for the record

Author: Melissa Marshall

Along with a chill in the air, mid-October also brings the tingle in your spine signifying the rise of witches, goblins and ghosts associated with the falling leaves. While your upcoming midterms may strike your heart with more fear than the supernatural of Halloween, there is still a version of the child left in some of us that still senses the mystery and magic in the autumn air, causing us to quicken our step when crossing College Street on our way back from the library at midnight. Despite the discerning mind my education is supposed to cultivate, I still believe in ghosts. And apparently not just murder victims come back from the dead with unfinished business - musicians do as well.

When I read that Elliot Smith was releasing his second posthumous album, my first response was skepticism. The first appearance of his ghost wandering around the CD racks took the form of From a Basement on the Hill - an album that lacked the heart-rending passion of the canonized Self Titled and Either/Or. Granted, Smith's songs were never the life of the party (the most common criticism of the Portland songwriter is that listening to his songs will lead fans to the same fate as the albums' composer), but with the exception of "Twilight," "Let's Get Lost" and "A Passing Feeling," most of the tracks on Basement should have remained buried in obscurity. Still, in devotion to the memory of perhaps one of the greatest acoustic artists of our generation, I paid my respects and fifteen dollars for the two-disc New Moon.

Released by Kill Rock Stars almost four years after his October 21st suicide, New Moon is a thorough and trembling monument to the troubled troubadour. A collection of songs recorded between the Self-Titled (1994) and Either/Or (1997) sessions, the double-disc compilation showcases Smith at his best - and unlike the Basement recordings, these tracks are about as polished as he gets, and play less like B-sides and more like apologetic afterthoughts. And even though New Moon suffers from the same stigma as other Smith releases in its tendency to run together - it is often difficult to distinguish one track from the next - this merely adds to a sense of nostalgic continuity.

Disc One features an assortment of standout tracks, including the memorably melancholy "Angel in the Snow," a song sung in Smith's typical clear vocal approach laid over the steady strumming of his guitar as simple as a heartbeat. "Talking to Mary" is a testament to the insecure indie hero's blue-collar storytelling style while "Looking Over My Shoulder" offers a captivatingly catchy hook. But perhaps the two greatest draws of the first disc is an early version of "Miss Misery" - the Academy Award nominated track from The Good Will Hunting Soundtrack that launched Smith somewhat unwillingly into the spotlight- and the concert favorite cover of "Thirteen" by Big Star. And while Disc Two pales in comparison to the intricacies of its predecessor, the intoxicating indignation of "Georgia, Georgia," the alternate version of "Pretty Mary K" and the mournful closer "Half Right" makes listening to the album from start to finish a necessity and a feasible feat as most tracks hover around the three-minute mark.

Despite its title, New Moon adds to the fullness of Elliot Smith's stunning and haunting career. Listening to the album's disconsolate discourse, harrowing honesty and apologetic acoustics, I am reminded that not all ghosts are vengeful. Some return to bring comfort and condolence.