Smith was particular about these (and other) elements. It's impossible to fully inhabit an Elliott Smith song without attending to the tiny stuff at the circuit-board level - structures that veer from pop templates in clever ways chord sequences steeped in a warm bath of melancholy that transcends language melodies that weave teenage yearning and an elder's hard-won wisdom into the same beautiful, troubled breath. Over the years, many earnest interpretations of Smith's songs have surfaced, and while they diverge stylistically, they all share one key trait: respect for the precise detail Smith brought to his craft. His songs deserve to become "standards" of a sort, studied by future generations, enduring while the songs of more famous contemporaries fade. And, though he'd attracted some attention (including an Oscar nomination for "Miss Misery," from Good Will Hunting), it was already clear that his work would only grow in significance over time. This was, after all, the most erudite, sophisticated songwriter of his generation. Listening to the hushed, elegantly spare Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith, I found myself transported back to the period right after Smith died, of apparently self-inflicted stab wounds, in 2003.Įven knowing Smith's general state - he'd struggled with depression, as well as alcohol and drug dependence - the news hit hard. On other days, you have to tell people that an artist you've followed and respected for years is no longer living. Working as a music journalist means that some days you get to tell people, in breathless prose, about an incredible new record you've discovered.