Review Summary: 'Do whatever you want to, whenever you want to/ It doesn't mean a thing'
An amazing album that could freeze a desert, and essential for anyone vaguely interested in the style of music.
There's soft music, and laid back music. Music to chill out to, and music that lulls you into a trance of some sort. 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. 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.
Obviously, I'm about to say that Elliot Smith's Either/Or is one of these rare pieces of music. 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. 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. 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.
Almost, because the individual songs are extremely good. Although sparsely arranged and often just the man and an acoustic guitar, the songs are not simple. 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. 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. 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 lyrics are also worth mentioning, as a mix of lonely, sad, pessimistically observant, and hopeful in the wake of helplessness. It's rather difficult to pick any out specifically, if only because his delivery adds that much more power to it, but topics he covers in 2 of the best songs on the album are a lack of meaning in life (Ballad of Big Nothing) and a dislike of photos of him (Pictures of Me); he plays around with cryptic imagery in Cupid's Trick as well, and the lyrics are well worth focusing on.
I'll compare this album to one that came several years after it: The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones. Both are lo-fi/alt/folk, and the difference in atmosphere couldn't be greater. Phil Elverum's masterpiece is difficult to listen to, has far more dense lyrics than this, and is rather difficult to crack open as a whole, while Elliott Smith's Either/Or is easy to pop in and relax, much more pop-sensible, and less whacky in its structure (both in song structure and the album as a whole); both create that wonderful feeling of calm, however. Rather than use ambitious concepts and vague yet followable imagery to seduce the listener into a fog, Smith relies on smart, concise songs whose simplicity makes it all the more endearing. Simply put, its complexity is much more subtle, and that adds to its effectiveness.
Overall, it's difficult to find a flaw with this album, as Elliott Smith was a superb songwriter who crafted something that could almost be seen as a masterpiece. I could see just about anyone, from the most pretentious of progressive musicians to the folks who only listen to top 40 radio, enjoying this album (and Elliott Smith's other albums). Sadly, Smith suffered from substance abuse, paranoia, and depression for a while and died when it seemed he was going to make a comeback...but he left us with several outstanding albums, and Either/Or is the best example of this.
