lucifer_sam

If you expect him to live up to musical canon upon first listen you'll be sadly disappointed. The first time I listened to him I thought Either/Or and XO were his worst works, and I found stuff like Roman Candle and Figure 8 among the best. Now it looks something like...

Either/Or = XO > Roman Candle > Figure 8 > From a Basement on the Hill > Elliott Smith

The one thing I seem to disagree with everyone about is fundamental to my interpretation of his music. Everyone seems to think because he committed suicide that his music must be depressing. As a musician myself it is fucking hard to write music when you're depressed, and even more so when you're subject is depressing. He wrote a good bit of that, but it's more of an introspective view into why our emotions manifest themselves like they do rather than the dim-witted parading of those emotions (like Mark Kozelek). Songs like Say Yes & Coming Up Roses are perfect examples of this.

I mean, the guy named his most well-renowned album after a Soren Kierkegaard novel. He can't be all that bad.

Oh, and I'm not gonna lie. His name is on my short list for whatever future children I might have. So no, I don't think he's overrated one bit.

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Phreddie

Not Overrated. Can't remember the last time I was subjected to him on the radio. Nobody plays him at the pub because he's kind of a buzzkill. The only time I hear him now is when I'm hanging out with a chick with bangs who wears too much eyeshadow and dark lipstick or I'm watching a rerun of Good Will Hunting or The Royal Tenebaums. He's decent. Not Overrated

Paedantic Basterd

I feel like you struck out a bit here...

s_k

Gave the guy's music a try several times, love Waltz #2. Sheer Brilliance.
Cannot see anything interesting about the rest of his music. Pity

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Sparky

I think he's a somewhat overrated lyricist, especially when i've seen him compared to the likes of bob dylan etc, but as an overall songwriter he's pretty terrific.

lucifer_sam

Ooh dude, there's a lot more to them than meets the eye...

Elliott Smith - "Say Yes" (Either/Or, 1995)
It is certainly a love song, but I interpreted this as an ode to Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, one of the first existential works to flip the dialectic on its head. I've bolded some of the passages that seem to refer to this inner anxiety that Kierkegaard alluded to heavily in F&T, especially in the coda.

My view is Smith is making an implicit reference to this internal struggle & paradox that governs human behavior & existentialism in general. The album itself is a nod to Kierkegaard's Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, so I can't be very wide of the mark, can I?

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Zer0

I'm a bit neutral about him. I own his self-titled, Either/Or and Figure 8 and although they're fairly enjoyable albums I've never been truly blown away by them either. I admire his songwriting skills and it's definitely his strong point but his music just needs that extra something for me to truly enjoy it. I'd put on one of his albums from time to time and his music works well when you're really in the mood but I wouldn't listen to his music too often.

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olifeelie

for me - underrated.
yes alot of it is sad but i don't enjoy his music because he killed himself and i want to give him brownie points. he really has brilliant music, from his basic acoustics to his bigger productions.. it all sounds good to me. anyone who is rated highly is for a reason.

Sneer

Agreed.

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