Either Or

This is my second Elliott Smith album on this list, and whilst this seemed to fare a little better than the other one it still didn’t do much for me. Nice drum sound on Alameda, and a good production overall, but nothing much appealed to me.

Zzz

привет Ваня! скукотища альбом конечно

ПОЛИНА ПРИВЕТ)

Sad singer-songwriter album with lots of acoustic guitar and whispered vocals. Not really my style but it was a bit less boring than some of the similar albums on this list so far.

I don’t like this. His vocal delivery rubs me the wrong way. The style is overly uniform. The big positive here for me is the guitar playing. I like the guitar work on Angeles quite a bit. I think it’s just not my style because I certainly don’t think this is bad.

Mais uma vez um artista folk, e mais uma vez alguém que não conheço. Fica dificil de comentar sobre, meu tipo de música melancólica e sentimental é bem diferente disso aqui, porém não diria que é ruim. É compreensível quem gosta. Me parece muito trilha sonora de filmes noir (ainda mais com essa artwork onde o artista parece um p*sicop*ta kkk). Interessante. Não é de se jogar fora.

Didnt gel with this. Like listening to a Beatles cover solo artist ok a coustic who doesnt know the words or tune.

Weepy whispery whiny. I do like the low fi recording and the music is pretty good, but the voice spoils it for me.

This is just so incredibly boring.

Try being a bit upbeat now and again.

Eh. Either Or is appropriately titled. Take it or leave it.

this was better than i thought it was gonna be, i did think it was going to be a lot more depressing than it was although the end sort of went in that direction. will have to give it another listen i think

This was just a little dull, unfortunately.

Not very memorable.

Ikke min kopp te, svært forglemmelig.

It was a bit of an odd album to be honest I wasn’t too fond of it it had a couple of alright songs but honestly I wasn’t too into it. Top three: Ballad of Big Nothing, Cupid’s Trick, Rose Parade

All songs sound the same. There was probably one song that I really felt rocked.

Never been the most enthusiastic about Smith (aside from “Needle in the Hay”), but he’s alright

Mum music - mellow guitar singer songwriter stuff. Not my cup of tea.

This wasn't near as good as his figure 8 album. This just sounded like incoherent whispers over a repetitive acoustic guitar. Each song sounded the same. It was as if Paul McCartney lost his voice and only wanted to do slow songs.

Uninspired

Just didn’t hit for me. All the songs blended together and sounded the same. Might be good background listening.

It's alright

Reading the reviews I thought that I’d like this album more than I actually do. I like melodic singer songwriters but this was all a bit beige and nondescript. Even when listening in bed on a Sunday morning, the perfect time for an album such as this, it did nothing for me. 2/5 17/5/26

Not really for me? I don't have much to say about this album, except I liked Figure 8 more. Looking at the other reviews give big "you just had to be there" vibes, but it just hits the one-two punch of boring and depressing that makes an album like sludge to listen to. I think I have an aversion to this kind of acoustic indie folk stylings and can only take it in certain moods. By the end everything sounded the same. It's between a 2 and a 3 for me and I think it would depend on the day. Today it's a 2.

Sad boy songs. Felt like I needed headphones to really appreciate it. I think it didn't catch me on the right day.

His music is fine, but it leans too much on the boring side for me.

..

Nah.

I don’t get him.

The poster child for angst in the 90s. A unique voice and unique playing but not many memorable songs

Started off well but then everything started to sound the same.

2 stars bc i wish i liked it more but if this is the best of elliott smith not my guy i just feel like everyone hypes him he’s prolly beloved by my beloved artists so?

not at all related to this album but i just wanted to say that i don't really get the appeal of lana del rey. been too afraid to say that anywhere else. elliott smith sucks

i'm sorry elliott my brain just isn't big enough for ur mellowjams :(

Quickly became repetitive.

Didn't grab me as much as his other album, I felt detached

Yeah this is just way too soft. At least it's short. Frankly, so bland it deserves a 2. I'm bored and I'm 3 songs in. Didn't bother to finish. - Curious soft rock intro - Lame but fine. Kinda emo

I hate myself for saying this, but I didn't really like this album. I understand people love this guy and, I mean, he really is the epitome of sad music but my idea of sad music is it a bit different. Elliot Smith sounds like he wants to go to sleep and never wake up but in a weirdly comforting away, I want to hear pain and emotion, else I'd rather listen to classical music. I get this man was really going through it so this is probably a horrible thing to say (sorry) but there's just this sense of wallowing in self-pity that makes me feel uncomfortable and like I want to distance myself from this... I don't know, maybe that's my inability to deal with other people's emotions coming through here.

Well.... Elliott Smith. Didn't find it objectionable but I didn't really find it engaging either. Kept hearing snippets of other american bands like Pavement, Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, Ween, but nothing on the level of any of those. Fave Track - Rose Parade Least fave - 2.45am 5/10

Olen nüüd kriitiline: see vokaal tüütab kohutavalt ära. See on see 90ndate ja 00ndate õhuline sosistamise vokaal, mis lihtsalt minu jaoks kriibib kõrva täielikult. Lood ise on isegi põnevad (kuigi mitte väga meeldejäävad). Laulmine on täitsa pihta ka, aga see tämber on tõesti kohutav. 2.4/5

This will forever be one of those albums that critics love, and die-hard fans get; just not my style of music. And I am not hearing the guitar-god, genius label some apply.

Toen ie 6 nummers diep in “no name no. 5” zei “I hope you like waiting” zong, bereikte ik wel mijn fysieke staat van verveling. Nee, ik hou niet van wachten, en zeker niet tot dat langzame album van jou nou eens klaar is. Verder wel best wel rustgevende muziek. Het is relaxt, maar het maakt me ook niet warm of koud. Echt muziek op de achtergrond in een koffiezaak. Of in de lift. Of op je iPod omdat dat het enige album was dat iTunes gratis erop zette, en je wil hem nog niet jailbreaken. Of op de radio in de voorbereidingskamer alvorens de verbrandingsovendeur geopend wordt van het crematorium. Dan is elliot smith wat je hoort, en specifiek “say yes”. Super.

Like a slow folksy album. Kinda boring.

I liked how he was inspired by Kierkegaard!! too sad for me though. i liked Angeles. or, i didnt dislike Angeles should i say. also the lyrics pretty good. but overall dry and sad lullabies.

Buena música, pero no es mi estilo . Demaciado romántico para mí gusto

I can't say I care for Elliott Smith's voice. Can't say I care for the aesthetic or songwriting. By the time I break Elliott Smith down, there's not much left for me to enjoy. I may be a little critical. Smith doesn't put me completely off, but he does bore me. I think I may be too old and too emotionally stable to buy in to what Smith is selling.

Well played, production sounded good. I was personally just bored and all the song ran together for me. Not something that I'd want to revisit

yeah, its nice lofi, maybe for my coffee shop ambience

I like depressing music but not this depressing music. Maybe if I started listening to his in my 20’s it would be a different story.

Muy melancólico para mi gusto, pero Between the bars muy buena

This reminds me of a bookshop band that had regular subdued gigs in the '90's. Those bands always made me want to do violence to the band, stage, and pretentious turds shushing those of us who didn't give a crap about your boyfriend's "band." That said, musically, it's not offensive. The guy had his flash from Good Will Hunting, but no matter what Rolling Stone says (i.e., old white guys whose fantasy boyfriends were "with the band"), this dude's no Paul Simon. Not even close. This is a two-star album. I love Good Will Hunting, so I considered a bump, but that's not fair to actual 3* albums. So, this should be replaced on this list by Blind Melon's Blind Melon, which is a solid 4* album. Blind Melon has similarly introspective but vastly superior lyrics, an actually unique sound, a certified smash hit that made an actual cultural impact, and balls.

me gustaron algunas. está bien.

Alright. I get why people liked this, it is musically interesting, but honestly the vocals take a lot out of it for me. They’re very hard to process but not even in the interesting Cocteau Twins or Beck kind of way. It seems like the lyrics should be what carries or maybe justifies the mood/atmosphere but that’s not happening for me. It could just be my problem between my hearing loss and auditory processing difficulties. I enjoy the slightly heavier/grungier stuff but this just isn’t for me.

Some nice ideas but it's so painfully average in it's production and sound with not enough variation or fire.

Fine. Downbeat lyrics make the album feel like a bit of an unenjoyable slog at times, even if it’s fairly short. 2:45 AM the only song I’d maybe listen to again

Not really for me

Overall I thought I would like this a bit more than I did. But I liked 2:45am and Say Yes quite a bit.

Where the heck was that recorded in the submarine?

Slow. Couldn't gather anything special from lyrics or story.

Pretty chill album, got a little boring in the middle, not bad just not memorable.

It was alright, I might have missed something on this album. Not my usual digs.

Singing and musical quality is great but I found myself mostly bored with forgettable songs.

aggressively boring

I think I forgot about this album before it was even over

Beetje saai

😐

eh?

lyrics too quiet, not my thing

Not my favourite.

The American Teenage Fanclub!

I’m just meh on Elliott Smith

Can you whisper and drone at the same time? The other one was better

There were a few songs that were enjoyable, but nothing that I would save to a playlist.

To sad, maybe it didnt Hit me right while in Gym but nothing to remeber for me tbh.

I'll admit, I'm listening to this on the bus with my broken headphones,, but this kinda sucks

this album was fine to listen to in the background while working, but none of the songs are memorable and nothing really was interesting or surprising

So sad and boring. This is not a world I like to immerse myself in for too long. Smith is never grating though. His voice is very nice and soothing, he’s just kind of a one trick pony. A few tracks here hint at catchiness and excitement and joy, but none ever quite get there- by design. That irritates the hell out me. Of course, art is subjective. But I mean, as with all of his albums, I couldn’t tell you anything about what I just listened to, as it’s all completely faded into the abyss of memory that the brain has determined isn’t worth holding onto. If it weren’t for that scene in the Royal Tenembaums, I don’t know if I’d know the words to any of his songs at all, despite having listened to all of his albums at one point or another.

Not my favorite. Not sure what it was, just didn't hit

Zoned out a lot. Same tone for the whole album. Kinda puts you to sleep. I guess good lullaby music. Gave it a second go and still the same

Accidentally listened through it twice because I didn't realize it started over. Goes to show there weren't any that stood out

Tosi pliisua shittiä

Ei tästä kauheasti käteen jäänyt. Ei nyt mitään ihan sysipaskaa, mutta vähän kyllä kylmäksi jätti. Radioheadia ainakin vissiin on kuunneltu? En varmaan tule tähän enää palaamaan. Mennään kakkosella.

My 2nd ES album of this challenge and I'm afraid, unlike _Figure 8_ this one did little for me. I found it to be very one note and it really dragged despite it's relatively short runtime.

What's the point of Elliot Smith? Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Bored ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 231 Already owned : 53 Purchased : 12 To buy list : 2 Nope : 164

I've tried here folks. I've listened to this record while sad, when it's raining, when it's sunny, while high. You get the idea. No matter what my mood, I just don't get this. He has songs on his other projects that I am into, but this one just doesn't do it for me. On the bright side, at least I can tell my therapist that I guess I'm no longer a sad boy.

This is what happens when a lab clones Paul Simon and forces him to live in LA to develop a sad boy

meh once again. too soft give me more oomph please. that being said, say yes and cupids trick were ok

I bet this guy killed at open mic night on campus.

Bit meh

It's alright, nothing to write home about. I'm not a fan of the windy voice and dissonant vocal/instrumental melodies. I'll give it a 4/10 because I didn't immediately hate any of the music.

Zaista ništa posebno. Toliko ništa posebno da nemam šta reći.

Surprisingly I've never listened to this (or really any) Elliott Smith. Maybe not so surprising given the sad boy reputation surrounding Mr. Smith. That said I was pleasantly surprised (3 surprises, no waiting) to find that I didn't cringe my way through this one. In fact I'd say there's probably 25% of these songs I'd choose to hear again.

this is definitely not my style but i can still appreciate it. i think its just too depressing and calm. like i wouldnt WILLINGLY listen to this album but if it was on i wouldnt be too annoyed or feel the need to turn it off immediately. some songs are better than others but some are just too calm and slow.

Grow a pair for god sakes

This would play in the coffee shop from Friends. It's a mellow album that gives me an image of a college student trying to pull alt girls. Not my cup of tea.

Just gives me pictures of a weird guy mumbling to himself at the end of the bar. Very repetitive, very mumbly, and makes you want to cover your drink. Like cool, you worked out minor chords sound sad. What else you got? And this is his third album? Without subtitles, how can you tell?

Can't help but feel like I heard this same thing before by a different artist. The acoustic guitar is really pretty. Just kind of feels like the same soothing, somber vibe from start to finish with no deviation. That's fine (and could just be his style), but a couple of times I didn't even realize the song had changed really. It just kind of bored me a bit.

elit smit

Mid mid mid boring everything sounds the same

Boring. A 2.

Mid at best

Its oke

Ka was ich schreiben soll. Between The Bars aufjedenfall starker Song. Sonst nicht so meins

Where was the Goodwill Hunting song? That’s all I wanted hear. This is lame college guy music. This is what you listen to when you start to branch out on your music taste. You start with the subtly cool Elliott Smith, but then quickly realize it’s not that good, and if you try too hard to like it, you might be gay.

Another favourite of ‘uncut’ magazine. Americana singer songwriter that to my ears doesn’t really stand out from the rest.

Rose Parade e Cupid's Trick foram as músicas que mais gostei. Muito provavelmente, não voltarei a visitar este álbum. Achei monótono, chato. Não odiei, não é um 1/5. Para um álbum com apenas 36 minutos sinto que demorou 1 hora ou mais, porque nunca mais acabava.

Not my thing. Not sure why it was such a critic's darling, either. "Rose Parade" is the best track IMO but that's not saying much.

Chapa

Not offensively bad, just not my taste. Kinda whiney

Meh

dude goes right through me

I don't hate it, but the soft, midtempo, lo-fi sound is not really my thing. I like a little more raucous energy in my music ("Pictures of Me" and "Cupid's Trick" are the noisiest songs, and were my favorite listens). There are some nice melodies scattered throughout, but in total I'm just not the target audience for this kind of music.

Best Song: Cupids Trick / Speed Trials Worst Song: Ballad of Nothing This is an album I thought I would enjoy now than I did, being very nihilistic and acoustic. The all album is very homogenous, and the production is perfect. The lyricism is interesting, at times, and there are some nice melodies here and there. However there's something that would stop me listening to much of this again - I think his nasally alt rock singing- it might work in context, but not for me. I lo think some lyrics are too singer-songwriter, and one song where the lyrics would rhyme, I found off putting (in it is a silly complaint)

I hate to say it, I don't wanna sound ridiculous, I just cannot make myself care. some of the songs sound really nice, I just really don't care. Sorry to this man.

My high school girlfriend liked Elliott Smith, so the rating will already be low. The songs sounded fine enough, but they are sleepy sad-tinged mellow. If that is what you want, than it is a good fit. The album was nice paired with the grey skies and rain-snow sludge outside. If you don't want that vibe, than this album is not for you. I don't care for the album art either... I can smell the stale urine and cigarettes. This album is truly a 3 for me, but the bad high school memories and stinky cover art brings it to a 2.

I didn’t find anything here offensively bad, but I just do not enjoy this kind of bleak, mewling music. 1.5-2

I kept waiting for it to do something. Then I fell asleep. I wasn't expecting it to be so, boring. Like the individual songs are fine but one after the other is just.... makes me want to go to sleep I guess.

Meh

Not into it. The sound isn't reprehensible so it gets 2. But I really didn't care for it. Really a 1.5 with a Christmas round up.

Some decent songs but for the most part not much here. Could join up with Sebadoh 😅album I listened to previous to this

The songs are melancholic enough, but nothing really stands out. The breathy vocals don't work for me

Depressed lover boy putting me to sleep.

A little too melancholy for my taste. You can feel the emotion in the music.

Breathy, samey, a bit boring

The sad boi™️ flew to close to the sun and melted the charm into irritating whininess

Still not that big on modern indie. Nevertheless, it was good to finally listen to Elliot Smith to see what all the fuss is about

Too sad.

Eh, boring

Hitaammanlaista nuoriso jotain…

Det får bli en kort idag. Kanske aningen bättre än annat i genre, inte minst hans karaktäristiska gitarrspel. Men sticker inte ut tillräckligt för att göra det minnesvärt

Det är väl inget större fel på låtarna egentligen. Men varför viskar Elliot Smith när han sjunger?

Jag har försökt ta till mig ES tidigare (framförallt genom uppföljaren XO) utan någon riktig framgång. Här och var finns små ljus punkter men på det stora hela brister låtmaterialet. Melodierna saknar det där lilla extra och arrangemangen är enformiga och tråkiga.

Jag lyssnade mycket på uppföljaren XO när den kom. Den har en fylligare ljudbild och överlag starkare låtar. Either/Or blir i jämförelse för försiktig och lite menlös. Klart godkänt.

Very boring album

While I can appreciate his songwriting talent and mourn his loss, this is just too depressing for me to want to listen to. Like I get it, but it’s not for me. (I did enjoy Ballad of Big Nothing tho)

I was already not a huge fan of Elliott's singing on Figure 8, but the instrumental variety on that one made it a very interesting project. That is not the case on Either Or. Every song blends together here, with his intimate, sad boy singing at the forefront. It fits pretty well on Good Will Hunting's soundtrack, I guess, but for a personal listen the more acoustic direction he takes is really not my thing.

This is just not my thing. It's brooding, it's morose, but it's not very interesting.

One of the more frustrating things an album on this list can be is boring, and boy howdy does this hit the mark there. The vocalist comes off as terribly whiny and mediocre but the backing melodies are pleasant at times. With no semblance of nostalgia I’d be stunned to hear someone absolutely loves this album on a fresh listen. I’ve heard worse, but I’ve also heard much better.

Not the biggest fan of the whisper/breathy singing. Instrumentals seemed kind of basic as well. Not bad but forgettable. Might have liked this more years ago.

How on earth does Elliott Smith get two albums in this list? The producer must really see something in him that I don't, because he wouldn't be worthy if I were to compile this list myself. How is it that Elliott Smith, essentially a Beatles/Ben Folds rip-off merchant who died young, gets two albums in this list and yet highly influential bands such as Tool, Weezer, My Chemical Romance and blink-182 are completely omitted? I just don't understand that. Heard 'Figure 8'? Then you've heard 'Either Or' as well. Best songs: Nil

Two tracks in and I'm struggling with this one, I don't 'understand' music like this.... this needs to get a lot better. Sadly, it didn't really get any better. I did make it all the way through.

Not bad, just so boring and sad.

Takes me back to '98/'99. This one never resonated with me.

Meh. Not a fan.

Not for me. All the songs sounded the same and I couldn’t get into it. Favorite Song(s): Say Yes

Closer to 2.5

I thought this was something else. Or else it was what I thought and I am dumb. All I know is I physically could not pay attention to this album. I will perhaps revisit another time and revise this one.

It's not my favourite of his albums. 'Salright?

I think I figure out why I am not a big fan of Smith, it’s his voice. he has a breathy, wispy tone 90% of the time which I just cannot get past

He seems like a decent songwriter but listening to him makes me want to fall asleep possibly forever

Typical singer/songwriter vibes. Every song sounded just like the last one. I was bored. Not horrible, but I wouldn't listen again.

Albums like these make me think we need to add Beatles albums in the blanket ban on men of a certain age owning podcast equipment.

meh. Just Meh

A good soundtrack for a Wes Anderson suicide scene. Top tracks: "Ballad of Big Nothing," "Cupid's Trick"

This left no impact. Very mediocre.

Elliott Smith still isn't my thing...

It's Elliott Smith.

I’ve heard of Elliot Smith but Jenner actually heard his music. I was not overly impressed.

Sehr fade

At least it was short.

Alright but like what are we saying here? Big ballad of nothing is honestly one of the best song titles in all of music and in my eyes, is applicable to the album as a whole, a ballad of nothing.

Nah

Run o' the mill singer songer writer revival album that stood out of 1997 in the PNW & Seattle grunge haze. Largely forgettable for 2025. Akin to but not withstanding to Neil Young, Nick Drake, and some Americana songwriters of the late 60's to mid 70's. I'd much rather engage with those standards than this. Aorry Elliot, you're probably a good hang.

Bit bland. Couple of OK songs.

Eh.

Sad bois music be sad for bois. Wauw, dit is een depresso album als ik er ooit een hoor zeg... Pictures of me klinkt wat vrolijker, dare I say; gezelliger? Meteen ook mn favoriete nummer. Ik ben geen groot fan van het ontzettend zielige singer songwriter stuk dat daarvoor kwam. Maar misschien dat de 2e helft van het album zich wat herpakt en ik toch zit te huilen op kantoor zo! Tsja, nee dit is gewoon heel erg Simon & Garfunkel en dat vind ik gewoon helemaal niets. Hier ook, het is gewoon instrumentaal zo spannend als karton. Voornamelijk gitaar, heeeeel soms een drummer er bij. Als die drummer er bij is vind ik het ook meteen een stuk interessanter. Elliott is als zanger nou ook niet geweldig. Het heeft een heel hoog zeikgehalte voor me. Nope, dit is het niet voor mij. Ik keek bij Spotify en er stond 'Playlists that features this artist' en bovenaan stond Sad Girl Starter Pack. En ik denk dat niets dit album beter kan omschrijven dan dat. FAVO:Pictures of me

It's fine. Sounds like a lot of other artists who presumably came after (I get like Sufjan Stevens or Bon Iver vibes a bit, but not as good). Meh. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)

Nothing interests me

Meh. It’s sad when someone dies way too early, no doubt, but I do think the industry tends to lionize people like this as a result for no other good reason. Perhaps people really were influenced by Smith, or maybe they just use his name or cover his songs because they are trying to be cool. Regardless, if you listen to this album, there’s not a whole lot on here that is great. The guitar work on this was decent. Not a whole lot else here. Singing was lackluster. He used overlays to get a richer sound, probably because his voice wasn’t that good to begin with. Angeles was a decent song. The rest was just meh.

So disinterested

This guy is ok, but gets a bit boring. He sometimes reminds me of Paul Simon.

Sopping wet emo wankery. Nah cheers.

This is way too emo for my liking. But if you are looking to dwell in your sorrows I’m sure this will do it for you.

I found this album quite boring, especially being listed as a "rock" album. No tracks really stood out until 'Cupids Trick'. That was the only song that was memorable for me and even that song wasn't something I would recommend to a friend to check out. Overall, quite a disappointing album considering the high reviews for this one.

I must admit, that I don't understand this album. It is on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. But what makes it so great? That's a real mystery to me. Twelve very similar songs sung by a guy with a guitar. Somehow melancholic and definitely not bad, I would also say "nice". But one of the 500 greatest albums of all time?

Listened to this while driving to Sacramento which surely persuades my mood. All I kept thinking was 1990s Sufjan Stevens. I don’t much care for Sufjan. 2/5

Not my speed or style. ★★

Eh

How boring.

Breathy vocals singing about something? I couldn't even listen to the music enough to figure out what it was about because I was trying to distract myself from the burning desire to remove my eyes from their sockets with a butterknife. This album is clearly meant to be sad, but it isn't meant to make me feel dread. Someone please help me. I know my mental state over the past 3 years hasn't been what I want it to be, but this guy needs some help. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who can cure this.

This record was very hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the melodies on some of the tracks I liked, but I couldn't get into any of the others. Favourite Track(s): Ballad Of Big Nothing, Punch and Judy, Say Yes Least Favourite Track(s): Speed Trials, Alameda, No Name No. 5

Half a listen, not really feeling it too much.

3/10 - boring whiny indie rock

Voice is amazing, combined with the instrumentation it’s magic… but boy does it make for a slow 37 minutes.

Day 11 Undoubtedly some nice songs here but it all kind of blended into one for me, not sure how likely I am to come back to this album. 4/10 Highlights were Pictures of Me Rose Parade 2.45am

Boring.

n the immortal words of DJ Hennessy Youngman: "Awwwwwwww! Sad white guy!" Bonus star for a funny bit in the YouTube clip for the song "Pictures of Me" where they cut from a picture of the sad white guy to a blank screen when he says "So sick of pictures of me." I chuckled.

No le presté mucha atención y no me acuerdo. No me dejó poso

2.5

Siinähän tuo lauleskelee. Aika mitäänsanomatonta

Meh

boring

The first two thirds of this album all sound the same

Not my kind of jam, has an amazing voice though. Angeles is ok but nothing else really.

Onpas yllättävän kirkassilmäinen levy verrattuna paheelliseen kanteen. Kiva kontrasti. Ja tuleehan siellä pari kirosanaa. Saisi kyllä minusta päättää, olisiko rouheampi vai söpömpi.

A lot of droning, but musically it could've been worse. I could see how it snapped Tiny Rick out of his optimism.

Kind of boring. Just in one ear and out the other. I may need to give it a second shot as I know he has such high critical acclaim, but at least on first listen, meh.

Okey

This one didn't do it for me. I liked his final album which had a more electric sound, this was too acoustic-guitar-singer-songwriter vibes which I don't typically listen to.

Never heard of this snd it did nothing for me. Maybe there was something profound in the mumbled lyrics that I missed?

A 90s indie album that deals with themes of angst and existential despair, this album is emotional and you can feel it in the music. I surprisingly liked Ballad of Big Nothing- I love the guitar riffs throughout the song to give it the 90s angsty vibes. Whilst not my favourite kind of music, I actually don’t mind this albumand can appreciate the emotionally charged songs. Maybe a song to cry in the bath to over a candle and glass of wine (is this niche?).

After the first song and a half,I was ready to turn it off but someone found a drumkit and it became less irksome. After listening all the way through, I'd say it was a sometimes very pleasant experience and sometimes it felt like, 'is that weird enough guys?' . I'd rather not have to listen to anything by E.Smith again but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I did.

His girlfriend totally did it

Boring as hell. That's really all there is to say here.

The album becomes more enjoyable as it goes on. The middle part (tracks 5-9) are the best part Highlights: - Pictures of me - Angeles - Rose Parade

Light and soothing is the best way to describe this album. This is the second Elliott Smith album I pulled on this list. But not so much that I'll ever listen to it again. The dude looks like an emo--is this emo?? The more these songs play the more it seems plausible, though not having ever listened to emo, thankfully, I don't completely know. Close enough to what I think is emo that I don't want any more of it. 2/5

Nah

Wimpy and witless.

bit slow for my taste

Meh

How boring!

Meh. 2/5

Boring

Wistfully melancholic 90s indie folk-pop. Has a nice unpolished sound save for the echoey vocals. It all just has a certain type of indy romcom soundtrack vibe that doesn't appeal to me.

———————————— My non-musician scoring system. 5 - Love it. Would play anytime, buy, see live… 4 - Good music. 3 - Average playlist. Depends on time and setting. 2 - I can’t listen to whole songs. 1 - No.

Just not my jam. A little too slow and quiet for my tastes.

It just felt kind of sleepy

Quite honestly a snoozefest

Either or? How about neither

Music for sad middle schoolers

Who/Why?

Musique d'ado

just sounds boring idk

I hate this Genre, sound like someone wishpering, not singing

Fine. Just a little dull

I found this to be instantly forgettable. No one track stood out for me.

This is the second album in the past week that I've really tried to like and just cannot get into. The music is dull, his voice is grating and lyrically he is not the genius he's painted to be.

Not really a fan of this, but didn't actively hate it.

I kind of hate elliott smith

kind of a 90s indie pop inflected beatles sound. this is not a compliment

Not my jam

Did Elliott Smith's mom make the 1001 albums list? I actually like this album, but I'm marking it down because of Elliott Smith oversaturation.

Honestly cant remember a thing about it the next day. Just that it is inoffensive 90s rock.

I find this dull and boring. Played while I was working, I kept forgetting I was supposed to pay attention to the music. Other than maybe "Pictures of me", all the songs lack any emotion, or if you pressed me, I would say the emotion is fatigue and tiredness. Don't understand why this is on the list of 1001 albums to list before I die. I guess this is 999 or 1000 because by the end of it i was pretty much bored to death

Really of its time. Doesn't work for me outside of some American pie soundtrack. Really feels like a time capsule, like how all movies in the 90s didn't have stakes because it was always about a guy who hates his job or a young man who doesn't know what to do with his life. Points for consistency, and the no doubt countless other artists who started thinking 'hey I could do that'

I listened to this a few days ago and it was entirely unremarkable. Cannot bring myself to relisten for a deeper dive.

Meh, I know he’s a big indie darling but I find him to be such a huge downer. Yes I know that sounds totally awful considering the circumstances, but he’s just way too sad for me.

Dreary

Not a fan, even coming from Portland, I don't understand the draw. Perhaps it's his lyrics that people are drawn to, but I find his music boring and not compelling enough to keep my attention. I don't want to sound judgy, but is this for people who like moody and somewhat depressing songs? The vocals are average, the mix is murky, the hooks are few and far between. But apparently I'm in the minority, this album has a TON of plays and a few tracks have really impressive listen numbers ("Between The Bars" at 231M and "Say Yes" & "Angeles" at around 100M). I respect that other people get joy from this album and his music, to each his own. I love stuff that other people don't enjoy. It's a mix of songs that are all listenable, but I don't make the connection to. 2 stars from me.

Listened to whilst driving to work which I’ll admit isn’t ideal, but needs must. In fact I think I left my indicator on for about 6 miles along the A50 as it was clicking along in time with the record. Nice enough, if a little insipid. Bit like the Lemonheads. Stand out songs include Pictures of me and Cupids Trick. Say Yes is spookily like the Sugababes’ ‘about you now’ - weird.

Not my style

just didnt hit like the other one did

I should have liked this, but it just felt bland and uninspiring. Album rating: ⭐⭐1/2

Kedelig singer/songwriter, soft rock, melankolsk

A little too monotonous for me. Nice to listen to, but unlikely for me to return to it.

Why, American?

Sweet - but a bit samey. Two and a half stars.

Just a bit too slow and soft, lacking a strong voice to hold my attention

This was the first artist I've never listened to before on this list. It's not my normal type of music, but it's not bad, and I feel like I enjoyed the last few tracks more than the others, so maybe I gradually got into the mood for it or maybe I just prefer the later tracks.

Meh. Just meh. I enjoyed the music, but couldn't get past the vocal delivery. Not an awful album, just didn't get me. Wouldn't listen to again.

Utterly forgettable, but not unpleasant

Fine enough, nice but a bit forgettable imo. It was pleasant to listen to but the songs were a bit dull to me. I don't really get the hype for this album, suppose its because I don't really tend to focus in lyrics.

15/1001 Nothing stands out for me on this album. The music isn’t anything special. Elliot’s is below average voice, not bad but further from a good voice. The lyrics are ok. The slow melodies and tempo make it hard to sit through without any real shining star. The album kind of blurs into one 45 minute song (upon further review, the album was only 36 minutes, shows how tight it was on me lol). I was 14 when this album came out and have never heard of it, or Elliot Smith, until today. A 14 y/o in 1997 hardly knew a wide range of music, but as popular as some of these reviews make it seem, I was surprised that I didn’t know anything about Elliot. After listening, I knew why. This album is just an amalgamation of all the unimaginative parts of 90s rock (a genre I feel overall is very innovative, creative, and imaginative, and one of my favorites). But this sounded so bland overall. Elliot was clearly a fan of The Replacements and The Smiths in the 80s and takes a lot of inspiration from them, but he fails to capture their ability to create melodies and to carry a tone, even with an average voice. At least on Cupids Trick, Elliot woke up and showed a bit of passion. The song is the best on the album and yet wouldn’t even get a seat at the 200 best rock songs of the decade’s table. But a dim light of talent in a sea of uninspired mediocrity. The beauty of music, there’s so much and it is all subjective. Even when I can’t get down with a song, artists, album, genre; I usually appreciate the talent, effort, and passion that could captivate someone from another walk of life. This album was hard to find what that was, I guess just more for people who like gloomy, sad music. But there’s so much more that fits that bill and is good. To each their own! Not listening to this one again though.

I thought the music was pleasant but uninteresting and the vocals were breathy and monotonous. Apart from "between the bars" the whole album slipped by without me noticing any particular song.

It was fine

Not my cup of tea

Elliott Smith has a pretty voice and gentle, melancholic songs. This album is a pretty short and breezy listen, though, a bit one-note. I think if you enjoy that particular note, it's very good at it. I can't help but feel that if I were in a state of sadness or depression, this album would resonate with me much more, as it makes for good "sad music." Well done, but not my thing!

2.5

2.5

- hier hat mal wieder nicht wirklich etwas herausgestochen, war relativ eintönig und hat mich nicht groß abgeholt

The internet claims that this artist’s songs were selected for a few movie soundtracks. That makes sense to me since the music is quiet and would be good as background. There is nothing on this album that stands out as above average. Very forgettable.

Ни о чём

This was pretty meh. I loved the depressive discography of Elliott Smith when I was an angsty teenager but not anymore. Ballad of Big Nothing used to be a fave, but I didn’t care when it came on this morning.

More like Smelliott Ith

Not for me

Don't know why I didn't expect that to be so gentle and soft. It's still not quite my jam, but I now have clear respect for Elliott Smith.

So I had a lot of conflicting feelings about this album. For example, I appreciate that for a folk album, there was a lot of different instruments and the music was very melodic. But the main singer uses a filter on his voice for most of the album and I hated that. In fact,I specifically hated the way the instruments sounded with this fake sounding voice tone. And as always I struggle with songs that are slow, and a good majority of these songs are slower. The biggest positive of this album is the guitar playing. It’s so smooth and flowing but also pointed when it needs to be.

Quite a gentle laid back album. Nothing remarkable about it though. OK to listen to, inoffensive. Heard worse

Nah

Either/Or? More like Either/Nor. This album is like if someone whispered their feelings into a tin can and called it lo-fi brilliance. I get that Elliott Smith was going for raw and emotional, but somewhere between the barely-there vocals and the lullaby-level energy, I almost forgot I was listening to music and not the sound of someone sighing in the next room. Sure, it’s introspective, but so is staring at a beige wall. Two stars because I respect sad guy guitar music in theory—but this one just bored me to tears.

I DONT LIKE ELLIOT SMITH THAT MUCH AND I DONT KNOW WHY IM SORRY :’(

Never heard of this artist. 1997 I was living in Japan. Not my taste - not something that speaks to me and not something I would sing myself. Its just the same song over and over again. I finished it and glad I know about it now. Won't listen again.

idk, I didn’t connect with this, and I wanted to like Elliott smith since cool people do, but maybe I was listening wrong

Yes I understand he's a great musician. Do we really need more than one album of the generally same songs though?

Nice instruments instrumentals Bit forgettable

Decent album. Bit dreary

That was tiresome. The first song I enjoyed was on a different album Spotify auto-queued once "Either Or" finished.

Monotonous to the point that I tune out and can't be bothered to listen to what he's saying.

3/10

alright, too soft for my liking

As far as I know this is the first Smith album I’ve listened to…knew his story but not his music. Neither Or for me.

While I wasn't angry to be listening to this (that's my threshold for giving out a one star rating, those are all albums that pissed me off) it's not exactly anything I want to ever listen to again. Wispy tenor with acoustic guitar? Pass.

I don't like feeling sad. I know, it's a hot take. This album is just dreary. It feels more like depression than sadness anyway, and that's not a mood I want to wallow in. As for the songs, they blend together to a point where I couldn't tell one from the other. Still, I can see why people like it, and it's not bad, per se, but I'm fine with never hearing this again.

not my speed, too slow / guitar focused

The type of singer/songwriter stuff I just can't excited about it. There is a mystique here, I get that. And there is much more substance than the average ... but it just doesn't float any of my boats.

I had never heard of this dude before. Music was alright, very much of its time but good. I enjoyed some of it

Not my thing.

Dull

Nudne 2/5

This just isn’t that good. I get some people have an emotional connection, and, while his death is tragic, I just don’t get the high ratings.

Can’t get into it

Not for me

2 stars

In Rainbows meets White Ladder meets Mellon Collie ... and yet, didn't quite resonate. Angeles is pretty.

Boring indie rock. Weak vocals

Soft tones, nothing pops.

2.5-3 stars I love a good sad album. This one just didn't have enough variety for me and I don't think I understood why I was supposed to be sad based on the lyrics. I felt that at times the music was much louder than the instruments overshadowed the singing. Favorite Song: Say Yes

Seems fine as background music. Nothing really breaks out, but nothing bad either. Just kinda dull and slow. Best song: Alameda