An Incomplete Introduction
by Mike ConklinAn Introduction to...
(Kill Rock Stars)
Unbelievably, it’s been seven years since the death of Elliott Smith. Needless to say, a lot has changed since he’s been gone, specifically in terms of the access we have to music whenever we want it, through the internet. That access renders An Introduction to..., a collection of 14 songs spanning Smith’s entire seven-album career, somewhat useless. The songs are wonderful, of course—how could they not be?—but to limit it to 14 in this day and age just seems silly. It stands to reason that the kids out there who know enough to explore the back catalogue of Elliott Smith also know how to get every single song he ever recorded with just a few clicks. Hopefully they will, and then hopefully they’ll go buy all the records and hear ‘em the way they were meant to be heard.
