A thousand apologies for those who have written to complain about the absence of songs of the week. Blame it on finals. As an act of obeisance, let me say that this week’s song of the week will not disappoint.

I rarely buy songs on iTunes. Although with “one-click” shopping and Apple so willing to store my credit card information, one might wonder why not. Even so, when I heard the song which follows I was utterly haunted and compelled to make the purchase.

By all accounts, today’s featured artist Elliott Smith was a troubled person. Born and raised across the U.S. but primarily hailing from Portland, Smith’s life was shrouded in addiction and depression. In turn, his melancholic lyrics aptly reflect the tortured mind of a troubled soul. What makes his style of music so captivating is the clear high-tenor of Smith’s voice coupled with an almost wispy style of delivery. If one listens late enough, Smith’s singing can be mistaken for errant thoughts passing through the shadows of mind.

By way of introduction, some of you may recall Smith’s music as featured in the Robin Williams’ film Good Will Hunting. The Pax Plena song of the week is taken from Smith’s self-titled, 1995 album- dubbed by critic Rob O’Connor as “one of the most understated and incredible albums to emerge from the indie-rock scene in the 1990s.”

Please enjoy, Elliott Smith’s The Biggest Lie.

The Biggest Lie

I’m waiting for the train
The subway that only goes one way
The stupid thing that will come to pull us apart
And make everybody late
You spent everything you had
Wanted everything to stop that bad
And now i’m a crushed credit card registered to smith
Not the name that you call me with
You turned white like a saint
I’m tired of dancing on a pot of gold flake paint
Oh we’re so very precious, you and i
And everything that you do makes me want to die
Oh i just told the biggest lie
I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie