Saviors of the Race
A few years ago, I didn't like John Mayer, Norah Jones, Elliott Smith, and Ben Folds. Nowadays, they're the only ones I do like, and in the case of Smith, the only one who I think could've changed the world if not for his early death.
Now I'm fans of all of them. They redeemed themselves, I guess. Norah Jones seems to be cool if you ignore some of the deliberate pleasing-the-masses direction some of her songs seem to go. John Mayer's last album is truly a great addition to his pretty mediocre repertoir, excluding some of his singles, which have got to be some of my guilty pop pleasures. The only thing I had liked about Ben Folds was his Ben Folds Five's Brick. Now you can't stop the guy.
Then there's Elliott Smith. This guy can't make a bad piece of music. I disliked him after hearing he got an oscar nomination for Miss Misery, a song I considered far overrated, even if I'd barely heard of it. Come on, I was young. Anyway, that became a favorite, as well as a hell of a lot of his other songs, and he's probably one of my favorite artists now. So today, I've been hearing a lot of him. He's really great. Go get some songs, a few recommendations: A Passing Feeling, Miss Misery, Angeles, Memory Lane, and Don't Go Down. Of course, I haven't even heard two of his albums. Looks like I have something to buy this week.
hitthefloor said,
3 July, 2006 at 12:45 pm
I know what you mean. I remember strictly listening to the rock station and never touching an album with a ‘mainstream’ tag on it. Now I listen to Elliott Smith, Gregory and the Hawk, Bright Eyes, Evan Greer, and plenty more soft/jazz/acoustic artists quite frequently and more consistantly than any other genre I enjoy.
Also Between the Bars and I’d Better Be Quiet Now are some very excellent Smith songs, the first being my favorite.
Cheers!