Elliott Smith "Roman Candle"
Label: Cavity Search
Release Date: July 14th, 1994
Genre: Singer-Songwriter/Lo-fi Folk
Tracklist:
1. Roman Candle
2. Condor Ave
3. No Name #1
4. No Name #2
5. No Name #3
6. Drive All Over Town
7. No Name #4
8. Last Call
9. Kiwi Maddog 20/20
Elliott Smith's debut album, it was recorded on a four track giving it that homemade lo-fi folk sound. The album remains mostly unimpressive much like his band Heatmiser with a few highlights here and there, just like Heatmiser. Who at the time he was the guitarist for, and shared singing/songwriting with Neil Gust (No. 2).
The album doesn't hold much variation which is the main drawback and it seems to be an album that only the fans love. There isn't much to say on it since its all rather similar sounding (except the two last songs) tts a very raw album and the only the fans love part is probably mostly true since you could find a similar sounding album, but much better (by the same artist too) in alot of places.
The lyrics can be great in some places, like one of my favorite songs on here Condor Ave is an extremely well written song (and the picking/strumming is fantastic). While others such as Roman Candle can be a bit lacking with lines like "I wanna hurt him / I wanna give him pain / I'm a roman candle / My head is full of flames", but the way he sings them seems to give them much more meaning and emotion then they appear to hold on first glance.
I think if you're a fan of Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left or Pink Moon, you'd probably like this album though you're better off giving Either/Or or XO a spin instead, since they offer someone more comfortable in their own sound and a much more experienced songwriter.
Rating: 5.5/10
Recommended Songs: No Name #1, Condor Ave., Last Call, No Name #3