Either/Or and 1998's XO so essential is Smith's avoidance of classic album compartmentalization; you don't get the sad song, followed by the experimental song, followed by the upbeat song. Smith didn't record specifically towards any album, he just recorded-- more or less constantly. At their inception, the songs compiled for New Moon were no less significant than those that wound up making the cut for Elliott Smith and Either/Or, and for the most part they re no less developed. Smith s signature style is more musical than it is aesthetic; from the lo-fi folk of Roman Candle through the muscular chamber-pop of Figure 8, Smith's songwriting tics remain completely recognizable. New Moon is overflowing with characteristic melodic turns and unexpected chord changes, yet still covers a good deal of ground stylistically. The chugging acoustic guitar of Big Decision conjures Johnny Cash, while New Monkey subtly nods to a similarly titled Beatles song. Each song seems fully realized in its own right; for a 2xCD posthumous compilation, it s unbelievably refreshing to not pick up even the slightest whiff of exploitative barrel-scraping. Like much of Smith's material from this era, New Moon is by and large quiet, acoustic, and emotionally complicated. It s easy to see why Smith's music earned him a reputation as a sad sack, but such dismissals don't really hold up to any scrutiny. When asked whether he considered himself a lo-fi artist, Smith once responded that he simply didn t want the recording process to be a drag. Smith s interest in the the expressive potential of recording comes through loud and clear on New Moon; even when the subject or tone of a song is depressing, it still carries an unmistakable note of joy... Phrases like rare talent are thrown around all the time these days, but this compilation makes painfully clear just how unique and valuable this music is. Smith's visionary qualities were not terribly flashy or transgressive, and his great musical gifts were not those of innovation. Instead, he steadily and quietly wrote, honed, and recorded a body of beautifully executed, deeply moving records not quite like any others. Consider him the patron saint of hobbyists, a talented and dedicated craftsman with a tireless love of the creative process. --Pitchfork With most recording artists, the unveiling of an album made up of tracks rejected from other discs wouldn't be a particularly big deal just another odds-and-sods record relevant to the devotee, but entirely dismissible by the casual fan. When it comes to Elliott Smith, though, things are different: There are no casual Smith fans. They're pretty much all fanatics, acolytes who've invested the lo-fi icon with the kind of awe reserved for The Beatles at
UPC: 759656045513
EAN: 0759656045513
Release Date: 08-05-2007
