Elliott Smith's melancholy acoustics and tortured life are well-known to music fans as varied as sound track listeners and indie junkies. His lyrics, laden with angst yet often stimulated by optimism, are consistently laced with the artist's brilliant musical pieces and airy vocals, creating a distinct fusion that audiences continue to embrace time and time again, evidenced by the success of his two posthumous releases "From a Basement on the Hill" and "New Moon."
Smith's bare strums and characteristically untouched sound are unmistakable. But now that his song-making days are over, what are his fans to do? No one makes music quite like his, simultaneously characterized by an obsession with '60s pop music and yet emphatically un-poppy, as if he could read his fans' journals on their worst days.
Surely, no one wants to replace Smith's music on their play lists, but here are two artists, different from Smith though they may be, that his fans might enjoy.
Like an Elliott Smith with Latin influences and slightly warmer vocals reminiscent of psychedelic folk-rock, Swedish-born José González weaves rhythmic acoustic charm similar to his indie-pop predecessor throughout his 2007 release "In Our Nature," and his 2005 release "Veneer." González's lyrics are every bit as melancholy and brooding as Smith's and as carefully covered with sonorous tapestries that, in their intimacy, genuinely resonate with his audiences.
Just as Smith's fans may have initially encountered him on the sound tracks of "Good Will Hunting" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," González's may recognize him from shows such as "The O.C.," "One Tree Hill," "Scrubs" or "Friday Night Lights."
While just as emotionally personal as Smith, González tends to take on a much fuller sound, and his vocals are never as tissue paper-thin as Smith's characteristic articulations.
Additionally, González's background gives him a different breadth than Smith, and he uses it to construct sonically diverse tracks that ring with hope and natural beauty. González is coming to D.C. this spring, performing at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue March 5. Tickets are $22.
If José González is sonically too lush, or one new quiet indie artist just isn't enough, check out Right Away, Great Captain!, whose haunted, yet slightly hopeful, lyricism garners striking comparisons to Smith. Andy Hull, lead singer of Manchester Orchestra, departs significantly from M.O.'s amped-up guitars and crashing cymbals to deliver a raw, contemplative tone in "The Bitter End," his 2006 release under the Right Away, Great Captain! moniker.
This poignant debut album envisages an imaginary 17th century journey on the high seas, deriving its reverberating loneliness from a sailor's anxiety over three years of his voyage's looming isolation, though part of the album's disquieting serenity may have resulted from the manner in which it was recorded - a brief three days spent tucked away in a log cabin in Virginia. The recording's simple yet charming acoustic arrangements form an arresting synthesis with the alluring story told through Hull's fragile croon, and the singer manages to make the far-flung tale acutely relatable, even for those comfortably standing with their feet on dry ground.
Though Hull's melodies may depart from Smith's musical style, RAGC!'s quiet intensity will find a home in the hearts of many of Smith's devotees. You can catch Andy Hull in his mother project Manchester Orchestra when the band hits Towson, Md., March 30 at the Recher Theater.
