Music Mondays: Elliott Smith

I am a big fan of Elliott Smith's work. I don't typically write while listening to it, because while his work is beautiful, it's also very, very sad. And it's not really the head-space I like to be in, particularly if I'm writing romance.

But since it's been rainy, and then cold, for the past several days, Elliott Smith has seemed appropriate. And I've re-discovered his early stuff as a result. I was introduced to Elliott Smith's second-to-last album first. Figure 8 is a wonderful album, and it is still pretty much my favorite of his albums. But I'm going to talk about Elliott Smith, his second album. He was still pretty much sticking with plain vocals and guitar at this point in his career.

What I have somehow managed to forget is that he's such a skilled guitarist. Seriously.

This song, Satellite, is best listened to with headphones, I find; you can hear how intricately he combines the strumming and picking. It's a truly beautiful song, and I try and make everyone listen to it at least once.

So now it's your turn!

In other news, I have already sold a half-dozen copies of Striking a Chord in pre-orders, which is absurdly exciting. If any of my dear readers bought copies already, I want to thank you.

xoxo

Mary K.