Album: XO
Artist: Elliott Smith
Born: Omaha, Nebraska
Released: April 1998
Genre: Folk Pop
Like many people in the 90s, my first experience of Elliott Smith's music was watching Good Will Hunting. It strikes me as sad, reflecting on recent events, that the star of that film (Robin Williams) also ended up committing suicide. There was always a real dark undertow to Smith's music but, when the sun broke through, it was magical. I'm thinking especially of 1997 album, Either/Or, when after the small hours paranoia of 2:45 AM, he clears his throat and breaks into Say Yes. There are many other glorious moments on Either/Or, notably Between The Bars, about living life through the bottom of a whisky bottle, but XO has always resonated me with more. After his early lo-fi efforts, Roman Candle (1994) and Elliott Smith (1995), he really hit his stride with Either/Or, and XO was another step forward, with Smith taking advantage of the enhanced studio facilities at his disposal. Signing to DreamWorks Records, on the back of the success of the Good Will Hunting soundtrack and Miss Misery especially, Smith took the opportunity to record more ambitious arrangements and his songwriting matured too. Waltz #2 (XO) and Baby Britain were the two singles released from the album. My understanding of the lyrics of Baby Britain is that it's not about the UK at all, but a girl who's isolated, a bit like Britain is geographically. It's also a homage to Britain's greatest band, The Beatles, with its sound reminiscent of Getting Better.
Opening track Sweet Adeline is a statement of intent, with a more orchestrated, baroque sound compared to previous Smith records. The Hammond organ, the harmonies, the descending chords and lyrics ("Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head / or any situation where I'm / better off than dead") all create a deeply melancholic feel. Waltz #2 is one of the record's real highlights, coming long before Waltz #1, which itself features a stunning falsetto performance from Smith. Again, the mood of Waltz #2 is poignant ("I'm never gonna know you now / but I'm gonna love you anyhow"), as Smith explores his relationship with his Dad, against the backdrop of lush harmonies and instrumentation. One of his finest singing performances on the album comes on closer, I Didn't Understand, an a capella heartbreaker. Smith's sound clearly owes a lot to folk, especially the lyricism of Dylan, but I think the biggest influence on his music were pop masters like the Beatles, Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel, and Independence Day is a real burst of positivity and pop perfection in the middle of an album that deals with familial regret and heartbreak. Other highlights are Oh Bottle Up & Explode!, with its shifting dynamics, and the folk rock of Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands, which reminds me of Arthur Lee's Love. Smith would release another excellent album in 2000, Figure 8, but by this time drink problems and time spent at a psychiatric hospital in Arizona had caused deep unhappiness, and Smith eventually took his own life in 2003. There's a documentary out this year about his life called Heaven Adores You, and the reviews I've read suggest it's a fitting tribute to this rare talent.
P.S. Notes from Torment Saint: Waltz #1's moody piano melody was apparently written after Smith listened for 18 hours straight, high on mushrooms, to the song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. At this point in his musical trajectory, Smith was in "beauty mode", disinclined to uglify his songs with discordant soundscapes or "experiments in sonic texture". Friends says the songs on XO were written (in 1997) as a response to feeling betrayed by many of his friends & family, the lyrics camouflaged wand only decipherable to those in the know. XO is described as Smith's most Dylanesque moment, when he betrayed his roots and went for a more polished, richly instrumental sound, akin to Like A Rolling Stone. There's a quiet rage that builds throughout the album, bursting through the surface on A Question Mark, when he snarls, "Fucking ought to stay the hell away from things you know nothing about." But the record's crowning achievement is Waltz #2.
Like many people in the 90s, my first experience of Elliott Smith's music was watching Good Will Hunting. It strikes me as sad, reflecting on recent events, that the star of that film (Robin Williams) also ended up committing suicide. There was always a real dark undertow to Smith's music but, when the sun broke through, it was magical. I'm thinking especially of 1997 album, Either/Or, when after the small hours paranoia of 2:45 AM, he clears his throat and breaks into Say Yes. There are many other glorious moments on Either/Or, notably Between The Bars, about living life through the bottom of a whisky bottle, but XO has always resonated me with more. After his early lo-fi efforts, Roman Candle (1994) and Elliott Smith (1995), he really hit his stride with Either/Or, and XO was another step forward, with Smith taking advantage of the enhanced studio facilities at his disposal. Signing to DreamWorks Records, on the back of the success of the Good Will Hunting soundtrack and Miss Misery especially, Smith took the opportunity to record more ambitious arrangements and his songwriting matured too. Waltz #2 (XO) and Baby Britain were the two singles released from the album. My understanding of the lyrics of Baby Britain is that it's not about the UK at all, but a girl who's isolated, a bit like Britain is geographically. It's also a homage to Britain's greatest band, The Beatles, with its sound reminiscent of Getting Better.
Opening track Sweet Adeline is a statement of intent, with a more orchestrated, baroque sound compared to previous Smith records. The Hammond organ, the harmonies, the descending chords and lyrics ("Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head / or any situation where I'm / better off than dead") all create a deeply melancholic feel. Waltz #2 is one of the record's real highlights, coming long before Waltz #1, which itself features a stunning falsetto performance from Smith. Again, the mood of Waltz #2 is poignant ("I'm never gonna know you now / but I'm gonna love you anyhow"), as Smith explores his relationship with his Dad, against the backdrop of lush harmonies and instrumentation. One of his finest singing performances on the album comes on closer, I Didn't Understand, an a capella heartbreaker. Smith's sound clearly owes a lot to folk, especially the lyricism of Dylan, but I think the biggest influence on his music were pop masters like the Beatles, Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel, and Independence Day is a real burst of positivity and pop perfection in the middle of an album that deals with familial regret and heartbreak. Other highlights are Oh Bottle Up & Explode!, with its shifting dynamics, and the folk rock of Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands, which reminds me of Arthur Lee's Love. Smith would release another excellent album in 2000, Figure 8, but by this time drink problems and time spent at a psychiatric hospital in Arizona had caused deep unhappiness, and Smith eventually took his own life in 2003. There's a documentary out this year about his life called Heaven Adores You, and the reviews I've read suggest it's a fitting tribute to this rare talent.
P.S. Notes from Torment Saint: Waltz #1's moody piano melody was apparently written after Smith listened for 18 hours straight, high on mushrooms, to the song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. At this point in his musical trajectory, Smith was in "beauty mode", disinclined to uglify his songs with discordant soundscapes or "experiments in sonic texture". Friends says the songs on XO were written (in 1997) as a response to feeling betrayed by many of his friends & family, the lyrics camouflaged wand only decipherable to those in the know. XO is described as Smith's most Dylanesque moment, when he betrayed his roots and went for a more polished, richly instrumental sound, akin to Like A Rolling Stone. There's a quiet rage that builds throughout the album, bursting through the surface on A Question Mark, when he snarls, "Fucking ought to stay the hell away from things you know nothing about." But the record's crowning achievement is Waltz #2.
Comments