Elliott Smith's landmark Either/Or expanded with extras! Widely regarded as the singer-songwriter's best album, Either/Or continues to be his most popular as well. To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary Kill Rock Stars has remastered the album from the original tapes and included additional recordings from around the time of the album's release. 1997 marked a turning point in Smith's career, his music was featured prominently in Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting soundtrack, which led to the singer suddenly becoming the Oscar-nominated center of attention. His performance at the Oscars was characteristically nervous but brilliant. It seemed to be a surprising turn of events for both Smith and his fans. 1997 was also the year that Either/Or was released. The album, with the introduction of instruments aside from the singer-songwriter's guitar and voice, serves as a bridge between the lo-fi darkness of Roman Candle and Elliott Smith and the studio sheen of XO and Figure 8. His lyrics are as bleak and dark as ever, but the songs have a certain pop sensibility to them. Either/Or captures Smith's ability to play with that contrast beautifully. The constant push and pull between the dissonant and melodic, dealing with today's disappointment and loneliness knowing that things could change tomorrow. It's no secret that Smith dealt with alcoholism and addiction, but through his music you can see that he was able to experience love as well. Released by Kill Rock Stars on double vinyl with additional live recordings and bonus tracks.

• expanded edition ft. (5) live multitrack recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia, WA in 1997, (3) previously unreleased studio recordings + (1) rare b-side
• maroon colored double vinyl pressing
• indie exclusive
• includes reproduction of the original liner note insert
• limited edition of 1500
• original release year: 1997
• Music Label: Kill Rock Stars 2024

reviewed by Joey Coco 01/2016