CD Review: Elliott Smith's New Moon

Since allegedly stabbing himself twice in the chest in October 2003, two albums have been released under Elliott Smith’s name. The first was From a Basement on the Hill, completed posthumously to mostly favorable reviews. This is the second.

New Moon is the two-disc compilation of rarities and outtakes from 1994-1997, the years between his self-titled album and Either/Or. Everything here is typical Smith fare--acoustic ballads of depression, lost love and frustration with women. The album doesn’t work toward anything in particular other than a tribute to Smith, but New Moon reminds us of the artist’s essential humanity that got a little forgotten in all his surrounding hype.

The focus between the two discs seems scattered, but for good reason--what else can you expect from a motley crew of outtakes lifted from two albums, as well as unreleased versions of famous songs? Tracks like the quick and folky “Big Decision” don’t quite balance out the abundance of slower, morose ones like “New Disaster,” where Smith’s voice is so soft you can hardly make it out over the guitar. Both those tracks can be found on the second disc, which is arguably the weaker of the two, if only because the first has both a more consistent sound and also “Looking Over My Shoulder” and “Riot Coming”--two of the album’s gems.

One of the real treasures for Smith fans here is the early version of “Miss Misery,” with a much dirtier, unpolished sound featuring nothing but Smith and his guitar. There’s something devastatingly beautiful about hearing the man’s solemn voice sing the lyrics without the other distractingly indulgent instruments and the tweaked vocals: “I know you’d rather see me gone/ Than to see me the way that I am/ But I am in the life anyway.”

Not only is that rawness what caused so many to fall in love with Elliott Smith to begin with, but it is also what makes us fall back in love on New Moon. Many of the outtakes do not feature outside musicians, and the result is a medley of poetry that can break your heart if you’re enough of a fan. There’s something bitterly ironic in Smith’s words on the second-to-last track, “See You Later”: “Let me show you how much I care/ See you later/ If I see you at all.”

Well, see you later, Elliott--if we see you at all.

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