Elliott Smith (1969–2003) was an American singer-songwriter who came out of Portland's Heatmiser before perfecting his hushed, multitracked solo sound. Either/Or (1997) is the classic, and XO (1998) expands the arrangements without losing the intimacy — start with either. Find Elliott Smith vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Steven Paul Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska on August 6, 1969 and raised in Portland, Oregon and Dallas, Texas. He launched his music career with the Portland-based indie rock band Heatmiser (1991-1998) before pursuing solo work. His early solo albums on Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars established his template - intimate, hushed acoustic recordings with multitracked vocal harmonies. His song Miss Misery (from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack) earned him a 1998 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. He signed with DreamWorks for XO (1998) and Figure 8 (2000), expanding his arrangements while retaining his songwriting voice. He died on October 21, 2003 in Los Angeles from two stab wounds to the chest; the death was ruled as possible suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner, though it remains controversial. His final album From a Basement on the Hill was completed posthumously and released in 2004.
Elliott Smith's sound combines indie rock, indie folk, singer-songwriter, and lo-fi indie traditions with intricate Beatles-influenced melodic songwriting, intimate vocal performance, and multitracked acoustic guitar arrangements. His work is widely cited as a defining influence on early-2000s and contemporary indie singer-songwriter traditions.
Original Kill Rock Stars and DreamWorks pressings of the Elliott Smith catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions including the Either/Or expanded edition and Domino's reissue program have been released.
Listeners new to Elliott Smith typically start with Either/Or (1997) or XO (1998).
