Album Review: Elliott Smith – An Introduction to…Elliott Smith

by Jenna Corderoy

Thursday November 11 2010, 12:20pm

It’s been seven years since the passing of American indie folk singer Elliott Smith: a gifted yet tormented songwriter best known for providing the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting. Citing Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles as his inspiration, this album is a crafted collection of Smith’s works that encourages the unfamiliar listener to explore his influential music.

‘Ballad of Big Nothing’ sets the melancholic tone for Smith’s whispered, brooding ‘Alameda’ with its beautiful multi-tracked harmonies. Intimate lyrics wrecked by personal demons, the angst-filled ‘Needle in the Hay’ and the raw ‘Last Call’ are perhaps the most heart-wrenching tracks of the album. Finishing with the uplifting ‘Happiness’, this is an understated compilation album that fully deserves your time and appreciation.

Support Varsity

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!