From To: Elliott / From: Portland
Finally got my hands on that Elliott Smith tribute we were talking about and it's excellent. Sad and beautiful. Never heard Crosstide before, but a good way to get my attention is to cover one of my favorite Elliott songs.
Crosstide - "Angeles" (MP3 Link Expired)
The album will be released 2/7 on Expunged Records, a label so indie we can't find its URL.
Decemberists, Helio Sequence and the Thermals also contribute tracks. (Thermals' "Ballad Of Big Nothing" was recorded by Elliott's ex-girlfriend Joanna Boime).
Posted at 7:12 PM in MP3
A good way to get me to hate Crosstide is to cover one of my fave Elliott Smith songs.
I hope no one covers No Name #3.
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hold on. hold on. hold on.
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This cover sucks. The synth takes away all of the subtle resolve of the original. Elliot Smith did petulant brilliantly, but this singer sounds like a whiny douchebag. Elliot's dead, fer chrissakes. Vultures!
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yeah, i am debating wether or not this album is appropriate.
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Wow, I guess Joanna Bolme hadn't exploited his memory enough with From A Basement On The Hill.
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I agree, pretty sucky. The guy's voice is utterly forgettable.
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yeah, I got the tribute and was sort of disgusted at some of the songs. I though most of the song's integrity were destroyed.
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ugh as Elliott's biggest fan, it's really hard to listen to this, mostly cause it's crappy and the electro shit in the background is so cheesy and makes the song way lame. sorry elliott
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Hey, I'm in Crosstide and the synth is what makes the piece. It's what 'Angeles' needed anyway, more synth. I was also so deeply emotional about my band's obscurity when I sang this bit so like, whatever, it's real.
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Note: I am not really in Crosstide, but I am deeply emotional about synth.
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I'm at little amazed at what I consider a somewhat bizarre argument--he's dead, so no one can cover his songs?
I submit that you actually want people to do that. That's how you keep an artist alive, and fresh. I'd heard roughly one or two Woody Guthrie songs--and only at Bible camp or something--until Billy Bragg and Wilco started digging up his catalog.
Hearing the Mermaid Avenue records suddenly made Woody Guthrie real to me--a wonderful, funny, and pretty contemporary songwriter. On the same note, while it's so away from something I'd ever listen to, Eric Clapton doing a series of covers of Robert Johnson makes me happy, as a Delta blues fan and as a Mississippian, that his music still lives.
I don't think this album is going to win any new fans for Mr. Smith. But we want people to keep trying to play his songs, and yes, interpret them in different ways. When the harpsichord fad of 2026 hits, I want the Plink-Plonk (the most famed of all harpischord bands) to cover "Alameda," even though that's my favorite song, and I'll hate their version.
But, somebody out there will go back to the source, and that's worth it all.
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I don't think Expunged has a website. Besides the tribute CD, they only have one release. It's from Josh Hodges, who is now in Sexton Blake. I don't know what you think of their cover of Rose Parade, but they're really a terrific group...you can listen to their entire album from their website sextonblakemusic.com
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this cover is great. i'm not sure why everyone on it would have to do covers EXACTLY like the originals, that would sort of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? i mean, the lifesavas song? do you people want to hear a rap group do a low-fi 4track cover of Happiness? please.
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You'll like Eric Matthews' track much more.
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Yeah, what the hell is the point of doing exact covers? I like the Crosstide version of Angeles, too. The synth and drum tracks lend to an atmosphere that serves the song well as a song. Ultimately, people are going to be freaky about a project honoring a person who died too young, but they should lighten up a bit. After all, it's just an interpretation of someone else's music. Why get all bent out of shape about it? Should everything written and performed by people who have passed away be preserved in a completely untouched form? How boring! How unoriginal! I don't know about anyone else, but I am looking forward to hearing the record. I am a huge Elliott Smith fan, but I don't feel any "unhealthy" or "stalkerish" need to defend his prior work by leaving it wholly untouched on the record store shelves. If everyone thought like that there would be no jazz and we'd all still be listening to Johnny B. Good over and over again.
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Eric Metronome of the Columbus, Ohio band Tiara is a HUGE Elliott Smith fan and has recorded a number of covers over the years that he has posted on his website.
http://www.ericmetronome.com/es_covers.html
Enjoy.
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more like crossTURD. saw them open for spoon last month and they were the suck
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will they re-release any of his albums with unheard music (like with the pavement reissues)?
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wait til you hear the Lifesavas cover.
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I wouldn't judge this CD based on Crosstide. They are the worst band I have seen live ever. I can't bring myself to download this track, but I can guarantee its bad. They can't even play (seriously) and the guy has a terrible voice. (I saw them open for Spoon by the way).
I have heard The Decemberist's cover of Clementine and it is very good despite the fact that I still can't stand Colin Meloy's voice. But I imagine if you liked him, you'd think it was a very good cover.
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i saw the decemberists the day elliott died, and without making any mention of it, they segued their 'clementine' into his 'clementine' which was sort of neat. not sure if it's worth recording for a record though.
the name 'crosstide' makes me repulsed. it's a good thing they allegedly suck.
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"recording for a record"? jesus, i need to stop drinking.
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this sounds like it should be on fucking jock jams.
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I'm approaching this one from a different angle, so I hope you'll have patience with me.
Obviously some of you are huge Elliott Smith fans. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of seeing Elliott play or meeting him in person. To be honest, I'm one of those anonymous masses who had never heard of Elliott Smith. After finding his music, I've been hugely impressed by his songwriting, a bit less by his recorded performances. On the other hand I am a huge Crosstide fan. I've watched them grow for years from a bunch of angst ridden high school kids to one of Portland's best bands.
This isn't Crosstide's best song and perhaps it's not the best cover of Elliott's work. Perhaps mixing the differing musical styles wasn't the best idea, although bands with different styles can sometimes create incredible reinterpretations. I think I actually prefer Crosstide's musical rendition, but that's my personal background in 80s big rock coming out. Elliott's version is a bit light for me; I guess I'm just not that into acoustic stuff. (Actually the new interpretation isn't all that far from the original, compared to say Johnny Cash's rework of Hurt.)
Let me make one point clear though, it was this song that introduced me to Elliott Smith. The important point is that these are Elliott's songs and songwriting was his craft. I never would have heard any of them if Crosstide hadn't been involved in the project. Similarly fans of the Decemberists, Helio Sequence and the rest will be exposed the Elliott's art, many for the first time.
I think a lot of anti-Crosstide comments here are a bit unfair. At the end of the day, we'll all find that Crosstide isn't another name for Elliott Smith. They're a completely different band in a completely different niche. They did think enough of Elliott's work to offer to work on the tribute and to record a song that they obviously admire. I believe this is the first song they've recorded that wasn't written by members of the band.
I don't think anyone's music should be forgotten. It's a tragedy that Elliott Smith isn't with us. It would be a bigger tragedy to let his music be forgotten, left to die on a dusty record store shelf, while people walk past on their way to the new releases. Anything that exposes people to new, unknown or forgotten artists is a good thing, although it's not always easy for the original fans.
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oh shit. seriously. this is good. sure it may not sound like Elliott Smith, but the fact that some other band can take his song and make it good in their own way is raw. major props.
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i'm a long time elliott smith listener, and in all honesty, i love this version. sure it's not the same, but keep an open mind. i listen to a lot of music, which leads to a number of interpretations of one artists song of another's, so I've gotten used to the twists and turns covers take. I like this a lot. I REALLY love the helio sequence's version of "satellite". it's amazing.
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