Figure 8

Didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped. It's a nice album but nothing about it really grabbed me. Strong 5 to a light 6/10

Decent

Solid sadboy music. Maybe a 4? I'd have to relisten a few times.

I've never gotten into Elliott Smith too much and what I do know is Either/Or. This is a pretty good album and my only complaint would be I prefer Either/Or and I am not sure this is totally different from that album, but Smith is an important artist so it's hard to complain too much.

not his best work

It's a dad rock/classic rock turn for Smith on this one (I believe one of his last albums) which works well enough. It's not as good as his self titled, either/or and the like but his songwriting is too good that the songs still shine through the slightly more extravagant instrumentation.

Decent music. A little slow at times but I enjoyed it a bit. 6/10

Not familiar with this artist. Thoughtful indie rock. Surprisingly good. Too bad he is no longer with us.

seems way ahead of his/its time.never heard of this guy but this was a pleasant listen.

ESs last album before his early death. Less acoustic but still delicate and gentle.

Some very good songs, some other not as upbeat or on the same kind of vibe. Enjoyed half of it.

Don't like all the songs. Some of them are relaxing and nice to listen to, but others are not my kind of music... It's okay to listen once, but I won't relisten.

Interesting juxtaposition of the darker, moodier lyrics with the seemingly pleasant acoustic arrangement. I could see myself giving this a 4 star 20 years ago, but as it sits now, it's a 3. Im not a big fan of his voice and I like the more electric tracks over the acoustic guitar/piano tracks. Best Song(s): Son of Sam, LA, Lost and Found Listen Again: Yes

Elliot slayed, but unfortunately, some songs sounded like the diary of a wimpy kid sountrack.

While I recognize the quality and craftsmanship of this album, I did not particularly enjoy it. This is not a vibe I seek out.

Quiet and contemplative, amateurish sound. Pretty, but requires close attention to profound lyrics to truly enjoy. Not my favorite Elliot Smith album. Wish it had a standout track to truly disrupt like Needle in the Hay.

A melancholic indie feel. Seems a bit basic by todays standards but I can see how this was ahead of it's time. Especially reading that Smith came from Portland in the 90s where the grunge scene was happening.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one… I don’t hate it? Not sure I like it either. Was listening to this on the bus and I felt next level creeped out and outright scared for some reason

Eh not my thing

Son of Sam: Lyrics about the aforementioned serial killer son of sam, jaunty piano for the subject matter. Somebody That I Used to Know: Acoustic guitar track about a breakup??? singer-songwriter vibes haha Junk Bond Trader: I feel like I'm not connecting very much with this music so far - very disillusioned song about commodification. Everything Reminds me of Her: I don't think this music is for me haha Everything Means Nothing to Me: This dude is obviously going through it, damn, I don't mind this one. L.A.: The first song I actually kinda dig, it's more structured so maybe that's why? Almost committing suicide is pretty dark subject matter but this song is pretty groovy. In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost: I think this is about loving someone who is gone or was only there briefly?? So much jaunty piano with sad lyrics and then an instrumental at the end. Stupidity Tries: I dunno, back again to not 'getting it' I think aha the songs aren't bad, they're done quite well in fact - I do think the extended outro is good for this song though. Easy Way Out: This dude was wrecked by love wasn't he? Another fine song. Wouldn't Mama Be Proud: This guy hated corporate bullshit a LOT haha very bitter about it - I mean it is fucking bullshit XD Colorbars: He really didn't wanna be that archetype of a 'rockstar' huh Happiness/The Gondola Man: Lying to yourself and trying to be happy I guess? haha Pretty Mary Kay: Drugs to heal the pain of life then losing them. Better Be Quiet Now: Break-up song of sorts, feeling empty when there used to be something there. Can't Make a Sound: If ever there were a song about struggling to find a way to express yourself outside of your own insular world, this is it. Bye: Instrumental track, piano - weirdly haunting.

Figure 8 is the final record released by Elliott Smith before his untimely death, and it’s clearly the most well produced of his records. All of the tracks are compelling to listen to on a base level because of it, but the songwriting on this record is a bit more inconsistent than on his most essential album, Either/Or. And at 16 tracks, all of which are certainly not essential, it’s a bit of a bloated record too. Despite the poppier songwriting and professional band sound, what does remain is his devastating lyricism. They hit particularly hard considering his tragic fate just a few years later. And when Figure 8 hits, it really can hit. Songs like “LA,” “Stupidity Tries” and “Better Be Quiet Now” are particular highlights here.

It’s not as good as Smith’s previous work, and to be honest I’m not sure why this album is here at all. But I’ll take it. The songwriting is still some of the best to get sad with. I also like the work the instrumentation does on this record compared to some of Smith’s other material. You can hear the influence in later bands with the diy, “indie” sound on display here.

Very coffee shop indie music. Not super interesting, but nothing that is grating to the ear either.

I feel bad giving what is I think the only Elliot Smith record on this list a 3 because I love his other records so much. But TBH I found this one kind of boring. It does sound like Elliot Smith but just little in the way of anything fun/singalong-able. This record seems like it was chosen because it was the last thing he fully produced himself...?

Again it's really nice songwriting and an enjoyable listen, but nothing that elavates it for me. Fav track: Better be quiet now Light 3.5/5

First listen of this I really got into, and the second listen found myself wishing there was more of what we heard on the previous album. The poppier stylings began to grow tired on me ever so slightly. Still enjoyed this album, and may potentially get some future spins, but didn’t quite cut the mustard as much for me this time. Three and a half. Fave track: Colorbars

3.8/5

Nice album, pleasant to listen to but the only piece that really struck me was "Everything means nothing to me".

There is a day and a mood where this album will hit perfectly. Today was not that day for me even after I spun the album twice. I liked the second spin a lot better than the first as the album started to open up and reveal more of itself. Definitely something to go back to, but not in heavy rotation.

1. Son of Sam 2. Wouldn't mama be proud 3. In the lost and found

Another artist I had never heard of and I really enjoyed his sound.

A really solid listen. While nothing extraordinary, it was a good listen throughout for some pretty ahead-of-the-curve indie, for it's time. Will definitely return to some tracks on here

Interesting chord changes throughout.

Heard before. Not bad. Bye hits kinda hard. + Son of Sam + Everything Means Nothing To Me + In The Lost and Found + Bye

Ihan jees singer&songwriter-platta! 3/5

Hyvähän tämäkin on, vaikka Smithin kolme edellistä levyä on imo parempia. Tässä tuo 'major label' -vaikutus tuntuu jotenkin näkyvän ja intiimiys on vähentynyt. Toivottavasti noita vanhempiakin on.

Riktigt bra skiva. En modern hiphopklassiker med både hits men som också passar som ett helt koncept.

Meh.

Really dig the orchestration in general. Not sure I ever would have sought this out but I'm glad I'm listening! In general I think I'm a bigger fan of the backing tracks than the vocals, this is a little bit whiny (lyrically and aesthetically) for my taste. 3.5/5 stars

This album was fine, but ultimately forgettable. Not really sure why it is on this list.

The trouble is, I heard Badly Drawn Boy before I heard Elliott Smith. It's charming and whimsical with a delicate, understated vocal. Indie pop. I feel like if I gave it a few listens, there would be some real tearjerkers on there. The musicality of it is impressive, the guitars are great, the keys, the atmosphere of each song. It's a good album. A bit samey after a while. In fact, his voice is starting to annoy me. Ben Folds is another soundalike. Oh, I don't know. Maybe three stars, maybe four. Three and a half. Won't be life-changing for me!

Get's a bit whiny after a while.

Decent sound. Liked it more than I thought I would. Not sure if I would listen to it again, but it was a good listen nonetheless.

I feel like I should like Elliott Smith more than I do. I think if I was 10 years older he’d be super formative for me. However for me, the style reads as a little whiny and derivative. It’s a tough one, but I can’t earnestly rate it highly.

Not my genre

Pretty decent, just didn’t click with me. I liked a lot of the songs, but nothing blew me away.

With this album Elliot Smith makes a sweet, gentle, bittersweet point which he goes on to reiterate with monotonous abandon. It resembles the thrill of a needle prick which subsequently drains you of all your blood.

I had never heard of this guy before. It was nice soft background music, overall well put together a good production. I liked it.

I really dug the first 3 or 4 songs but after awhile, it got kind of repetitive and boring.

Some stunning songs but a lot of unnecessary fat. It could have used with some editing out of songs that water down the power of Elliott at his best.

C'est toujours sympathique mais il n'y a vraiment pas de quoi écouter ça à l'avant d'un bus.

Eliott Smith va bien te faire voir

Plinkety plonkety nice background

Good sad album

good instruments and vibe but voice a bit annoying

Some great songs, some terrible songs. I really liked the soft rock ones and really disliked the slow indie ones. Saved multiple songs, so I’m giving it a 3, but it’s a soft 3.

Thought this was good I enjoyed listening but more of a chill album

Starting out, I get some vague Beatles + Spoon vibes. I guess the piano + guitar will do that (re: spoon), but the vocals give me a Lennon-like feel. This is a solid "indie" album. At points, it feels similar to Alex G. A little long for my taste, but its enjoyable enough.

There are some good songs at the beginning and end. Can't Make a Sound and Son of Sam to name names. Overall some pretty unique sounds and instruments on this album which I appreciate, but overall was a pretty average sounding album.

Mad chill

This was a pretty good singer-songwriter/pop album with some indie elements as well. It definitely grew on me as I was listening through, especially the vocals. The songs are a mixture of acoustic that are often shorter, and more fleshed out songs that often build to a climax. It felt a little long as well. I just think there’s something missing here; it definitely wasn’t world-beating and some of the songs, especially the acoustic ones, were a little weak.

I’m glad I had a chance to experience it. But…I wouldn’t do it again or tell anyone about it.

2.5

The beginning of the album is definitely better than the rest of the album. It starts out as regular 2000s indie/alternative music and then kinda devolves into a "sad boy" version of that. This sounds like something that would be in some show or movie about teenagers going through a rough time, or on a sad section of Scrubs. It's not really terrible, but I wouldn't want to listen to most of the songs on this album again if I had a choice. A low 3/5

Melanco, pensé que me iba a deprimir más. Lindo, pero todo bastante parecido. Estilo muy final de los 90s. No había escuchado este disco, y siento que Sean Lennon le robó bastante para hacer Friendly Fire, pero me gusta más el de Sean.

Siento que es de esos músicos que fueron mucho más importantes en Estados Unidos que en el resto del mundo. Un poco me gustó, pero debería escuchar un par de veces más para tener una opinión definitiva. Me hizo acordar bastante a Jeff Buckley. Le doy 3 estrellas porque ni me volvió loco en la primera escucha ni me pareció malo, pero si pudiera serían 3 y media porque al menos me dejó la curiosidad por seguir escuchándolo

it may be interesting, but not for me.

Just OK

Ну, прикольный сонграйтер. Ну, грустные песенки пишет, тоскливые... Я вот вспомнил видос СКИЛЛЗа, что русская музыка - самая грустная на свете: возможно, этот парень смог всё-таки вызвать вот это меланхоличное чувство и у него тоже есть какая-то своя 8ая нота. В остальном же - ну норм текстоцентричный альбом, чего-то сверхнеобычного в нём нет. Жалко парня, плохо кончил...

альбом имени ночного автобуса номер 4

Pretty good but not quite enough to make me go buy it.

This album turned me into a Gen Xer

There's some really nice song-writing in here. A lot of the album kind of floated by, but there are some good standout tracks. I particularly liked 'Junk Bond Trader' and 'Stupidity Tries'. I really like the instrumentation and his vocals.

Not recommended for listening at your desk first thing on a Tuesday morning. I mean, it is, this is a great album but holy jesus will your day be kinda melancholic for the rest of it.

More of the same from Elliot Smith, though slightly more interesting than “Either or”.

This was a pretty good listen. Very unique style.

Figure 8 is good; it starts really well for the first three tracks, tails off a bit but comes back pretty well. Not spectacular but it's a 16 track album that lasts nearly an hour but doesn't feel like it. Well constructed, can give or take his voice but it's effective at its best, solid 3.

First exposure to Elliot Smith. Intriguing mix of XTC meets Gabriel Kahane, a la The Shins. The dynamic contrast of the whispery vocals over ear-catching changes (V/V usage, b3rdMajor, and parallel minors) pulls you in. The sameness of it all though was too much for me. I'll study Smith but not listen much.

Kinda forgetable. In fact, I've already forgotten it....

Sounds like the kinda guy who would stab himself in the chest

I’ve never gotten into Elliot Smith, but I’ve also never really tried to (maybe because liking Elliot Smith would be too painfully on brand). His talent as a songwriter is undeniable, and you can hear his influence on artists like Alex G. There aren’t any bad songs on this album but it was still underwhelming. The first 2 tracks were my favorite and after that it was fine to listen to but nothing great. I expect to feel more emotions listening to such an emotional album.

It is hard to separate Elliot Smith's work from his tragic (and short) life. The downbeat tone is a bit too much for me. While there are some songs that are not delivered in his signature whispery vocals, there are not enough of them to balance the overall album. If I was to add an Elliot Smith release to this list (I would not), it would be XO.

Easy listen, but feels like it drags...

I found this album quite timeless, it has not aged. However, has not made me want to look up the back catalogue so…

I like Elliott Smith but I never seem to get to a place where I LOVE him. He's very talented, both as a lyricist and a guitar player. I do love his play style and on this record, he really showcases what he's capable of.

OK, not great. Some good songs.

I liked a few songs, but most of the album didn't really stand out. I get that appeal and will probably try some of his earlier work.

Nice listenning to this album. I didn't know this artist.

I liked this one a little better than the other Elliot Smith album. Lovely palette of sounds in the arrangements/production, though I still wish he'd sing out more often. Might have been 3.5 stars if I'd had more than once through with it, but realistically I'm unlikely to pull it out for another listen - so not 4.

It wasn’t bad. It just didn’t do much for me.

Kazkaip visiskai neutralus. Pamirstu, kad klausausi. Nesinori perjungti, bet demesio neatkreipia, pasizymeti konors nesinori. Fonine muzika. Visai artima tokiai, kokios klausauai. Gal todel ir neissiskiria. Neprisiminciau nieko apie si albuma.

Every generation has its own Nick Drake

Not listened yet

A strong singer-songwriter album of Beatlesesque pop. I tended to enjoy the songs with a full band sound the most. Highlights: “Son of Sam,” “Junk Bond Trader,” “Stupidity Tries,” “Bye” (beautiful little instrumental to end the album)

Listening to *Figure 8* again, I can't quite shake the feeling that this is the least striking album Elliott Smith has ever released. Thank goodness, Dimery has also included *Either / Or* in his list. Here, at least, no one can accuse him to have missed or forgotten the best album by an artist. But when it comes to the question of Smith's *second best* album, the self-titled debut and *X.O.* have far better credentials than his last record, to be honest. Hence why the inclusion of that *other* record in here puzzles me a little... Of course, we're still talking about Ellioot Smith here. The man still had that special touch for sensitive and effective songwriting in quite a few parts of this LP. In fact, the main issue one can have with *Figure 8* is its arrangements and instrumentation. They go a little too far from the minimalistic production of Smith's earlier output, which was a perfect home for his fragile and graceful songs. Here, useless layering is instead stifling the natural charm those new tunes could have had had they been recorded differently. Less is more, especially with Elliott. This is how his precious craft shines the best. And boy did it shine brightly for a short while... No one can blame Smith for wanting his sound to evolve, though. In a better world than ours, *Figure 8* would thus be a transitional record helping Smith achieve greatness later on--this could have occured on a subsequent LP displaying a new sound that would ideally balance sophistication and more straightforward intents. Sadly, we'll never listen to this album now... Rest in peace, Elliott. Music history would have been a tiny bit more interesting than it is if you had stuck around just a little longer. But thanks for all those gems you still managed to leave us in such a short time. A lot of folks still cherish them, you know. As the cherish your memory... Number of albums left to review: 669 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 161 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 78 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 92

Much better than the other Elliott Smith album on here, but way too long.

Ik vind Elliott Smith geweldig, maar vind het eerdere werk beter.

Ik vond dit nergens spannend. Omdat het een tragisch figuur is en ik daar een zwak voor heb, een extra ster.

Pretty average album, bumped it up to 3 for nostalgic reasons truth be told

Me gustó, pero no podría decir mucho más

It’s ok. Not really a fan

Very good to listen to, but to me it lacks originality and better lyrics.

How did I miss this album? I love Elliott smith. This one's a bit of a mix it seems. 3 stars

I remember being in HS and hearing that Elliott Smith was THE MAN in college rock radio. I always assumed he was a weepy singer songwriter with an acoustic guitar so I was pleasantly surprised by a few tracks on Figure 8. Junk Bond Trader has a harpsichord intro and a soulful sway to it. ES sounds a lot like Ben Gibbard from Death Cab. There are a few whiners on here, though.

Actually really enjoyed this... goes on a bit much but think it's an album that would grow with multiple listens

Generous 3. Pretty disappointing

Worth another listen for sure.

It was ok. Not much going on that excited me.

Não conhecia esse artista. Gostei da sonoridade

Nice electric singer-songwriter, but nothing too notable

Not my favourite ES album

Fint album, jeg har vel bare hørt hans to første, og de har jeg hørt hundre ganger. Dette var bra, men ikke hans beste

Chill mellow early aughts.

Found the previous Elliot Smith album a week ago a bit humdrum, so not really looking forward to this, but if it’s meant to be his best work then I’ll go in open minded. Much better! Still low key quiet singing, but the songs are much more in the vein of Brendon Benson, but not as catchy.

Was OK quote enjoyed elements of this overall didn't ser me on fire baby.

I'd listened to this album when it first came out, but it didn't really gel with me, recalled it being depressing, but re-listening now, while probably still a bit depressing, was much better than I recalled.

This was fine but not especially compelling to me

CD

The Beatles? Nah, this guy has never heard of them. I truly thought this guy was british until I looked him up on wikipedia. I would also recommend listening to the deluxe edition, it has a nice cover of "Because" and the Schoolhouse Rock "Figure 8". A couple of the songs I liked were "Son of Sam," "Colorbars," "Can't Make A Sound." But ultimately it just sounded like he was trying too hard to be the Beatles.

I was a little disappointed in this. I like Elliott Smith a lot but this unfortunately didn't grab me like XO and Either/Or have.

Elliot Smith was talented and his music is nice but so many songs sound the same. I wish there was more variety in his music.

Nice enough

Quiet album with some light rock themes, good listen although a bit sad at times.

Elliott wrote some gorgeous songs and there's no doubt that he left us too soon but a whole album of that overdubbed voice and melancholy tempo is a bit of a downer.

not bad, but not my favorite

Very 2000s coffee shop vibes

Music was nice, lots of Beatlesy major/minor switching, wasn't too keen on the guy's voice though.

Quite mellow and chilled out. Thought it was good, gave it a couple of listens. Stupidity Tries was a highlight.

😞

beautiful, haunting, good sad music

I have not heard a lot of Elliot Smith’s work but what little I’ve heard, I’ve liked. This album is no exception. It’s really well done.

Pop tranquilo y elegante. Fácil de escuchar. Un tanto pesimista, pero agradable de escuchar

Enjoyed the listen, would give it another listen to see if I really like it

All together an ok album. Nothing really stuck out besides a couple of absurd chord progressions and changes. Vocals were not too fitting to the artistic style.

Good listen. Didn't really grab me but I could listen again.

Good rock album; although Smith tries too much to sound like the Beatles on many of these songs, without reaching their level. But overall very nice. 3/5

It's a pretty good album, but it's not entirely my thing.

I gave this one a 2 before, but I'm milder now.

Not bad

Not bad but also pretty forgettable 2.75/5

I think the writing is really good but the vocals aren't on point all the time. L.A. was a great song.

Not bad, didn’t catch my attention too much though.

I liked this one, but have never loved Elliott Smith as so many others have.

I thought I’d like this album more than I did. Giving 3 stars for at least being original.

Someone Iv never heard before. Good album

Makes me nostalgic for a breakup I never went through. Highlights somebody I used to know, everything reminds me of her, in the lost and found, better be quiet now. I found the album too long and was bored at times.

Album was ok, something about his voice bothered me. Son Of Sam and L.A. were my favorites. Not sure I'd listen to the whole thing through again though.

Ikke min type stemme. Litt kjedelige sanger

A pleasure

Melancholy mixed with relaxation. The lyrics through all of this album are sad, occasionally stepping through to the depressing and self-harm areas of Elliott Smith's brain. I found most of the songs to be (ironically) fairly catchy and melodic, reminding me of the quieter selections from The Beatles's catalogue. I feel like there was a time in my life where this album would have resonated and I would play it on repeat, but that era is behind me. Not going to be a frequent listen for me. Fave tracks: Everything Reminds Me Of Her, Colorbars

This album is more polished, produced and completed than Elliot Smith's other works, but I find that doesn't necessarily help him here. The thing that got him noticed was writing very personal, intimate songs, and this feels like a step away from that. Overall its not bad, the music sounds nice, and Smith's songwriting and lyrics are still effective. Good for a sad rainy day or self-reflection. But it's missing the deeply personal feeling of his earlier work. Fav Tracks: Son of Sam, Everything Reminds Me of Her, Stupidity Tries

Bits are really nice, but overall this is just average.

A haunting portrait of mental illness for the new century. I adore the additional tracks on the deluxe version of this album.

Another day, another white boy alt-rock album. 3 stars

This is my second Elliott Smith album. I gave the first one a 2/5. I am enjoying this one a little bit more. Easy to listen to and have on in the background. Overall I like it better than the other album I had.

I really like some of these songs! This particular brand of American accent is a little irritating to me though. I am listening while bashing out a bunch of reports though so maybe that's the issue. I'm into some songs but know I would have appreciated them more when I was about 17 and then would have loved it because the sound is super nostalgic to me.

He's still pretty mopey but this was a lot more rocky than the last one we listened to. I find some of his lyrics too straight up sad boy but I guess he was a very sad boy. Preferred it to the previous one.

I found this one a bit too samey

Memorable in the sense that I remember thinking this was perfectly fine, but I also don't remember what it sounds like very much at all. 3.5

Was not a fan of the last Elliott Smith album that came up, just super bummer music. With that, I was pleasantly surprised when Son of Sam started up with some upbeat guitar. Still an emo album but there's more energy in the instrumentals and he's projecting his voice more too so wasn't as bad as the last go around.

Depressing and mellow

Not bad

Melodic and enjoyable. The Wally cover for the second track sure took some artistic licence. The Beatles references kept building like a figure 8.

Some Britpop singer-songwriter vibes here, was surprised to hear how he died sooon after this album. How did you like it Adam?

Couldn't get into it. Did sound nice and interesting though.

There is nothing wrong at all with this album, but it just doesn't quite come to life for me, partly due to the somewhat bland vocals.

Lekker muziekje. Niks bijzonders, geen uitschieters, maar heel goed te luisteren. ***

Good one. Pleasantly surprised

Nice songs, really nicely recorded. I'm not quite sure why Elliott Smith has two albums on the must hear list. It's OK... just OK.

Some good singer/songwriter stuff, like a newer and less quirky Elvis Costello in some ways.

Mukavaa leppeää taustamusaa

Usually a big fan of the smith but found this particular album… one I’ve never heard… fairly dull. Hate to sound like a cliche but I prefer his earlier work!

I enjoy the sound of Elliot Smith but definitely have to be in the mood to listen to him for more than a couple of songs.

I wish I hadn’t have read his Wikipedia page and found out he killed himself (or was stabbed to death?) in his early thirties. It made a melancholy album even sadder to listen to. But it’s good. Kinda Beatles-esque in a way. It’s cool that he plus all the instruments. I respect that.

music to nod your head to as you sweep through the clothing racks of your favorite thrift store

This was a really enjoyable, calming album. Had some more upbeat songs, but reminded me a lot of other pop/alternative albums of that time.

I've wanted to get into Elliott Smith's music for a while, and I doubt this is the best place to start, as even Apple Music prefaces this one as a departure from his more traditional, singer-songwriter style. There are a few stripped back tracks on here (which I honestly enjoyed more), but a lot is more produced and rock-y band-y. Still pretty good though, due to the strength of his writing, but I'll look forward to a more quintessential album to sink my teeth into, like Either/Or. Favorite tracks: Somebody That I Used to Know, Better Be Quiet Now, Junk Bond Trader. Album art: Seems like a White Stripes knockoff. It's weird that Elliott looks so cool on the Either/Or cover but looks really dorky here. Maybe there's a metaphor here since this album is him not really in his comfort zone. 3.5/5

I've got nothing to say

I love me a bit of Elliott Smith but find this album's inclusion a bit odd, it's easily his weakest effort.

Nice voice, good production but a bit flat

Gets a little better each time I hear it. 3/5

Makes good background music, other than that…

5/10. Rather boring and forgettable, but pleasant enough.

It's pretty listenable but definitely a downer. 6/10

I like this album and I'm happy that I got acquainted with his other songs. I would check out his discography as well.

This is great - my first real listen to Elliott Smith and I really like it. If you're coming to him late, as I have, then you'll recognise all the influences and all the artists influenced; so avoid the "he sounds like..." critique.

Not heard this before and I only had time to listen to about half of it. This is an album that needs more than one play. I can't really give an accurate rating.

Folksy

Boring

I'm glad I listened to this album even though I was worried it might make me more depressed. It was pretty music and I wasn't too focused on the lyrics. Favorite songs were Son of Sam and Junk Bond Trader.

2nd listen. Some of the songs are quite nice.

don't remember much lol but I remember it being nice

3, 3.5. It was quite pleasant and I hadn't heard of them before.

Not the biggest fan of this. Sounds kind of whiney. It's not necessarily bad, it's just not for me.

I was expecting something very different based on the album cover. Instead of some doofus punk rock like Blink-182 I got more of a pre-emo sensitive crooner vibe, like James Blunt or Jason Mraz. It’s not for me. It’s fine, but it sounded like the same song 16 times.

Great opening track (Son of Sam). I found most of the other tracks to have much the same sound, a bit too in-one-ear-out-the-other. Fine for background music.

It was ok

I liked this at first and then the more I listened to it the less I liked it. The vocal is irritating to listen to and the lyrics are boring. Best track is "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" and worst track is "Pretty Mary Kay." I also really disliked "Everything Reminds Me of Her" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me" back to back in the track list. Good instrumentation but uninteresting vocals/lyrics for the most part, 2.5/5 but I'll round up because I will revisit 1-2 songs from this album.

Apparently, he was influential in the US. Maybe it's worth listening to more of his work, but taking this one as a standalone, it doesn't go about a 3 for me. Inoffensive meh.

Not quite as strong as some of Smith's other work but still Elliot Smith so it's good shit. Eases a bit away from the sadness.

Some songs are nice, but I have the feeling that I heard many similar albums. Nevertheless - quite nice

Nicht schlecht aber auch nicht wirklich einprägsam. Habe mich sehr leicht ablenken lassen

Ok

Svært at vurdere og kræver nok en lytning mere. Umiddelbart godt, men måske lidt kedeligt. Vellydende 3-4 stjerner

i never really cared for his music one way or another - i'd never heard anything by him before he died, and while i'm definitely sorry he's gone, his music just doesn't do much for me. maybe one day that'll change, but for now, this just wasn't that interesting to me.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I might. Tracks are a little samey but pleasant listening

Pleasant listening. Some very pretty tracks but it does drag on a bit

Chill but alright

I like his voice and melodies. It is done well, though didn't move me like others.

Poor old Elliot. Here he has moved away from the quiet acoustic numbers he had been previously known for to a full band approach. He still has a quiet voice that sounds like he's scared to be singing. Best Tracks: Son of Sam; Somebody That I Used to Know; In The Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost

While somewhat interesting to listen to, it was also a bit dark for my music tastes. I’ll need to revisit it a couple more times. 3

Very quiet, relaxing album.

Not bad, although it isn’t really different from others 3/5

Listened in the background and it was fine, but nothing particularly special to me.

I really enjoyed the music in the background. The piano especially was fantastic, but all the instruments held my attention. However, the lyrics and voice did not do so well. He can only sing 3 notes, and the lyrics had a tendency to be grating. Had there been a different singer, this album would have been near perfect. Favorite track: Son of Sam

3.6 oké feels, different feels but feels. positief verrast! misschien nog eens luisteren met lyrics zodat ik weet of hij echt een verhaal vertelt.

I would give it a 4, but the last few songs lean way too heavily on The Beatles. I'm also guessing this is what chamber pop is, which has never really been that interesting for me. The instrumentation and vocals are nice, but it's overall not very interesting. Highlights: 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10.

I liked it, new to me. Upbeat music with some darker subjects in the lyrics. I will def look into more from him. 3.5

Good album. Chill and you can see how it influenced future artists.

Ok, not my thing

Solid background album, but not much else.

Arrangiamento e produzione non mi hanno impressionato anche se nel complesso il disco l’ho sentito facilmente.

Good but not as good as self titled

- too long - interesting production - got bored

YEAAA saved it, i like it . especially l.a and the one with the really long hunky dory name that comes afterwards

I had no idea who this guy was. Now I wonder why that is because this is a pretty good album. It all ran together toward the end but there are some strong tracks throughout. Bummer that he died young.

I listened 3 times and had to really focus. This music fades into the background really easily. With its repetition, it gets you into a folkindie trance. My favorite songs are Everything means nothing to me, Stupidity tries, and can't make a sound. I do think the album is too long and that many songs are forgettable. A middle of the road album for middle of the road times.

Favourite Song: Somebody That I Used To Know

Sounds like the end of American beauty / good will hunting or any other late 90's existential movie.

Some nice tracks and interesting lyrical themes.

Nowhere near as dreary as I was fearing with a few nice upbeat tracks. Not necessarily my kind of thing but it was decent enough for a one-off listen. Best track: Stupidity Tries

Zitten 2 catchy songs in. Maar vrij 'repititief'

Liked it, it sounds familiar. Nice for a relaxed Sunday

I think of Ben Folds without the interesting rhythms and lyrics. Pretty okay singer-songwriter, and not TOO quiet, but will take a few listens to grow on me. Was gonna say 2, but as I have listened a couple of times today on accident, it is growing on me. I think I'm giving it a 3 for potential.

2e nummer van de plaats is niet echt zuiver gezongen. Voor de rest best goede muziek voor op de achtergrond.

Indie Ok

Wonder if my parents listened to Louis Prima... The chorus “I Got Nobody” very similar to David Lee Roth

7

Några va bra, några va bajs

Bit Sufjan-esque

A bit "meh". It didn't grab my attention.

needs another listen but good

good for background

Lyrically dense. Will have to give it another few listens to really appreciate it.

No está mal, pero no es lo que mas me apetecía escuchar.

Bien

Tranquilito, pero bien.

Somebody That I Used To Know features some killer acoustic guitar work. I liked L.A. meh its just not for me.

Not bad honestly. Not my favorite genre but I definitely enjoyed the production. Singing was meh but bearable for 52 min. Might listen again, kinda forgettable.

Un disco con el que no pude conectar, por decir algo. O sea, no me desagradó para nada, tiene sus buenos momentos, pero lo escuché varias veces y como que nada "me hizo clic". Yo creo que tiene sus dosis acertadas de varias cosas, como romance o humor: además de las letras, un gran tino poner juntas "Everything Reminds Me Of Her" y "Everything Means Nothing To Me". Creo que todas las canciones podrían salir en películas de esas que gustan etiquetar como indie. En fin, creo que "L.A." y "Stupidity Tries" fueron las que más me gustaron, además de la ya mencionada "Everything Means...". En fin, DEP E. Smith. 7/10

It was an average album overall. A lot of 60s inspired sounds that I enjoy, but other than his unique voice, not much of an impression left. Not sure how he inspired so many musicians.

Rock setentero

Quite good, liked some of them

ist doch alles ganz nett - 3

It was fine, just not my thing.

pollege

enjoyed it

Oh you mean John Lennon Jr.? You mean the soundtrack to any movie wanting to worth their weight? He’s not bad. Pretty pleasant. Would listen again.

I really enjoyed his singing and the instrumentals don't overshadow his voice(as with some bands where the singer has a softer singing style). The music is a bit softer and slower("easy way out") than I usually like but this one was good. I really enjoyed the more country-esque songs ("junk bond trader" and "L.A") and the more folky ones were good too("colorbars")

I probably should have been listening to this more carefully. One of these singer songwriters that's been on the periphery of my radar for a long time but never got to. It sounded pretty but I wasn't really tuned into the lyrics. Something to revisit.

Elliot Smith reminds me a lot of Bright Eyes, but I find him to be the nicer, gentler version. Nothing on the album did a whole lot for me, but nothing was bad. Very chill.

Not bad.. at a push I was very same sounds across the tracks

light liatening

some good. some bad

2000s music sounds inspired by 70s/ The Beatles

Nice

Decent album but nothing more

Liked most of the songs in the moment, but nothing stuck with me.

Lovely..

ok

There was 9 figures

s'aight,

I can’t do his voice for more than 2 songs in a row

This sounds like pretty generic singer/songwriter guitar pop to me, nothing to hate, but also not much to like.

i can feel lots of energy but overall it was very forgetable for me

If Kohn Lennon were resurrected as a 00s era pop artist. Same voice, slightly less grating, even liked some of the songs. It did overstay it's welcome though

This felt like the Beach Boys but 30ish years in the future.

Second album proposé après 'Either Or' que je n'avais pas apprécié (noté 2/5 - rien de mémorable). Ce second album est tout aussi oubliable, et est beaucoup trop long. Pas désagréable, mais rien ne me donne envie d'y retourner. =>2/5

Tracks to go back to: • Son of Sam • Junk Bond Trader • L.A. • Stupidity Tries • Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud • Can’t Make A Sound Long winded lot of skips 7/1/26

I didn't hate it, Son of Sam was a good opening and his voice is actually quite nice, but it still ended up repetitive after a while, with later tracks losing a lot of the energy that made some of the early tracks nice Mostly kind of turns into background music. It feels like one of those albums that is only on the list due to a tragic death because there are a TON of those. I'm sure I'll like his other album on here more

fav songs: somebody that i used to know introspective, melancholic, quiet 30/100

The main thing that carries this album is definitely Smith's songwriting capabilities (which are admittedly slightly diminished by the end of the album...). Despite many of the songs adopting a bleak emotional perspective, Smith consistently employs vivid metaphorical language to convey the psychological complexity underlying his melancholy. Despite Smith's overall attitude across the album remaining fairly constant, within each song he reframes his message in order to provide the listener with a deeper sense of understanding and perspective surrounding his thoughts/problems - but whilst this is intriguing in the beginning of the album, this lyrical approach soon grows tiresome and dreary. Smith takes a grounded approach to his life as a songwriter - he appears to discredit himself as a picture-perfect 'celebrity', and instead portrays himself as someone shaped by his extensive misery and loneliness. However, this also reinforces a deeply melancholic public persona that rarely allows for moments of emotional relief. My main issue with this album is how monotonous it is. The whole album becomes emotionally exhausting relatively quickly and is therefore one I'd very rarely reach for - a lot of the songs sound very similar and are all underpinned by his message of his eternal sadness which, as unfortunate it is, makes this album quite a boring listen. I'm going to give this album a 2.5/5 - it's nothing special and is not one I see myself returning to anytime soon.

It was ok. I kept waiting for a song to hook me and it never really happey

This was boring as fuck.

This album feels like a producer told Elliot Smith that his music was too sad and he needed to be more energetic. Many of the themes are still melancholy, but now with snappier rhythms underneath. Yet, it doesn't feel like an intentional and interesting juxtaposition. It just kinda clashes.

It’s so twee and MOR and boring :( 2

idk man. lots of my favorite artists say he’s their number one inspiration, but he’s just not that special to me 😔 idk and he’s got that nasally voice 😔 idk 😔

this was mid

Another strange one. I genuinely enjoyed the music for the most part, and I really didn't hate any part of the album, but its just his vocals. For my ears, they're just on a frequency that I don't even register. Attempting to listen to the lyrics created a Men In Black mind-wipe effect.

I feel like the Elliott Smith and Nick Drake picks are starting to blur together. I can't tell you how many of each of them we've listened to so far. I liked how this one sounded but the songs didn't really stand out to me in any way.

Not my thing. Good tho

To me for an album to be memorable something has to pop. Be it voice, lyrics or the tunes. Get two of three it could be great all three rare. This ticks none of those boxes. Entirely forgettable. Not offensive not bad just not enough to elevate it above and make it special. He probably has his fans who will defend him to the death but not me.

Mostly, these are perfect tracks for a montage on a mid-2000s CW show, perhaps where all the characters are at home being sad looking out of windows. The better tracks might be used on a mid-series season of Scrubs instead. Not for me.

Een album waarvan ik hoopte dat het ergens heen zou gaan, maar binnen de grenzen blijft. Halverwege opgegeven

Un álbum bastante interesante, algo tranquilo y exótico; no sé si me la pasaría escuchándolo todo el día, pero alguna que otra canción sí me gustó.

Lyrically it’s good, but I just doesn’t resonate with me at any point. Very repetitive with some exceptions.

ok, mas meio sem graça, ritmo até q vai, 2

meh

It wasn't bad. Elliott is a talented musician, but god the album was boring

Listened 17 May 2026