Artist: Elliott Smith
Album: XO
Release Date: August 25, 1998 (DreamWorks)
Buzz Factor: 3.5/5
Presenting each of Elliott Smith’s records as flawless and complete would be disingenuous, although going so far as to call XO, Smith’s fourth studio LP and first release on a major label, a disappointment is no more accurate. The record contains many of Smith’s catchiest melodies (That opening hook in “A Question Mark,” coupled with a muted saxophone and electric organ, could be the closest to radio-friendly Smith ever came), and a plurality of the songs even manage to remain near three minutes in duration. But the brevity actually works against XO, in large part: no single moment sticks around long enough to create a lasting impression.
Not to discredit Smith’s ability as a songwriter, obviously: much of XO suffers under the tension inherent in the transition from underground obscurity to broader commercial success. XO marks a specific intermediary point, as Smith makes his first reluctant foray into the major label machine. Recorded less than a year after the release of his mainstream breakthrough, Either/Or, XO is a fitting companion to its predecessor—both albums share lyrical themes of drug abuse, alienation and paranoia, as well as syncopated rhythms, skeletally centered around frenetic acoustic strumming. The songs on XO could potentially be ideas that never made the cut for Either/Or.
But the intimacy of tracks like “Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands” or “Bled White” is lost in the swell of the huge production. There was certainly something to the lower fidelity of his earlier recordings—Smith’s voice and guitar united as a single force by the grittier quality, relatable like a grainy, old home video or a drawing in crayon. Smith was clearly excited by the opportunities major label support provided in the studio: XO exists almost as a sonic playground for the musician. Finally free to engage every creative whim, the album features a plethora of instrumentation beyond the binary of voice and acoustic guitar present on previous work, including horns, piano, a range of keys, electric guitar, more complex percussion and three or even four-part vocal harmonies.
The newfound variety of instrumentation in XO could also be attributed to Smith’s recent departure from his band, Heatmiser. After all, his solo work began as a quiet side project to the louder, more boisterous Heatmiser, and the conclusion of that outlet could have inspired a push for bigger, rock and roll instrumentation in Smith’s live show.
Ultimately, XO’s shortcomings in its broader instrumentation and heightened production do become strengths in the glorious, massive follow-up, Figure 8, almost as if Smith merely had to learn to translate his songwriting prowess to a wider platform. In this sense, XO serves as a training ground, where the skill is certainly present but not yet refined. A bridge between Either/Or’s quiet acoustic intimacy and Figure 8’s louder, electrified confidence was necessary, and XO did provide exactly that, and managed to spawn at least a few Smith classics in the process.