false 4871558 1 This book focuses on the genius of Smith's 1998 debut that remains his defining album. Many albums could be cited to support the claim that great suffering yields great art. Elliott Smith's "XO" should not be one of them. Smith's 1998 major label debut defies the 'tortured singer-songwriter' stereotype and takes up this defiance as a central theme. At a time when Smith was being groomed for a particular (and particularly condescending) brand of stardom, he produced a record that eviscerated one of the central assumptions of singer-songwriters: that pain is beautiful. Indeed, "XO" insists that romanticizing personal tragedy can only leave you 'deaf and dumb and done'. It backs up this claim with some of the most artful and intelligent music of its day. While these themes permeate "XO", the record hardly registers like a thesis statement. The album's title cleverly reflects one of its central concerns - the difference between how we present ourselves and the damage we do through such self-denial. It's simple lyrical phrasing and characteristically hesitant vocal delivery have led many to overlook how mean, witty and incisive XO is. It is the product of an artist who could never quite shake off the stigma of his early work. Matthew LeMay writes an original take on a widely beloved album, steering clear of the sensationalist suicide angles that have dogged most analysis of Elliott Smith's extraordinary work. "33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike. 4936906 15 3 2009 Elliott Smith's XO (33 1/3) total:31|5:5|4:7|3:13|2:6|1:0| 31 104 57 7 3 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 11:49:13 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 11:53:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 08:28:01 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 08:11:10 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 16:45:26 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 16:46:59 -0700 2009 1 2 0 false false Tue Nov 10 12:55:12 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 12:55:48 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Aug 11 22:13:36 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 22:13:51 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Aug 10 22:18:44 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 22:19:37 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Sep 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 16:07:16 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 10:10:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Nov 09 13:45:41 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 13:45:41 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 04 09:10:08 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 09:10:08 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 28 21:03:09 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 21:03:09 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Oct 25 15:59:11 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 15:59:11 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 19 19:34:35 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 19:34:35 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 18 09:43:52 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 09:43:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 12 08:37:45 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 08:37:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 12 04:00:38 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 04:00:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 07 19:05:18 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 19:05:18 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Sep 27 12:44:33 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 12:44:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 16 13:14:46 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 13:14:46 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 12 20:18:06 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 20:18:12 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Sep 03 02:54:53 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 02:54:53 -0700 2009