Elliott Smith
XO
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Elliott Smith
XO
DreamWorks, 1998
RiYL: Ben Folds Five, Brian Wilson, Jellyfish, The Beatles |
But to any music lover, Smith's reputation -- if only compared to the Beatles -- is pretty hard to swallow. The first few times I listened to this album, I couldn't get past any of my preconceptions. I guess I just wanted to block out the appeal of his songs after "Miss Misery," his cut from the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack, was nominated for an Oscar and every writer in America was spewing praise.
One Saturday afternoon, with shitty weather keeping me inside, I tried to take a nap with XO playing in the background. I think it took me a while to admit to myself that I liked it -- simply because it was just too easy to like. You have to understand: It's hard for me to get into the 3/4 sing-song feel of a tune like "Waltz #2," the singer's enigmatic and highly enjoyable reflection on his relationship with Mom. And its counterpart, "Waltz #1" kind of left me with a "Dead Poet's Society" feeling in the back of my brain as I lay listening to it. But by the end of both songs, I was convinced there was more to this fella than I originally lended credit.
A few more listens were all it took to realize Smith has a gift most of his peers do not now nor will ever possess. He can pull off the pacing of Brian Wilson (during the legend's post-nervous breakdown era) on "Oh Well, Okay," far better than, say, Jeff Tweedy on a handful of Beach Boys rip offs on Wilco's Summer Teeth. The piano-driven pop treat "Baby Britain" puts Smith ahead of Ben Folds at his best moments and the chord progression on "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands," proves Smith is a more educated guitarist than Dave Matthews could ever be. The album's final song, the multi-part a cappella "I Didn't Understand," which could easily be considered a little forced or pretentious on first sampling, actually reveals itself to be one of the finest displays of pop smarts/ability in recent memory.
I'm not saying I'm totally convinced Elliott Smith is the second coming of Paul McCartney or Brian Wilson. But I can say I really enjoy this album, and continue to enjoy it more each time I listen to it. Furthermore, I'm quite anxious to see if this obviously talented, still fairly young, songwriter continues to blossom into an artist without comparison.
BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.