Better Late Than Never

I feel like the twelfth man on the team (i.e., the last one to know); apparently serious fans of Elliott Smith have known for months about the unofficial release of more than 20 demos from the Basement on the Hill sessions.

If you're not already a fan, consider this a passive-aggressive attempt to turn you on. I'm generally not one to hype my personal tastes in music -- as with discussing politics in mixed company, such exchanges usually become veiled or otherwise awkward stabs at the other person's (flawed) belief system. De gustibus non est disputandum, of course, but can we at least agree that payola is the primary determinant of a song's "popularity"?

But I digress. Unless you suffer from a slow or balky web connection, the least you can do is download the Elliott demos. Once hooked, pick up his self-titled CD, then work your way chronologically through the rest of the catalog. If you get really serious, explore his live recordings.