The lyrics are also worth mentioning, as a mix of lonely, sad, pessimistically observant, and hopeful in the wake of helplessness.
You can hear a little bit of an early Beatles influence, a little bit of Bob Dylan, some of the indie/alt that was taking root at the time, and it all merges into something unique to him. The songs are all relatively short (as is the album) and have an odd kind of catchiness, not the kind you hear with a typical 4-chord wonder, but with an almost self-awareness that it took something out of the ordinary and made it easy and memorable to hear. Elliott Smith had a keen ear for melodies and a great deal of creativity with his acoustic guitar-work, with unusual chord progressions and/or well thought out tunes that simply sound good. Although sparsely arranged and often just the man and an acoustic guitar, the songs are not simple. The overall atmosphere is the best part of the album, it's such an amazing experience to listen to in one sitting, and it almost makes you not want to dissect it song-by-song.Īlmost, because the individual songs are extremely good. His style is very distinct, a folk/alternative/lo-fi kind of sound, and often it sounds like he could be sitting right next to you, singing his collection of songs. It's difficult to put into words, but some combination of his gentle acoustic strumming, whisper-like icy voice, sparse production, and relatively short pop-ish songs make for an utterly compelling listen. Obviously, I'm about to say that Elliot Smith's Either/Or is one of these rare pieces of music.
This is a rare effect for me, even with all the mellow stuff I listen to it seems as though the stars have to align in order for this calming effect to take place. There is an effect of calmness, where no matter what state of mind you're in, you can listen to it with your eyes closed and breath a little easier. Music to chill out to, and music that lulls you into a trance of some sort. Review Summary: 'Do whatever you want to, whenever you want to/ It doesn't mean a thing'Īn amazing album that could freeze a desert, and essential for anyone vaguely interested in the style of music.
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