Thoughtful Smith defies labeling

How could one genre include both Britney Spears and The Beatles? Is the word completely meaningless? At the SonicNet music Web site, the Rolling Stones, Will Smith and the Dave Mathews Band are all listed in the Pop category. What is going on? Two conflicting definitions are at work.

First, pop is simply what sells well; anything that makes it to the Top 40. Second, and more interestingly, the category denotes a certain style of light-hearted rock that the Beatles perfected and talented artists from R.E.M. to Elliot Smith and XTC have been playing with ever since. "Figure 8" and XTCs "Wasp Star" are both pop albums in this second sense, thoughtfully rendered rock that veers away from hard edges. However, Elliot Smith teases the pop concept, creating a space where genre labels do not stick.

The latest Elliot Smith album was released on a sea of critical buzz that is been building ever since his performance of the Oscar-nominated "Miss Misery" at the 1997 Oscars. But even before 1997 indie folk/punk fans had been singing the Portland-based singer-songwriter praises. The buzz is well-founded. His songs are a delight to behold: Quietly stunning in their understated wisdom, but never too humble.

It is tempting to relegate his music to the realm of depressed college freshman. Indeed, some tracks are entirely suitable for crying 18-year-old girls. It is easy to imagine a young student with a tear-stained face singing along to "Everything Reminds of Her," a sad, breathless tune with a quiet piano accompaniment that recalls R.E.M. And, yes, a lot of these songs do tend toward the melancholy.

Smith detractors have called his music depressing. In response, Smith has said that he is merely keeping his music "real." None of these labels precisely fit. Smith is sad and quiet, but he is also sedate. At times it seems like he is floating under water, treading through warm currents on his velvety acoustic riffs. On the other hand, however, lyrics like "everything means nothing to me" are neither real nor depressing. They merely seem a little too clever, an affected way of saying it all does have meaning. Then again, not all of these 16 songs are downers.

The basshook, happy groove and rockabilly sound of "L.A." is a tribute to a sunny place where Smith does not quite belong, but he does not seem to mind. "Stupidity Tries" sounds alive; crashing guitar culminating climactically in brazen beats that seem to stretch out with energetic luxury. And his intelligent sarcasm threatens his stillness at just about every turn. Lyrics like "you are just some dude with a stilted attitude that you learned from TV" would make any hipster proud.

Rather than riding on his indie reputation for quiet agony, Smith has imbibed these songs with a fullness and a strummy Beatles-inspired feel that teases out something bigger than you expect; lending credibility to the media buzz. Yes he is still quietly turning out his tunes, but his twists and turns surprise and delight. And, in the end, that is what great pop does: it bursts out of its own pop bubble.

"Wasp Star: Apple Venus Volume 2"; XTC; TVT Records.

XTC has been producing finely rendered pop since the 1970s. The British group is another insider folk/rock/indie favorite, headed by Andy Partridge, founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire.

This album, the groups 12th, is the follow-up to "Apple Venus Volume," which received attention on the alternative circuit, but like other XTC albums before it, failed to garner much popularity. Some attribute their lack of popularity to his unwillingness to tour; indeed the group has not performed live in almost 20 years. However, because the band is focused solely on the studio, they have been able to finely hone their craft.

"Wasp Star" is pop-rock in the tradition of the Beatles. Partridge belts out its melodic, catchy, sweet tunes in a gentle, high-pitched McCartney voice. The hooks are everywhere, as are the uplifting pop lyrics. Partridge sings, "I am stupidly happy/it is surely a sin," and you cannot help but grin at the sunniness of it all. Playfulness is one of the album`s core themes.

Of course, Partridge and Company are not all sweetness and light. "Boarded Up," a superior cut, is a sad song about endings that uses a melancholy rhythm accompanied by the hollow sound of the thump of the acoustic guitar. And the sped-up drumbeat in "We are All Light" makes the song feel like sunshine on a crowded, dirty city street. And then there is the sexy whine of "Wounded Horse," a song of betrayal and anger. For the most part, though, this is great pop. A catchy hook accompanied by happy lyrics that are not dumb, but are not too smart either.

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Author: Emily Friedlander