New Moon (Elliott Smith album)

New Moon
Compilation album by Elliott Smith
Released	May 7, 2007
Recorded	1994–1997
Length	73:18
Label	Kill Rock Stars
Producer	Elliott Smith Larry Crane
Elliott Smith chronology
From a Basement on the Hill (2004) New Moon (2007)

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.

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

"Angel in the Snow", "Talking to Mary", "High Times", "Riot Coming", "Georgia, Georgia", "Whatever (Folk Song in C)" and "Big Decision" are taken from the Elliott Smith sessions. "New Monkey", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Going Nowhere", "Go By", "Placeholder", "New Disaster", "Seen How Things Are Hard", "Fear City", "Either/Or", "Pretty Mary K (Other Version)" and "Almost Over" are taken from the Either/Or sessions. "Thirteen", "See You Later" and "Half Right" are taken from a 1996 radio session. "All Cleaned Out", "First Timer" and "Miss Misery (Early Version)" were recorded at Jackpot! Recording Studio in 1997.

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".

Release

New Moon reached number 16 in the US chart. It sold around 24,000 copies in its first week.^[3] A significant portion of the proceeds go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon, the city where Smith resided for a significant portion of his life.^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The A.V. Club	A[7]
Entertainment Weekly	A[8]
The Guardian	[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
NME	7/10[11]
Pitchfork Media	8.7/10[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
Spin	[14]
Uncut	[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 written by Elliott Smith, except as noted. 

Disc one
No.	Title	Writer(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.	Title	Writer(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 Smith	2:56
12.	"Half Right"	Neil Gust, Elliott Smith	3:50

References

1. "Sweet Adeline | Music". Sweet Adeline. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
2. Brown, Jake (March 7, 2007). "GLONO Interview: Larry Crane, Archivist of Elliott Smith's Estate | Glorious Noise". Glorious Noise. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
3. Hasty, Katie (May 16, 2007). "Buble Sidesteps Bone Thugs to Claim No. 1 | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
4. "Sweet Adeline | The Official Elliott Smith Site – By Fans". Sweet Adeline. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
5. "Reviews for New Moon by Elliott Smith". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
6. Brown, Marisa. "New Moon – Elliott Smith". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
7. Gowing, Liam (May 8, 2007). "Elliott Smith: New Moon". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
8. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 25, 2007). "New Moon". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
9. Costa, Maddy (May 11, 2007). "Elliott Smith, New Moon". The Guardian. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
10. Brown, August. "Elliott Smith". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
11. Cashmore, Pete (May 10, 2007). "Elliott Smith: New Moon". NME. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
12. LeMay, Matt (May 9, 2007). "Elliott Smith: New Moon". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
13. "Elliott Smith: New Moon". Rolling Stone: 96. May 31, 2007.
14. Maerz, Melissa (May 2007). "Lost Innocence". Spin. 23 (5): 94. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
15. "Elliott Smith: New Moon". Uncut (121): 112. June 2007.