"Miss Misery"

Elliott Smith
(Capitol, 1998)

You can lead an indie-rocker to water, but you can't make him drink. Fortunately, though, Elliott Smith of Heatmiser and a couple of very promising lo-fi solo albums was thirsty enough when Gus Van Sant brought him in on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack to deliver this gem. Listen closely and you'll see it's really got nothing to do with the film, but it's the kind of tune that softens you up for a good cry -- a thing of beauty from a guy who's seen his share of ugliness. Proof that even when a song can stand on its own merits, production values still make a difference.

-- Matt Ashare