Elliott Smith - XO

XO is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Co-produced by Bong Load Records owner Tom Rothrock, XO was recorded in 1997-1998 and released on August 25, 1998. On XO, Elliott Smith leaves the indie doldrums behind and takes wing to new, lush surroundings. By adding full instrumentation to his acoustic reveries, Smith has ascended to a new level of song-writing that shores up his gentle voice and country-tinged guitar playing with extra layers of vocal arrangements and charming piano vamps. Strains of classic rock filter into the Beatlesque Baby Britain and the Beach Boys-inspired I Didn't Understand - but Smith succeeds in adapting them to his style rather than the other way around. XO is a stunning shadow print of a soul adrift in the music industry, a dark place indeed.