I've been less than kind to Mr. Elliott Smith in this blog. In fact, in my review of Figure 8, I was pretty much a complete asshole. In hindsight, this makes perfect sense, because Figure 8 is a shit album.
I went overboard, however, in my total dismissal of Elliott Smith, and essentially any dead singer-songwriter who wasn't Nick Drake. I was blinded by my hatred for the album, I overreacted, and I was wrong. Because I listened to New Moon today, and not only was it enjoyable, it was downright great.
I had no idea what this album was when I listened to it--I just thought it was a normal double-album, albeit one with a unusually stripped-down, raw style. Turns out, this is a posthumous release, a bunch of leftover tracks from old sessions thrown together into a double-album. Which is truly remarkable.
New Moon is clear evidence that Elliott Smith had more talent than the vast, vast majority of singer-songwriters in the world. It nearly places him on Nick Drake's level (though no one will touch him, in my opinion). The sheer amount of brilliant songs that were left off his albums his simply overwhelming. As a document of his talent, it's wonderful. But even on its own, as a normal part of his catalog, it's still amazing.
New Moon showcases Elliott Smith at his best: just him, a guitar, and a microphone, for the vast majority of the tracks. Some of the sparser arrangements on the album still do him justice, but for the most part, his style simply isn't well-suited to loaded arrangements. (This is probably why I hated Figure 8 so damn much.) There's a haunting element to his music that appears when his music is left at its most basic. Now that I know this was a posthumous album, this clearly wasn't a mistake: the production gives Elliott's vocals an ethereal quality, and the songs themselves seem to be floating in an empty void, buoyed only by his words.
That being said, I still believe Elliott Smith is somewhat overrated, and most of his fame is still due to his untimely death, but this album has definitely risen his stock. He was an undoubtedly talented songwriter, and the demons that tormented him are plain to see throughout New Moon. I'm glad I had the chance to listen to this album without knowing its origins, as it gave me a chance to view them as songs in themselves, and not as statements on his death. But I'll definitely be giving this one another listen to get that version of the album too.
