Pitchfork

We all miss Elliott Smith; turns out he's still taking care of us from the great beyond. Recently, four much-discussed but previously unreleased Smith demos-- believed to be among as many as 50 from the From a Basement on the Hill recording sessions-- surfaced on various message boards. Check out these four tunes (and many, many other rarities) on the fabulous, fan-run Elliott Smith: B-Sides & Other Songs website here.

Typical of the man's oeuvre, "Let's Turn the Record Over" features Smith lamenting over steady acoustic strum and little else. "Talking to Mary" is similar, but features more elaborate guitarwork and songcraft, with a poignant outro: "One day she'll go/ I told you so." Meanwhile, "From a Poisoned Well", the relative rocker of the bunch, utilizes a full band sound-- drums, guitar interplay, backing vocal harmonies, and all.

The highlight here, however, is "True Love", a gorgeously arranged (allegedly by Jon Brion) and deeply melancholy musing over strings and warbling organ, full of touching melodic twists. I'm by no means a Smith superfan, but this is easily one of the best things I've ever heard from him.

Sadly, "True Love" features Smith delivering more morose lines that come across viscerally ominous in hindsight: "All I need is a safe place to bleed/ Is this where it's at?" and "I feel cold, useless, and old/ I wish I was no one" hit particularly hard.

Just the same, Smith had a knack for capturing simple joys in a manner as straightforward-- yet no less profound-- as his miseries: here, we get "True love, man it just can't be beat." That pretty much says it all.

The ghosts of certain deceased musicians (and more importantly, those profiting from their legacies) need to give it a rest already, but something tells me we'll always welcome posthumous material from Elliott Smith.