And yet, Smith-as with many truly great songwriters-used this specificity as a way to explore emotional themes that resonate both deeply and broadly. The sounds and words of Either/Or often conjure very specific images, textures, and situations. Thankfully, this 20th anniversary remaster doesn't smooth out too many of those rough edges-if anything, it brings the unique sound of the record into even clearer focus. It’s too ambitious to read as “lo-fi” and too gritty to read as straightforward pop classicism.
A year prior, his former band Heatmiser had been put through that very ringer, an experience captured in Either/Or standouts “Pictures of Me” and “Angeles.” Either/Or sounds like the work of somebody who has zero interest in either conforming to or directly transgressing the “commercial” sounds of the day.
By the time Either/Or was released in 1997, Smith was no stranger to the cynical machinations of the post-grunge major label gold rush.
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