Maybe younger ears tired of pop's compression wars will rediscover those virtues. Smith's voice came into its own on this album as a one-of-kind whisper, and harmonies could be lacerating in their delicacy. Listening to the gently remastered “Either/Or” today (a project helmed by longtime Smith collaborator Larry Crane) is a reminder of how far indie-minded production tastes have shifted, but also how striking Smith's musicianship remains.įrom the opening strums of “Speed Trials” through career highlights such as “Between the Bars” and “Say Yes,” there's quiet instrumental virtuosity in every phrase that stands in almost total contrast to the compressed, loop-driven productions that are now the default of almost all pop and rock music.Ī simple song like “Angeles” gives up more secrets with every listen, from the brilliant fingerpicking to the swelling unease of the chromatic walk-up in the bridge. Smith famously performed the “Hunting” soundtrack tune “Miss Misery” at the 1998 Oscars (“My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” beat him for best original song).īut “Either/Or” was the turning point in a career that took him from a cult indie artist to a profoundly ambitious but deeply troubled major-label songwriter whose death still haunts the corners of LA.

The album was Smith's entry into mainstream pop, as Gus Van Sant's Oscar-winning “Good Will Hunting” used several singles from it in the film's soundtrack. The name is nominally a tribute to Smith's song “Angeles,” from his beloved 1997 album “Either/Or.” Say what you will about that as a metaphor for how LA has changed in the 14 years since Smith's death (you can still find the old segment of wall inside the bar, and a more garish Smith portrait popped up on a mural down the street).īut at least it's a reminder to go back and listen to “Either/Or,” probably Smith's best album and the latest to get a loving, extensive reissue and remaster.

Now a big square of it has been removed to make room for a window looking onto a new wine spot called Bar Angeles. The red, white and blue swirl outside the old Solutions speaker repair shop served as a backdrop for Smith's 2000 album “Figure 8” and was, for years, a place for fans to leave little hand-drawn memorial messages to the late singer-songwriter. The Elliott Smith wall is still - sort of - standing on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Elliott smith either or remastered