XO XO XO

[February 1st, 2006] Almost two and a half years after his death, Elliott Smith is still missed in the world of music, his role of the troubled troubadour yet to be filled by another. In his hometown of Portland, his voice can be heard in the music of many young musicians, their jaws clenched to affect a Smith-like tension they could never possess. Some of those musicians, along with others on whom Smith had a more tenuous effect, chose a Smith song to cover in honor of the fallen musician for the tribute compilation To: Elliott From: Portland. WW spoke with a number of these artists and listened closely to each song, and what we found was 15 different ways to look at one of Portland's greatest musicians.

The Decemberists perform "Clementine" from Elliott Smith

From the blustering harmonica that opens this cover through its leisurely campfire strum to its bleating eruption that the song's object of affection "just didn't say so," this version of "Clementine" is a completely different beast. With the Decemberists' Colin Meloy at the helm, the understated barroom blues ballad takes on a dramatic air, turning a phrase like "dreadful sorry, Clementine" into a caricature of sorrow, rather than the slice of bleak realism that Smith gave life to. The song still works, though, as a rousing ballad, and a testament to both the flexibility of Smith's words and the value of his delivery.

Helio Sequence performs "Satellite" from Elliott Smith

Helio Sequence could have easily picked one of Smith's more upbeat tracks from the poppier album Figure 8, certainly a better fit for the guitar-driven electropop duo. Instead, the band chose "Satellite" off Smith's more despondent self-titled album. Frontman Brandon Summers described the song as an anomaly, the one Elliott Smith song that was "at rest with the world" rather than "pushing forward into darkness." It's a faithful cover, with Summers playing acoustic guitar and singing Smith's lyrics with his own bedtime vocals, adding only a subtle synth progression underneath.

Dolorean performs "The Biggest Lie" from Elliott Smith

Dolorean took one of Smith's most elementary songs and arranged it to include drums, two guitars, bass and a vibraphone, while still trying to "stay true to the isolation of the original." Founder and vocalist Al James explained that Smith's biggest imprint on Dolorean was simply in turning the focus away from the band, proving "that all you needed was a voice and a song." Dolorean's version reinforces that point, adding brushes, melody and twang to the sparse guitar-vocal arrangement without forcing out the song's soul.

The Thermals perform "Ballad of Big Nothing" from Either/Or

The Thermals go all out for their cover, even recording at the same studio (Jackpot) with the same engineer Smith did (Joanna Bolme). The reenactment overwhelmed Thermals vocalist Hutch Harris, who chose not to sing the song, saying, "it was too much for me." Fortunately Kathy Foster stepped in, her voice better able to mimic Smith's. She sounds more distant and shielded, but the resemblance is remarkable and the rendition is actually catchier.

Swords perform "I Didn't Understand" from XO

According to keyboardist and programmer Evan Railton, one of the things Swords members admire about Elliott Smith is that "he was so good at fully realizing a song's potential." Thus, they chose "I Didn't Understand," a song that was originally done a cappella, because it was something they could add their "own vision to because it was so wide open." That "vision" includes rearranging the harmonies for organ and slowing the pace of the song to make it seem eerie. The lead vocals are buried within the organ and cymbals, which, though generally pretty distracting, Railton explains was an intentional move to make the song seem like "one thought and emotion."

Amelia performs "Between the Bars" from Either/Or

Amelia easily applied its soulful, country-tinged jazz-pop to "Between the Bars." "We don't shy away from a little melancholy," says guitarist Scott Weddle, who added that the song "fits within what we see as our aesthetic." Does it ever: Amelia's take on what the band describes as a "beautiful, perfect song" is almost as haunting as the original. Weddle's bright, jazzy guitar perfectly melds with Teisha Helgerson's sultry voice, delivering the song's heartbreaking lyrics over a melody that manages to retain the original's gloominess.

Sexton Blake performs "Rose Parade" from Either/Or

"Tribute albums suck in general," says Sexton Blake's Josh Hodges, adding that attempting to understand and replicate the emotional connection an artist has to his song is a task bound for failure. "I chose 'Rose Parade' because it's one of the less emotional songs," says Hodges. "I didn't feel as funny singing something that wasn't so personal to him." Sexton Blake's version of this bleary-eyed take on Portland's annual floral flotilla, delivered in Hodges' breathy whisper, is a near match, exuding a muted tension and sense of marvel that Smith nails in his version. "I was obviously nervous because Elliott Smith is probably the only person I idolize," Hodges says. "Him and Stevie Wonder, for very different reasons."

Eric Matthews performs "Needle in the Hay" from Elliott Smith

Eric Matthews' dark, electric version of "Needle in the Hay" is filled with crunchy, distorted guitar and crash-heavy drums that give way to an out-of-place, Bacharach-esque horn composition midway through the track and a lush, orchestral conclusion. Matthews actually played with Smith on an early, unused version of the song that he thought would go on the songwriter's self-titled album. "I put it on the day it came out, and called Tony [Lash] and said, 'What happened to the trumpets?'" While Matthews has a hard time relating to the song's "bad, street-junkie vibe," he says Smith's songwriting still shines. "I think it's great that he put that level of honesty, that confessional tone into his songs."

We Are Telephone performs "Division Day" from the "Division Day"/"No Name #6" 7-inch

Recorded with a full band in the midst of Smith's major-label ascension, the original "Division Day" lies just at the pop fringe, at least in comparison with We Are Telephone's nearly danceable cover, a definite tweak in spirit, if not in composition. The band has isolated and elevated the song's every element, unbraiding what was originally a soft, subtle arrangement. Instead, we have a hard percussive introduction, followed by heavy rock guitar, and then the entry of Eric Hedford's vocals, confident and cocky—two things Smith definitely was not.

Crosstide performs "Angeles" from Either/Or

Despite swapping the original's acoustic guitar for a wash of late-'90s-sounding, pseudo-futuristic synth and drum machine, Crosstide vocalist Bret Vogel contends, "At least to me, the songs don't sound that different." He explains that it was his band's aim to preserve "a vibe and a melody" from a song that "had given [them] all goosebumps." Although the intro may be a little off-putting, the vocal melody is indeed interpreted with accuracy and honesty, and the choruses of the song, marked by shimmering cymbals and "uh-huh" backing vocals, truly capture—perhaps even intensify—the "vibe" of the original tune.

Jeff Trott performs "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud" from Figure 8

"Initially the melody drew me in," Jeff Trott says about his choice of Smith song. "It wasn't until I started transcribing [it] that I realized what an amazing lyricist Elliott was." Trott, who once was Sheryl Crow's primary songwriter, has created a version of "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud" that is cleaner and slightly electronic, differing from the straightforward rock arrangement of the original with its bubbly underbelly. But the dark, pulsing guitar Trott employs on the bridge brings a darker tone back into play. He describes the sound of Smith's voice as "trying to reach through the speakers and make a confession."

Knock-Knock performs "Speed Trials" from Either/Or

Knock-Knock's cover of is breathy and breakbeat-laced, the vocal melody distilled and presented as the backbone of the track while swirling synths splash lightly in the space around it. Not until the last quarter of the song is its secret tone broken and the space filled with some sparse banjo picking and vibes. As with so many of these songs, hearing Smith's vocals delivered by someone else brings a new clarity to the lyrics and increases the listener's sneaking suspicion that his tunes were almost exclusively written about himself in the second person.

To Live & Die in L.A. performs "King's Crossing" from From a Basement on the Hill

"It's a really uncomfortable song," explains To Live & Die in L.A. singer-guitarist Jake Portrait of "King's Crossing." "I just wanted to have a personal experience with it." The band's version doesn't stray very far from the original, save for a few electro-blips and a deliberate repetition of the line "Give me one good reason not to do it." The band—whose name is inspired in part by Smith's life—made a point of that particular lyric because, "When he'd sing it live, his friends would be on the edge of the stage and they'd yell, 'Because we love you.'"

Lifesavas perform "Happiness" from Figure 8

Lifesavas' hip-hop version of "Happiness" is, by far, the largest departure from Smith's original on the compilation. The track does feature Bret Vogel of Crosstide singing Smith's original words over a synth melody. But then Lifesavas MCs Jumbo and Vursatyl drop their own lyrical commentary between the verses, adding a new twist to Smith's original storyline. "I wanted to give it quirkiness," Jumbo says. Vursatyl concludes his verse with life-affirming lyrics: "Breathe/ In birth and in death/ And with every breath no regrets." "We thought that's what he would have wanted to be said in the song," Jumbo says. "along with what was already written."

Sean Croghan performs the previously unreleased "High Times"

"When I was digging through a bunch of my old stuff after he died, I found a copy of this song," says Sean Croghan about "High Times," an older Smith track that was never properly released. "This seemed to me like such a Portland song." "High Times" was written before Smith started using heroin, but its foreshadowing is eerie in lines like "I'm so sick and tired tryin' to change your mind/ When it's so easy to disconnect mine." Croghan, whose lack of vocal prowess is redeemed by his penchant for dramatics, chose his arrangement of the song to suit his strengths, creating a discordant and simply uncomfortable song. "I just wanted to make it as tense as possible," he says, "creating the sense of a dreadful end."