When I reviewed New Moon a while back, I don’t think I had the appreciation for Elliott Smith’s music that I do now. I think I needed several listens of that record in order to better appreciate his songwriting gifts and his articulate playing. New Moon captured demos and early recordings from what is considered his richest songwriting period – 1994-1998, covering the albums Elliott Smith and Either/Or.
On a trip to the library one day, I found the most recent release from his estate, An Introduction to…Elliott Smith, which is a compilation of some of his best tunes from his first album to From a Basement on a Hill, his last official LP (which was released posthumously). Introduction was favorably reviewed, though it didn’t get nearly the reviews as his original releases did. I found it to be a great re-introduction for me; I listened to it a couple of times and re-listened to New Moon and started to better understand and appreciate these qualities in him.
From a Basement on a Hill is the second of Smith’s albums on my list and the subject of today’s entry.
# 58 – Elliott Smith, From a Basment on the Hill (Metascore = 88)
When I first listened to this record, I thought Smith was bitter and angry. Unlike New Moon, there was a lot more electric guitars and heavy drums, so I immediately took this negative approach. But on my second listen, I realized this is more on par with some of the songs I heard on Introduction, so I have given it a better chance. I guess I ought to if I’m going to understand the reviews (see the 88 above).
When I hear “Coast to Coast”, I think about this article I read in Britain’s New Music Express about his life and music. He was going through a rough relationship at the time, and the lyrics seem to emphasize this. His relationship was on-again, off-again, and some people have speculated that its ups and downs had something to do with his death. Whether or not this is true, the negativities in this relationship permeate from this track. “Let’s Get Lost” would be his running away based on the track sequence, though I’m more intrigued by his guitar playing and singing here. “Let’s Get Lost” also recalls his minimalist past works on Elliott Smith or Either/Or, which were not known for their electric qualities.
“Pretty (Ugly Before)” is my favorite tune of his. I have read that he did not intend to include this song on the album, it having been released as a single before. However, there is just something so rich about this song, so creative in the words and playing (despite how cliché it may sound), that I really feel this benefits the album tremendously. It’s a pop song…a sad pop song, but so catchy that I can’t help humming it. For me this might be the epitome of the sad indie pop tunes he ever wrote.
In reading some reviews, the critics describe the music on this album and his previous release, Figure 8, as more grandiose than his previous records. Having heard some of his songs from earlier releases on Introduction, I can hear the Beatles circa Magical Mystery Tour or White Album sound in these songs. There is the hint of psychedelia mixed in with acoustic balladry and melody in the majority of tunes here. There is the mix of optimism and pessimism (though more pessimism than optimism). I actually find it to be a refreshing update of that sound.
Some of the reviewers also criticized this record for being burdened with topics that were too reminiscent of earlier works. One topic Smith abuses over and over is drugs, which he had a terrible heroin and alcohol addiction during his life. At some point he’s beating a dead horse in discussing it, and perhaps he may not have released some of these songs if he had been alive. I have a hard time overanalyzing these comments because we don’t know what he might have changed if he had been alive when this was released. I think some of the criticisms are valid but really unfair given the circumstances.
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