#97...

Elliott Smith - Either/Or

The fragility of this man's voice on opener "Speed Trials" makes me immediately want to see him live, rasping and whispering the vocals, holding the note on the eponymous lyric so well for a man that sounds like he's hiding under his bed from the big bad wolf as he records. But seeing him live won't happen. The despair and sadness that is evident throughout the album, along with depression, drugs, booze and all of the above's respective descending spirals took him instead.

This, Smith's third of five (or six, if you're counted for releasing something when you're dead) albums, is a triumph. The aforementioned 'softly softly' approach with his voice appears to grow in strength throughout the thirteen songs, particularly on "No Name No. 5" and "Angeles". And "Rose Parade", for all the lethargy in his voice, is quite a little treat too. Another highlight for me is "Cupid's Trick", where the listener is given an electric break and repetitive solo notes that even The Edge would be proud of.

Simplistic drums added purely for a depth to the songs, along with Smith's elegant use of folky guitar and that unforgettable voice - somewhere between Iron & Wine's Sam Beam and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst - Either/Or is a testament to a drug-addled, alcohol-fuelled depression. RIP, Mr. Smith.

Key Tracks: "Speed Trials"; "Rose Parade"; "2:45AM"; "Angeles"; "Cupid's Trick"

Either/Or: A Fragment of Life: Smith named the album after a book by the same name, written by Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher. In this book, Kierkegaard speaks of two life views: one ethical, and one aesthetic; Elliott Smith was concerned with the struggle between the two. An apt title, some might say.