Description

A pioneer of the home recording movement, Linda Smith released several collections of delicate, bewitching solo music on cassette in the 1980s and 90s. The 2021 release of Till Another Time: 1988-1996, Captured Tracks compilation of Smiths work, has helped bestow rightful critical acclaim to the ahead-of-her-time artist. Now, Captured Tracks dives deeper into Smiths catalog with the release of two full-length companion albums, Nothing Else Matters and I So Liked Spring, available for the first time on vinyl & streaming formats.

Recorded at Smiths home in Baltimore in 1995, Nothing Else Matters chronicles the tension between the mundanity of daily life and the creative impulse: Traffic noises on the charmingly boisterous Little To Be Won showcase this levity, as does the addition of playful hand claps and a laugh track to her striking cover of Young Marble Giants Salad Days. I So Liked Spring, recorded the following year, saw Smith experimenting with the unique challenge of putting another artists words to music. Shed come across a biography of the English poet Charlotte Mew and found her wistful poetry rife for musical interpretation. The songs on I So Liked Spring are delightfully unpredictable, full of upbeat melodies and spellbinding vocal harmonies. This is perhaps best showcased on the title track, one of Smiths most popular songs to date, a lovelorn anthem that recalls the airy melodies of early dream pop.

Both of these albums showcase the mesmerizing charm of Smiths songwriting, often compared to the likes of the Velvet Underground and Laurie Anderson. Home recording technology has come a long way since Smith first began recording demos on her tape machine, but her influence reverberates through the work of todays bedroom artists. The release of these two essential albums seeks to further illuminate this connection, welcoming a new generation of listeners to the work of this trailblazing artist.

TRACKLISTING

1. Fin de Fete
2. Again
3. The Pedlar
4. Rooms
5. Afternoon Tea
6. I So Liked Spring
7. From a Window
8. Absence
9. A Quoi Bon Dire
10. In the Fields
11. May 1915
12. Not for that City