Nothing like a little bit of midweek morbidity, so here's three classics from three talents whose lights shined all too briefly.
First, the princely and pallid folkster Nick Drake with his utterly morose 'Black Eyed Dog'. Most of his stuff is more upbeat and orchestrated than this, but there's something about the stripped down austerity of this tune which is equally powerful. Be sure to check out all of Drake's albums - 'Five Leaves Left', 'Bryter Later' and 'Pink Moon'.
BLACK EYED DOG
Next up is a rather obvious choice, but none the worse for it - Joy Division. Ian Curtis' brief life and career has been much documented, most recently in the slightly soap-opera like film 'Control'. I've chosen the song, 'Dead Souls', which I think really showcases not only Curtis' intensity and Joy Division's raw post-punk sound, but also the superb pared-down production of a certain Martin Hannett.
DEAD SOULS
Last up is a lesser light and, admittedly, someone whose work I'm less familiar with - Elliot Smith. By all accounts, he was a bit of an underground star in the US before his untimely demise, and drew inevitable comparisons with another singer who met an early end - Kurt Cobain. Here is 'Let's Get Lost' which I picked up on CD a long time ago. As well as the understated acoustic playing on this, I love the lyrics, where he candidly expresses his self-destructive impulse - "Burning every bridge that I cross, to find some beautiful place to get lost."
LET'S GET LOST
Enjoy. And don't feel too down.
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