From the fragile harmonies on “Alameda Street” to the intricate fingerpicking on “Angeles” and the melancholy mix of anguish and hope on “Say Yes,” Either/Or is a nod to the folk-pop forefathers of The Zombies, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake, and The Left Banke. You see recurring characters in his songs.”īut with apocryphal lyrics like “Everybody’s dying just to get the disease” and “I’m so sick and tired of all these pictures of me” on “Pictures of Me,” it’s hard not to read between the lines.ĭespite its low-fi touches on the opener “Speed Trials,” “Say Yes” and throughout the record, Either/Or also displays Smith’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and the purity of his voice. The album features fourteen tracks compiled from all seven of Elliott Smiths albums (including his albums on. part of: Pitchfork: The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest: pub (number: 1) (order: 1) My Life in Music: Conor Oberst ( SPIN magazine, 2004-06) (number: F) (order: 6) Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2020 edition (number: 216) (order: 216) Discogs. It’s his own life, but it’s a lot of allegory. Roman Candle / Elliott Smith / Either/Or. It was preceded by the single 'Needle in the Hay', released in early January 1995. It was recorded from late 1994 to early 1995, and released on July 21, 1995, through Kill Rock Stars, his first album on the label. The biggest mistake people make is assuming his songs are all confessional. (album) Elliott Smith is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. His name alone has become shorthand for adolescent angst and while Either/Or is suffused with melancholy, it doesn’t revel in it.Īs his longtime friend and creative collaborator Larry Crane told Pitchfork, “His lyrics are parables and observations. It’s almost impossible now to separate Smith’s tragic death and the perceptions that people project onto his music. That explains much of why the album triggers such a Proustian response, just hearing it transports you back to your emotional state when heard it for the first time. His lyrics are emotionally vulnerable in a way like reading someone’s diary. this is a single barrel derringer that shoots either. Either/Or comforts like a sonic blanket for when you want to tunnel into your own emotions with cathartic contentment. We handle good used guns & collector guns as well as new Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Browning guns.

Elliott smith either or discogs