Elliott Smith will return to indie world for new album

ROSS RAIHALA

Originally published Friday, January 18, 2002

Elliott Smith is independent once again.

According to a Rolling Stone news item last week, the Portland-based singer/songwriter will release his next album, "From the Basement on the Hill," on the independent label of his choice, not DreamWorks, the major label that was home to his past two efforts.

Smith has yet to settle on just which indie label with which he'll work. His publicist said there was no news to share as of yet. And if Olympia's Kill Rock Stars, Smith's one-time home, knows anything, they're not sharing.

The official announcement followed months of online speculation that DreamWorks had, in fact, dropped Smith completely from its roster. But, according to Rolling Stone, "at the conclusion of the cycle for his next album, Smith is expected to return to (DreamWorks)."

Whatever happens, "From the Basement on the Hill" will prove to be an important career move for the 32-year-old Smith, who briefly entered the mainstream's consciousness when fellow Portlander Gus Van Sant used his music in "Good Will Hunting" and earned Smith an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Song" in the process.

Smith began his musical career in the band Heatmiser, alongside Sam Coomes, who was then married to drummer Janet Weiss. (The couple later divorced but still perform together as Quasi. And, of course, Weiss also is the drummer for Sleater-Kinney.)

But during Heatmiser's run, Smith began recording quiet, acoustic songs on his own. Cavity Search released Smith's 1994 solo debut, while Olympia's Kill Rock Stars went on to put out Smith's next two records, "Elliott Smith" and "Either/Or."

Heatmiser eventually broke up for good -- despite signing a deal with Virgin Records -- and Smith followed his memorably weird Academy Awards appearance with two more albums for DreamWorks.

But Smith has apparently grown increasingly uncomfortable in the confines of such a large company. According to Rolling Stone: "Smith's management says the decision to seek an alternate home for his sixth album reflects his present disillusionment with the state of majors in general, not just DreamWorks."

Indeed, this is not exactly the best time to be a low-selling cult artist at a major, no matter how good your reviews are. (And if glowing critical notices were $20 bills, Smith could have retired a long time ago.)

Alt-country band Wilco split with Warner Bros. after a protracted spat over its latest album. Paul Westerburg, one-time leader of the Replacements, saw his deal with Capitol Records fall apart after a single, poor-selling record. Neo-glam British band Pulp saw its last record rejected by its American label, despite a small, but rabid, domestic cult following.

Alas, Wilco went on to strike a deal with Nonesuch, and Westerburg has found a home on the Santa Monica-based indie Vagrant Records. As for Pulp, well, as of this point, people still have to shell out the bucks for the import.

It's actually surprising that DreamWorks would want to get rid of Smith completely, as the label seems to have struck a balance between so-called prestige acts (Smith, the Eels, Rufus Wainwright) and million-selling newcomers (Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm).

It's a label that has broke potential long-term artists such as Lifehouse and Nelly Furtado into the mainstream, and is currently trying its hardest to do the same with Jimmy Eat World. (Speaking of, have you caught that band's latest, utterly shameless video? You know, the one set at a pool party attended by extremely attractive and nearly naked young women and men?)

This is sheer speculation on my part, but perhaps DreamWorks is letting Smith off gently with this one-album-only-on-an-indie deal, after the release of which, both parties will announce they're happier this way and leave it at that. Or possibly, given the current economic climate, DreamWorks doesn't want to risk the dough to promote this record, but doesn't want to let Smith go completely.

Regardless, this move will earn Smith plenty of press, not to mention the indie label he ultimately chooses. I think it'd be great to see him back on Kill Rock Stars, but if that doesn't work out, perhaps Indiana's Secretly Canadian or even Delaware's Jade Tree (who just signed Girls Against Boys) might make for a good home?

Watch this space.

New Blues

After an extended break, New York's Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are set to return April 9 with "Plastic Fang," the band's first studio album since 1998's "Acme."

Not that head Blues man Jon Spencer hasn't been busy. In 1999, Olympia's K Records released the fantastic "Sideways Soul," a collaboration between Dub Narcotic Sound System and the Blues Explosion. The following year, he joined his wife, Christina Martinez, for the Boss Hog album "Whiteout."

Elliott Smith is among the guests on the album, which also will feature Bernie Worrell and Dr. John.

Word from Spencer's publicist is that the album is "the huge straightforward rock record everyone's wished for since 'Orange.' "

A tour is expected to start in April.

Britney Spears, again

In this space last week, I wrote a humorous column about the Top 10 biggest money-making musical acts of 2001.

For the section that concerned teen-pop "sensation" Britney Spears, I chose to poke fun at myself -- and, I suppose, her young fans -- and based what I wrote about Spears largely on an e-mail I received from an angry teen who fired off an anonymous note the last time I dared to call Ms. Spears' talents into question.

Now, this anonymous teen-ager has e-mailed once again and expressed her annoyance that I borrowed from her original text without attributing it. I should not have done that.

I thought people would get the joke. Clearly, not everyone did.

So, to clarify, if I were Britney Spears, I would not wear the exact same things she does.

Ross Raihala covers music for The Olympian. Send news and Top 10 lists to OlyRoss@aol.com.

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