So far, 2003 has been a sad year for music: the losses of Wesley Willis, Johnny Cash, and… So far, 2003 has been a sad year for music: the losses of Wesley Willis, Johnny Cash, and Elliott Smith come to mind at the forefront. And now, Elliott – not to be confused with Elliott Smith – the fabulous indie/emo rockers from Louisville, Ky., are playing their final tour ever, and stopping in our wonderful city this Friday night with Drumkan and Your Black Star as supporting act.

Elliott has been more of the “rock out” indie/emo hybrid type for their past two albums, but for Song in the Air, the druggy-esque masterpiece calls on influences that could be reminiscent of Radiohead or Sigur Ros. Tons of spacey reverb, electronic drums and soft vocals carry this underrated masterpiece through its progressions. Originally, the album was slated to be the last Elliott journey, but thankfully, the band decided to do a farewell tour that already went through Europe and now is on its way through the States.

If you’ve never heard Elliott before, you really need to. False Cathedrals stands as a testament for all lovers of quality indie and emo – not the slit-your-wrists emo, but quality stuff, a la American Football. This is what good emo sounded like, back when it first made headlines. Elliott always pushed boundaries, using electronic as well as analog drums, pianos, strings, guitars, bass and melodic vocals. Guitar sounds were light and airy to complement the vocals.

It’s just so unfortunate that very few know who they are, and that is why it’s all the more important to go see them on their final tour.

If you miss this, make sure you at least go get those two albums at bare minimum. With backing acts Drumkan, who appeared on a 2000 Pixies tribute compilation, and Your Black Star, it should be a wonderful little “last hurrah” for one of the finer bands to grace the indie community.

Elliott, Drumkan and Your Black Star will play Mr. Small’s Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8. For more information, call (412) 821-4447.