Elliott Smith - New Moon

“I kept recording more songs with no regard for whether or not they were going to be on anything. That’s what I’m used to doing—recording all the time and not going, ‘What should I record for this record?’ Usually, I put out whatever happened in the last six months. With this, I had way too many songs and no mechanism for picking between them.”
—Elliott Smith, Tape Op Magazine, 1996, on finishing Either/Or

Arguably the most gifted songwriter of his generation, Elliott Smith produced a substantial body of work that includes five solo albums, as well as From a Basement on the Hill (2004), a posthumous collection of songs completed before his death in 2003.

On May 8, 2007, Kill Rock Stars will release New Moon, a double CD of previously unreleased music by Elliott Smith. The album contains 24 songs recorded between 1994 and 1997—a prolific period in Smith’s career, during which he recorded both his self-titled album and Either/Or (also released by Kill Rock Stars). Like the rest of his catalog, New Moon showcases Smith’s remarkable ability to weave rich, melodic compositions with poetic, multi-layered lyrics.

Only three of the songs have been released before, and only on limited-run compilations. Final mixing for New Moon was completed by Larry Crane, who also serves as the archivist for Elliott Smith’s estate. A significant portion of the album’s proceeds will benefit Outside In, a Portland-based social service organization that provides support for homeless youth and low-income adults.