It’s been almost 8 years since Elliott Smith, one of the best singer-songwriters of all time, died at only 34 years old, and yet many unanswered questions still loom about his life and tragically premature death. (The Los Angeles Coroner’s Department left the official cause of death open, as they determined that “trauma that he sustained could have been inflicted by him or by another.”)  In a new documentary titled Searching for Elliott Smith, however, director Gil Reyes seeks to shed light on these subjects through interviews with Smith’s close friends, collaborators (such as Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant), and former girlfriend Jennifer Chiba, who was with Smith when he passed in 2003. We first mentioned this project two years ago, when it had begun making the rounds on the film festival circuit, but now it’s set to screen at the L.A. New Wave International Film Festival. 24B pal and Rawkblog mastermind David Greenwald met up with Reyes recently for a must-read interview published on the Los Angeles Times’ Brand X today.

Meanwhile, Smith left behind a treasure chest of previously unheard recordings, some of which have been released posthumously in the form of 2004’s From a Basement on the Hill and 2007 double-disc New Moon. Unreleased gems still surface now and then, as well, including five songs of unconfirmed origin that first appeared on YouTube this March. In all honesty, I’ve been on the fence about pointing these out, as Smith’s legacy is held sacred to myself and many, but in the context of documenting the work of my personal favorite musician, I’d be remiss in not sharing. If you’re new to Smith, start out with a proper introduction, but otherwise, you can check out 5 degraded, lo-fi recordings that were most likely drawn from early demos below:

Announced less than a week following what would have been the late, great Elliott Smith’s 41st birthday, An Introduction to… Elliott Smith, a 14-track compilation that includes cuts from my favorite singer-songwriter’s full 5-album solo catalog, an early version of his Oscar-nominated song “Miss Misery,” and tunes off the posthumously released New Moon double-disc and From a Basement on the Hill LP will hit shelves on November 2 via Kill Rock Stars.

Though longtime — or even casual — fans won’t find anything particularly exciting about this release (important songs from Smith’s inimitable career are notably absent due to presumed contractual issues), KRS and Co. are merely hoping to acquaint a new generation of future fans with one of the best songwriters of all time. (An honorable undertaking, I’d say. If you’ve never heard Smith before, this is a fine introduction.)

Download one track off the comp, Either/Or’s “Between the Bars,” here, and check out the full tracklist below:

Two new Elliott Smith reissues are on the way next month, so now is as good a time as any to point to a rare, recently-unearthed interview from a pivotal time in the late singer-songwriter’s career. Dead Melodies posted this Q&A and music video feature with Smith’s first post-High School rock band, Heatmiser, which they believe was filmed on January 1, 1996 in Portland, Oregon.

Though I’m not entirely sure their date is correct, the year is what makes this most compelling: Smith had already released two solo albums on indie labels, at this point, while Heatmiser were prepping their Virgin Records debut, Mic City Sons (an album that was ultimately released on Caroline Records). As subsequent interviews suggest, Smith’s solo success was causing some tensions between he and co-frontman Neil Gust during this time, which contributed to the band’s demise. None of those tensions are apparent in this interview, however, as all three bandmates appear in good spirits throughout the clips featured.

Kill Rock Stars will reissue Elliott Smith’s first and last albums, Roman Candle and From A Basement On The Hill, respectively, on April 6, and to whet your appetite, founder Slim Moon and current label head Portia Sabin are offering two free MP3s of Larry Crane’s remastered Smith classics.

Download “Last Call” here and “Twilight” here.

Here are a few of today’s bookmarked links worth noting…

• After being rejected seven times, the Stooges will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Genesis and ABBA. “Am I still cool? Or is that over now?” Pop asked himself after hearing the news.
• Elliott Smith’s first solo LP, Roman Candle, and posthumous album From a Basement on the Hill will be reissued by Kill Rock Stars this spring (the former has been remastered by Larry Crane as well). For more info and a free MP3 of unreleased gem “Cecilia/Amanda” go thataway.
• Ex-R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry came out of retirement to record protest song “Crazy Like a Fox” on R.E.M.’s annual holiday single. The bad news: Michael Stipe and Peter Buck aren’t on the track. Slicing Up Eyeballs has the scoop.
• Brendan Benson sounded off a bit on how he felt “underappreciated” by the press for his role in the Raconteurs. “Jack [White] was the most publicized thing about The Raconteurs,” he said. “And I think, unfortunately, he sort of eclipsed the other guys in the band.”