Celebrate Elliott Smith’s Birthday With Palehound’s Cover of ‘Southern Belle’

Gearing up for the reissue of Elliott Smith’s 1995 self-titled album, Palehound dropped a searing rendition of “Southern Belle.” The cover arrives on August 6th, which would have been Smith’s 51st birthday.

Palehound intensifies the song’s bustling acoustic rhythm with an electric guitar riff. “I don’t want to walk around/I don’t even want to breathe,” Ellen Kempner sings. “I live in a southern town/Where all you can do is grit your teeth.”

Palehound’s rendition is part of a series of Smith covers that will lead up to the release of Elliott Smith: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition, out August 28th on Kill Rock Stars. The reissue will be accompanied by the unearthed Live at Umbra Penumbra — the earliest known recording of Smith performing solo — and a 52-page coffee-table book featuring photographs by J.J. Gonson.

“At KRS we follow the direction of Elliott’s family,” Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon recently told IndieLand. “They have always expressed a desire for us to honor his legacy by keeping the albums available, and by bringing his music to new generations of listeners. As the industry has changed, we’ve worked hard to make sure Elliott’s legacy is available for new fans to discover and old fans to rediscover. He was a genius songwriter as well as a great musician, and we are honored to be able to help keep his legacy vibrant for every new generation.”