I’ve been a fan of Elliott Smith for about 4 or 5 years. His voice had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his “whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery” and use of multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.
The first album I heard was Either/Or and it was an instant favourite. I also love Figure 8. I’ve decided that when my money has loaded onto my visa debit card I’ll be buying the Elliott Smith photography book. I saw it in a shop in Auckland once, and I loved the photography in it but I didn’t have the money at the time to get it.

“Elliott Smith’s intensely intimate music and open-hearted, Beatlesque pop songs have left a deep mark on a generation of fans and musicians in the wake of his tragic death in 2003. In Autumn de Wilde’s remarkable photographs and conversations with close friends, family, and musicians he inspired, this is the first and only portrait of the beloved and troubled singer/songwriter by those who knew him well. Complementing de Wilde’s riveting, personal images are ephemera, handwritten lyrics, and revealing talks with Smith’s inner circle, many speaking here for the first time. Also included are a foreword by Beck Hansen and Chris Walla, and a live CD of unreleased solo acoustic performances.” (text from Chronicle Books)

Elliott Smith died on October 21, 2003, at age 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. While Smith’s death was originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of possible homicide. A possible suicide note, written on a Post-it, read, “I’m so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me.”