New Moon (Elliott Smith album)

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New Moon
New Moon (Elliott Smith album) cover.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedMay 8, 2007
Recorded1994–1997
Genre
Length73:18
Label Kill Rock Stars
Producer
Elliott Smith chronology
From a Basement on the Hill
(2004)
New Moon
(2007)
An Introduction to... Elliott Smith
(2010)

New Moon is a posthumous compilation album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, released on May 8, 2007 by Kill Rock Stars. It contains twenty-four previously unreleased songs, most recorded between 1994 and 1997 during the sessions for Smith's albums Elliott Smith and Either/Or .

Contents

The album was well received by critics and reached number 24 in the US Billboard chart, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week.

Background

In August 2006, an "excited" employee at Kill Rock Stars made a post on the label's official website stating that an extended version of Either/Or would be released in 2006 to commemorate the record's tenth anniversary. This information was quickly pulled from the website, as the album was in very early planning stages. Eventually, Kill Rock Stars announced that Either/Or: Extended Edition (as it was to be called) had been scrapped in favor of a rarities and unreleased music compilation from Smith's time at the label. [1]

Mixing for the album was done by Larry Crane, the archivist for Smith's estate. [2] The album cover was created by Portland, Oregon artist Mike King, who has produced work for numerous other musicians.

Track information

The selections on New Moon are primarily taken from the sessions of Elliott Smith and Either/Or , with some tracks culled from early XO sessions, and a 1996 radio session.

For the Either/Or record, Smith recorded a song entitled "Pretty Mary K", which is featured on this set. However, after scrapping this song, Smith used the title "Pretty Mary K" for a different song on his Figure 8 album. Later, while recording From a Basement on the Hill , Smith recorded a new version of the former song under the title "Everything's OK". Thus, "Pretty Mary K (Other Version)" on the New Moon set is essentially an early version of "Everything's OK". The original versions of the tracks "See You Later" and "Half Right" are both on the album Mic City Sons by Heatmiser, Smith's old band.

Release

New Moon reached number 16 in the US chart. It sold around 24,000 copies in its first week. [3]

It was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 30,000 copies throughout Europe. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 85/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The A.V. Club A [7]
Entertainment Weekly A [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME 7/10 [11]
Pitchfork 8.7/10 [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [15]

New Moon was very well received by critics. [5]

AllMusic wrote, "New Moon [showcases] Smith at his most instinctive and natural". [6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Elliott Smith, except as noted

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Angel in the Snow" 2:39
2."Talking to Mary" 3:44
3."High Times" 3:13
4."New Monkey" 3:14
5."Looking Over My Shoulder" 3:41
6."Going Nowhere" 3:53
7."Riot Coming" 3:45
8."All Cleaned Out" 2:59
9."First Timer" 2:44
10."Go By" 3:48
11."Miss Misery" (Early version) 2:58
12."Thirteen" (Big Star cover) Chris Bell, Alex Chilton 2:43
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Georgia, Georgia" 1:48
2."Whatever (Folk Song in C)" 2:19
3."Big Decision" 2:02
4."Placeholder" 2:32
5."New Disaster" 4:12
6."Seen How Things Are Hard" 3:23
7."Fear City" 3:31
8."Either/Or" 2:29
9."Pretty Mary K (Other Version)" 3:26
10."Almost Over" 2:13
11."See You Later"Neil Gust, Elliott Smith2:56
12."Half Right"Neil Gust, Elliott Smith3:50

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References

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