Elliot Smith is the voice to turn to when you want something meaningfully mellow to sink your misery in. Smith himself led a life of turmoil filled with drugs, alcohol, and depression, all of which came to a tragic end in late 2003 when he died at the young age of 34. Despite the turbulence in his life, Smith was clearly a talented singer/songwriter, having risen to mainstream fame with the song “Miss Misery” (nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar) featured in the movie Good Will Hunting.
New Moon is Smith’s second posthumous release (the first one being From a Basement on the Hill, which he had been working on prior to his death). New Moon is a proper tribute of sorts to the man that left behind a sad hole in the heart of the music world; it contains 24 re-workings, early versions, and demos of songs from his '94-'97 period with the Kill Rock Stars label. The two-disc release is Smith at his rawest.
Dedicated fans will find a familiar voice in New Moon, while it is also a great introduction to Smith novices. The 24 songs here certainly display the multi-tracking technique used by Smith to create the type of harmonies reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, heightened by his soothing, folksy voice. The opening song, "Angel in the Snow" prepares us for the type of mood pervading throughout the rest of the songs:
"Don't you know that I love you
Sometimes I feel like only a cold still life
Only a frozen still life
That fell down here to lay beside you"
There's a sense of loss and hopelessness in these tracks, but Smith sings them with the voice of comforting defeat and indifference, like in "Whatever (Folk Song in C Major)" when he sings "I've been wanting to do anything for a long time/Whatever you're doing now would probably suit me fine." The 24 tracks--including "Talking to Mary," "New Monkey," "Big Decision," "Fear City," and an early version of "Miss Misery--might be demos and earlier versions that were eventually polished but they are all finely crafted, with melancholy chords and soft drums; fans could not have asked for a more generous offering of materials. New Moon is the perfect soundtrack for those lonely Saturday nights when you just want to lie down in the middle of the floor and stare at the ceiling for hours.
"New Moon" is on sale December 31, 1969 from Kill Rock Stars.
