Album: XO
Artist: Elliott Smith
Year Released: 1998
I really got into this album...
Circa 2000
Favorite songs include...
“Tomorrow Tomorrow”
“Sweet Adeline"
“Waltz #1”
Why it’s so good...
Elliott Smith was exactly what my teenage self was desperate for. My brother bought me this album, sure that I would love it- which I immediately did. But over the years as I've grown older and (hopefully) matured, my appreciation for Elliott and this album have increased.
First off all, he's one of the most under-rated guitar players ever. The guy just has an amazing ear for the instrument and uses it in a way I've never seen. His voice is haunting, smooth, and so raw that you can feel his emotion even when he's just breathing in. And lyrically it's hard to match the guy. He's poetic without being impersonal. Yes it gets pretty somber sometimes (see "Waltz #1") but it's just so beautifully tragic that you can't help but love the man.
But this album particularly has meant so much to me because of it's straight-forward approach to the music. I just like that the guy didn't seem to care about success or even connecting other people necessarily. He just needed to express himself. He's so much more real than I'll ever be.
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