‘Either/Or’ by Elliott Smith

The solo career of Elliot Smith can be divided into two fairly clear sections. Part one consisted of three albums, of which this is the third. Part two began with his ‘best song’ oscar nomination and finished with his tragic early death. As his career picked up more attention, his albums production became more ambitious. At the time of ‘Either/Or’, however, an Elliot Smith album was still a very low key affair. Smith would play all the instruments on the album himself, giving the record a very home-made feel. This would be pretty effective. Smith was a much better guitarist than he was, say, a drummer, but his skills in other instruments were certainly adequate to the task.

‘Either/Or’, then, is a lovely album of music. Every one of its twelve tracks is a delicately assembled piece of songwriting, and there’s just enough range between its gentler songs and its more upbeat ones to give the album the breadth it needs. Smith’s voice is an extra-ordinary thing. On its own, it’s slightly thin and fragile on its own, but when he layers it up to sing in unison or harmony with himself, it makes for a Beatles-esque collage of richness, worth the purchase price on its own.

It’s this kind of record that makes this project worthwhile. I got it as a Christmas present a few years ago having come to Elliot Smith through his later work, and although I’d listened to it, I’d not paid it much attention. This time round, I’ve been listening to it solidly for almost a week, and loving it. I will definitely come back to it.