Dead or alive, there is only really room in this world for one Elliott Smith. Yes, he was brilliant, and yes he's not going to be making anymore albums, but that doesn't mean we need the Boy Omegas of the world to step in and try to fill the void. That said, Butcher the Bar's Joel Nicholson does bring his own vibe to the Elliott table, recontextualing Smith's familiar whispery vocal sound and melodies on top of a more folksy instrumentation including banjos, acoustic guitars and harmonicas.
So although it would be nice if he would continue to pursue his own voice, this ends up a pretty good album anyway thanks to the rootsy feel and some exquisite pretty parts like the falsetto vocals on Gumble. You Know Everything shifts influences - this time borrowing heavily from the Nick Drake school of guitar. Pretty but unoriginal. Man this guy needs to find his own sound! Opening Night may be the highest point on the record - beautiful fingerpicked guitars, a gorgeous banjo harmony part and vocals mixed real low so the Elliott Smithness gets lost in the mix a bit. A very nice electric guitar solo really seals the deal.
If you're a huge Elliott Smith fan you should probably check this out. If not, maybe wait for future records - maybe Nicholson will find his own sound - which would be cool because he shows a lot of promise. You can't help but wonder though how records like this get released on big labels like Morr when there are scads of brilliant and highly unoriginal musicians toiling away in obscurity - note to labels - if you're having trouble finding original artists looking for a break - get in touch - I can put you in touch with oodles of them.
