Elliott Smith – Either/Or
I didn't get Elliott Smith for a long time until a friend spoon-fed me a song at a time and then I hit a phase in my life when I could understand the beauty-tinged darkness he seemed so adept at expressing. Initially I found his voice grated on me but it gradually got under my skin in a similar way to how the subject matter of his songs slips under the radar, disguised in a kind of trojan horse of some of the prettiest melodies I ever heard.

The production on this album is masterful in its raw minimalism. There's such a live feel to it. Favourites are 'Say Yes' and the undeniable classic 'Angeles' but crazy genius moment has to be the eleventh-hour entry of drums and the fattest bass in the final bars of '2.45 AM', just when you thought it was a simple songwriter tune.