This has all been reported elsewhere earlier in the year but we thought we'd bring it all together... especially as the official website @ elliottsmith.net, seems to have vanished off the face of the internet, strangely..
The record is entitled 'From a Basement on the Hill' and is a totally solo produced and played, Dave-Grohl-all-on-his-own-in-the-studio-Foos-debut affair, oh, apart from a bit of drumming here'n'there from Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd and Beachwood Sparks drummer Aaron Sperske. Elliott told MTV "They were in the same room facing each other, and I was in the room telling them when to crash by jumping up and down." Also, some reports suggest that Folk Implosion's Russ Pollard and Goldenboy's Shon Sullivan and Dave MacConnell took part in some of the albums pre-production. Not too sure what's goin' on there.
He explained to MTV that: "I like the production on the last two, and I like the people I was working with, I wanted to just do it alone again.. there's this record, 'Either/Or', that came out [in 1997] before the last two, and this one I feel more like I felt then. It's just a different thing to do. I don't know if it's better or worse, but I feel freer, probably because I'm the only one calling the shots... I try to sound like a band, I always hate it when people call me a singer/songwriter."
There's no fixed release date for the album yet, but it's believed to be out around Easter time. Even tho we heard from an insider earlier in the year that it was meant to be released around October-time this year - this was after the strange cancellation, with no reasoning, of the Royal Festival Hall show.
The record seems label-less just now (hence the delay), due to Domino saying Elliott still contractally owed them a record and then arguing to the point of leaving Dreamworks - who signed him off the back of the 'Good Will Hunting' soundtrack. Reported labels in the running to release it are Kill Rock Stars, Touch & Go, and Bong Load.
There's this tracklisting on a few fansites:
Shooting Star
A Passing Feeling
See You In Heaven
(I'm) Already Somebody's Baby
Circuit Rider
Mr. Goodmorning
Let's Get Lost
Little One
Don't Go Down
Brand New Game
Memory Lane
Dancing On The Highway
The Last Hour
Stickman
True Love
DiScuss: What's your favourite Elliott Smith album? Heard any more about the above? Elliott for the festivals in 2003?