Artist: Elliott Smith
Album: Either/Or
Release Date: February 25, 1997 (Domino)
Buzz Factor: 5/5
Forewarning: Either/Or holds more sentimental value to me than any other album probably ever will. Despite my best efforts, the following review is going to contain some unavoidable cheesiness.
At the beginning of my eighth grade year, I listened to “Angeles” on a whim. From the moment that Elliott’s irreplaceable guitar kicked in, I was absolutely obsessed. “Angeles,” and Either/Or in general, completely changed the way I viewed music. Music became more than something to fill the silence; it began to haunt me. It gave me chills. It made me cry. It preoccupied so much of my brain that I was unable to complete a quiz on the quadratic equation in my algebra class, for all I could think about was the subtle shakiness of Elliott’s voice in the line “and be forever with my poison arms around you” and how that shattered me a bit more with every listen.
I have cherished Either/Or for a solid seven years now, which makes writing a review of it surprisingly difficult, for as my appreciation for the entity has grown, some of the particulars have faded.
At the core of the album, there is a sense of sadness and desperation. Themes of isolation, depression, and discomfort are deeply ingrained in Either/Or, yet the album is so brilliantly done that these themes never feel the least bit tired or whiny. In this sense, the album serves as a mirror for the artist. Smith, who famously struggled with depression, played every instrument on the record and wrote every line, thus producing twelve tracks that were entirely his and a testament to his struggle with disconnection from the outside world. However, he manages to address these dark themes without coming across as someone wallowing in self-pity. In a brilliant display of lyricism, he often pokes fun at himself and even tries to find the humor in his bleak situation. In “Rose Parade,” a song that chronicles Smith’s experience of being caught up in an annual Portland parade yet still feeling separated from the sea of artificiality surrounding him, one of the concluding lines is “And when they clean the streets, I’ll be the only shit that’s left behind.” Ok, how many artists express their deep depression and dissatisfaction by comparing themselves to the literal shit that covers the street following a parade? Just one. Just Elliott. It’s a metaphor that spotlights his self-loathing but does so in a purposefully playful way. The more you consider it, the more brilliant it becomes.
The instrumentation on Either/Or is similarly superb. Smith’s earliest albums were acoustic lo-fi to a fault, while his later ones incorporated backing bands and fuller sounds. Each album is outstanding in it’s own right, but in my opinion, Either/Or is where the perfect balance is achieved. The opening track “Speed Trials” features the classic Elliott guitar but also incorporates a simple, pounding drum, separating this piece from many that came before it and perfectly setting the stage for the songs to come. This trend continues throughout the album, peaking during the last few seconds of “2:45 AM,” where the strumming of a subdued acoustic guitar transitions to a rough but perfectly controlled bit of percussion. It’s spectacular. Each instrument and sound that is present serves such a purpose and is executed with such care and precision, whether it be the delicate ambient noise at the beginning of “Angeles” or the slight throat clearing which starts “Say Yes,” the pseudo-love song that finishes the album.
Either/Or is a testament to the genius that was Elliott Smith. I honestly struggle to find any other album that has such a raw, powerful combination of musical talent and soul crushing, stinging lyrics. It’s an album that you can listen to 500 times and still never truly reach the center of. There is longing packed into each chord and ambiguous lyrics that are impossible to pin down. It is music from the soul that speaks to the soul.