Few musicians mean more to me than the late great Elliott Smith. I first got into Smith's music around 2015, when I was dealing with pretty severe mental illness spearheaded by anorexia. I was anxious, stressed, and above all, just really bummed out. I turned to Elliott Smith's music a lot on this time. I was floored by how well he could translate these terrifying emotions into such brilliant and beautiful songs, and his music was sort of a rock for me from early-to-mid 2015. Even after reaching the light at the end of that tunnel, Smith's music is still stunningly beautiful to me, and here are ten of my favorite songs of his.
1. "Speed Trials" (from Either / Or)
The opening tracks to Smith's magnificent Either / Or encapsulates everything the singer/songwriter was about. Delicate yet dissonant guitar strums make way for steady drumming, ambigious lyrics, and absolutely haunting vocals, all with an immediately catchy melody. Melding self-hatred and anger with beauty is one of the trademark's of Smith's music, and no track displays this better than "Speed Trials".
2. "L.A." (from Figure 8)
Figure 8 is my least favorite album of Smith's, but that's not to say there aren't some absolutely brilliant songs scattered throughout. Smith always worked best when his songwriting was subtle and his voice was hushed, but "L.A." proves that a radically straightforward pop rock sound was a great fit for him as well. The chorus is soaring, the melodies are Beatles-esque, and the groove is unbeatable. It's a strange song in Smith's catalogue, but a welcome departure from his typical sound.
3. "High Times" (from New Moon)
The lo-fi work that makes up most of Smith's early catalogue is a testament to the power of subtlety. New Moon is a posthumous compilation that contained unreleased cuts from 1994 to 1997, and while it's a great listen from front to back, "High Times" is an obvious highlight. Smith works with a simple chord progression and a rather elementary riff, yet he still manages to create an affecting, haunting piece of art.
4. "King's Crossing" (from From a Basement on the Hill)
No one knows what From a Basement on the Hill could have sounded like. Only "Pretty (Ugly Before)" and "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free" were released before Smith's untimely passing in 2003, the rest of the album was left to Smith's family and friends, who picked up the pieces and assembled together one of the best posthumous records of all time. "King's Crossing" is the pinnacle of the record, a simple, beautiful tune amplified with soaring guitars, pummeling drums, and some of the most heartbreaking lyrics of Smith's career.
5. "Waltz #2 (XO)" (from XO)
1998 was a watershed year for Elliott Smith. 1997 saw the release of Either / Or, his most successfull album, along with Good Will Hunting, a critically acclaimed film that featured songs from Smith. "Miss Misery", a song composed by Smith for the film, was nominated for an Academy Award, which saw a white tuxedo-clad Smith perform, unaccompanied, at the Oscars. In the wake of this sucess, Smith was signed to Dreamworks, soon dropping his poppiest album to date, XO. "Waltz #2 (XO)", the album's lead single, is dreamily melodic without sacrificing a single bit of Smith's trademark emotional intensity. Plus, it's catchy as sin.
6. "Roman Candle" (from Roman Candle)
While still a member of indie rock trio Heatmiser, Smith recorded Roman Candle, his debut album. He recorded it alone in is girlfriend's basement, using a borrowed guitar and a four-track machine. This lo-fi recording gives the entire album a really desolate, haunting quality, best exemplified by the biting title track. The song is an attack on Smith's abusive stepfather, and the repeated mantra of "I want to hurt him, I want to give him pain" is almost uncomfortably angry and intimate.
7. "Christian Brothers" (from Elliott Smith)
"Christian Brothers" is yet another song aimed at Smith's abusive stepfather, and it's equally as furious and melancholic as "Roman Candle". "Christian Brothers" is a brandy, and Smith delicately sings about using the alcohol to finally stand up to his stepfather. The melody is dreamlike, the chord progression is shockingly caustic and dissonant, the entire atmosphere of the song is one of pure isolation and defeat.
8. "Ballad of Big Nothing" (from Either / Or)
Either / Or as a whole is Smith's transitional album, and "Ballad of Big Nothing" is his most transitional track. It's written like a desolate song from Roman Candle or Elliott Smith, but the full-band arrangement and clean production gives it such a beautiful energy that showcased the direction Smith was poised to go in. And that chorus is just amazing, my lord.
9. "The Biggest Lie" (from Elliott Smith)
Smith's self-titled record is his most desolate, and "The Biggest Lie" serves as a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Not in lyrical content, dear god, not at all. The lyrics are just as desolate as anything else Smith has ever written, but the gentle melody and delicate vocals suggest something much more calming, peaceful, and serene, something desperately needed after listening to the brilliant Elliott Smith.
10. "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out" (from the "Speed Trials" single)
"I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out" is easily one of my favorite songs by Smith, and one of his most underappreciated. It was only released as a b-side to the single release of "Speed Trials", and it's a beautiful guitar ballad. The guitar work is nimble and brilliantly complex, and Smith's vocals are characteristically pretty and emotive.
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