Elliott Smith Rarities Set, New Moon, to be Released May 8

A collection of rarities by the late Elliott Smith will be released May 8 by indie label Kill Rock Stars.  New Moon will feature 24 tracks and according to Billboard will be released on double vinyl.  Sweet Adeline, originally a fan site that has now more or less become the official Elliott Smith web site, reports the set will also be available on 2 CDs.

Among the 24 tracks is an early version of Smith's Oscar-nominated song, "Miss Misery" and an alternate version of "Pretty Mark K," from Figure 8.

New Moon is the second posthumous release of Smith material.  From a Basement on the Hill was comprised of songs recorded for what was intended to be a double album.  Longtime Smith collaborators Joanna Bolme and Rob Schnapf oversaw the finishing of the album, and it was not without controversy.  Smith worked with numerous producers during the Basement sessions and there are differing accounts of how he would have released the album had he lived to see its completion. Songs such as "Abused" and "Suicide Machines" were omitted and there are disagreements about which mixes of songs were intended for release.

Interesting, according to this report, songs omitted from Basement will not be surfacing on New Moon.  The tracks on New Moon were originally recorded between 1995-1997, roughly covering the Either/Or, Good Will Hunting, XO period of Smith's career.  Some of these tracks were recorded and mixed by Schnapf, while final mixes were completed by Larry Crane, hired by the Smith estate.

Many critics and fans point to this period as the pinnacle of Smith's career.  Either/Or probably best bridges his earlier, rawer D.I.Y. work with the more baroque and ambitious compositions he recorded later.  

Smith recorded five albums prior to his 2003 death.  Basement was released nearly one year to the day after his passing.  He died of multiple stab wounds to the chest and the case remains open, according to Los Angeles authorities.  The death was initially reported to be a suicide, but a coroner's report was unable to make an official finding.

Artwork for the album has not been finalized.  The tracklisting for New Moon is as follows:

Disc 1

1. Angel In The Snow
2. Talking To Mary
3. High Times
4. New Monkey
5. Looking Over My Shoulder
6. Going Nowhere
7. Riot Coming
8. All Cleaned Out
9. First Timer
10. Go By
11. Miss Misery (early version)
12. Thirteen

Disc 2

1. Georgia Georgia
2. Whatever (Folk Song in C)
3. Big Decision
4. Placeholder
5. New Disaster
6. Seen How Things Are Hard
7. Fear City
8. Either/Or
9. Pretty Mary K (other version)
10. Almost Over
11. See You Later
12. Half Right