#216 Elliott Smith, 'Either/Or' (1997)

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The first time I had heard of Elliott Smith was from a colleague when I was working at a CD store in 2003. She had told me that he had died of suicide and played me one of his albums (it was his self-titled, from memory). What I didn’t realise until this very moment is that at the time his death was current. I always thought it had happened years earlier.

This record is a textbook indie folk record. Definitely a record ahead of its time, though. If you told me that this record was from the early 2000s, I’d believe you. His voice is understated, not the centrepiece of the music. The guitar melodies are front and centre and his voice is a supporting character. Gus Van Sant was a fan of this record and placed three of its songs in his new film, ‘Good Will Hunting.’ The songs in question were ‘Between The Bars,’ ‘Angeles’ and ‘Say Yes.’ There was also a new composition, ‘Miss Misery,’ not included on this record, that was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1998 Academy Awards. This album is a little unknown gem. If sad indie folk is your jam, this one’s for you.

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