Elliott Smith

Editor's Review:

You can read whatever you want into Elliott Smith’s lyrics and the sad circumstances surrounding his first posthumous release, but it’s impossible not to acknowledge the prophetic nature of From a Basement on the Hill. At the same time, to say that he wrote his own epitaph would be too easy and overly simplistic; yes, a dark sense of foreboding breathes icily all over this album, but the same can be said of nearly all of his material. The fact that he was found with a knife lodged in his chest last October only plays right into his legacy. It may be callous to say, but it was only a matter of time. The only thing surprising about his suicide is the precise method he chose to go about it.
That said, From a Basement…isn’t Elliott Smith’s strongest album. He’s penned better songs, and his music has always lent itself better to the mid-fi sound captured on Either / Or than the gloss and folly of major studio work. The production is tempered better than on Figure 8, but the beauty of his songcraft needs no added padding. Elliott’s murmuring voice and supple melodies have always been more suited to songs that saunter rather than rock out, and there’s plenty of the latter here. While more vigorous songs like “Coast to Coast” and “Shooting Star” are pulled off well, especially the latter with its queasy, note-bending intro, the most noteworthy tracks, “A Fond Farewell” and “Twilight” emit their lugubrious, heart-stopping beauty effortlessly, sadly, quietly. Regardless, there is much to appreciate of this album, and it will surely depress you in the delightful way Mr. Smith had mastered.
– Maurice S. Teilmann

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Record Label Anti- Released October 2004

Tracks Coast to Coast Let's Get Lost Pretty (Ugly Before) Don't Go Down Strung Out Again Fond Farewell King's Crossing Ostriches & Chirping Twilight A Passing Feeling Last Hour Shooting Star Memory Lane Little One A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free

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