[30] Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm Caroline Records.

[30] Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record.

[citation needed] Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File".

The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God.

[41] He described the experience as surreal, and said: "The Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play.

[50] It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know.

"[51] Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999,[39] taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge.

[55] In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album.

It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production.

[46] The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures".

McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith smoked over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, often talked about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose.

[61] Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith.

[citation needed] Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene.

Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead.

A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers".

"[30] Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer.

Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – the Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance.

"[76] With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar.

[76] In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour.

The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight".

A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release.

Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park.

"[86] In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively.

[88] A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US).

According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November.

'"[96] The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine.

"[99][100] Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot.

Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album);[103] Sparta ("Bombs and Us");[77] Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman);[104] Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending';[105] Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer);[106] Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble);[107] Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life);[108] Phoebe Bridgers ("Punisher" on Punisher);[109] and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley).

[15] Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Big Star,[117] the Clash,[35] the Who,[117] Led Zeppelin,[117] the Kinks,[118] Pink Floyd,[117] Rush,[117] Bauhaus,[119] Elvis Costello,[120] Oasis,[121] Television,[122] Motown and flamenco records,[19] AC/DC,[123] Hank Williams,[19] and Scorpions,[124] Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months.

[126] Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old"[127] and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician.