My Top 2000 Songs #1114: Bled White

Given the often startling intimacy of Elliott Smith's music, it was an open question how his songs would work once he was signed to Dreamworks and given a bit of a production budget. But I love the intricate, Beatlesque arrangements on 1998's XO. I mean, it doesn't hurt that he turned in a batch of incredible songs, which would likely have thrived equally well as the stripped-down acoustic songs of his prior work, but the denser production doesn't hold them back.

He gets the most baroque on "Bled White," a layered number with fulsome arrangements and colorful harmonies, giving the song the full McCartney treatment while retaining his very much non-McCartney sad, impending-collapse magic. (Ok, I'm torn between this one and "Baby Britain," but something about the call-and-response vocals here gives it the edge.)

Live 2000:

Early solo acoustic version:

Rousing but faithful cover by indie rockers Yuck: