Either Or

Personally not my taste. Interesting sound but a bit boring in the long run, as the lyrics didn't speak to me as much as I expected. I understand he influenced artists I liked but it wasn't for me. Most of the songs sounded the same.

3/5 This is like the 4th time I've given this album a chance and it's just never done anything for me.

3.5* say yes es su mejor canción. smith fue muy talentoso y lo que más me gusta es su soft ass voice. creo que las canciones en sí no son tanto mi tipo por lo simples que son pero igual me gusta ese tono melancólico que todas tienen. tengo como 3 guardadas.

Man idk. Sometimes it sounds good and sometimes it really doesn’t. Not bad. Don’t know what to rate.

Sad boy music. It's a shame that I am neither sad, nor a boy. Perfect to ignore in the background.

I can understand the appeal of this album, and once upon a time I probably would have been into it (after a few more listens) but it's not what I'm into anymore. Too down tempo, too melancholy, too mood-specific.

The album was pleasant enough in places, but given that I listened to it on Friday, and I’m reviewing it on Monday, I’m struggling to remember anything about it aside from the fact that I remember the vocals being overproduced, soft, and uninspiring. Nothing really stood out. Sounds like 1001 other American artists of its era, and as such, it’s not something I’d rush back to you. I feel a two star review is harsh, but this is only scraping a three for me.

Okay, viellicht liits gar ned ah dene guete Albe, dass mir die musig grad biz weniger passt, sondern dra, dasi grad i minere The Cure / Joy Division Post-Punk Emo Music Phase bin, dass mir die Melancholie und die herzige Stimme zu sanft sind. Ich gsehn young Elliott mit sinere Gitarre am Lagerfüür sitze und sini "das lied hani für min verstorbne Hamster, de Hamsti – rest in peace – gschriibe. Ich vermiss dich du chline Racker!"-lieder performe. Und Lagerfüür-singer-songwriter gebet mer immer chli de ick. Ufjedefall sind all Lieder besser als Wonderwall. Und wieso gsehnd die Album-Covers immer us als chund öppis wilds wenn nachher sowas chund? trotzdem rüehri 3 chlini holzschiitli i das Lagerfüür. Mach nume biz wiiter mit dine Lieder über dis verlorne Halstuech wo dir doch so viel bedüütet will mal en junky drufkotzt het oder sowas. You do you.

I have this, probably because I loved "Good Will Hunting" when it came out. In an inversion of this list’s usual preference, this record has decent tunes undermined by a monotonous vibes. Hey Simon, our ninth album on this odyssey was one of Smith's! To celebrate this, I shall misquote your half of our review: "Get it together dude, you're dead but who cares?"

A talented artist who left us way to soon. Enjoyed the listen

It is a really great album but I'm just not engaged enough by his voice to place it on the pedestal that some do

Good album, I understand the appeal Elliott Smith has and do enjoy some of his best known songs, but I don't particularly click with his music.

Pleasant, a few better tracks - could use some edge - mostly 'meh.

Some sweet sweet bummer rock, I enjoyed it, but it’s not a complete banger.

Meh. Nothing moving. Wispy gentle emo solo

One thing I've learned about myself in doing this project is I have a lot of respect for artists whose music is reflective of the time period while also being unique to the artist. It's a fine balance, and this album is a great example. It's so uniquely 90's alternative, but in a distinctive way. There is a lot of pain and apathy in this album, and it pulls me into the emotions and life of Elliott Smith. He had an untimely death not long after this album was released, so it's an even more poinient snapshot in time of a troubled life.

This is perfectly pleasant, if not very exciting, and does feel like an incredibly long 36 minutes. Having said that it is certainly not worth stabbing myself twice in the chest over.

Seems a cheery fellow

Not my favourite Elliott Smith album - I tend to prefer his other albums (this a little too far on the mellow/low-fi spectrum) - but it's still Elliott Smith, which means good melodic songs which is in my wheelhouse. Very listenable but by the end there's a sameness that leads to diminishing returns. Take the top ~7 songs and it would have made a great EP - 3 stars (6/10).

I don’t think I get Elliot Smith. Like I get this is supposed to be a sad album. But it doesn’t really move me in any way. It’s just kinda boring. And his singing doesn’t inspire any emotion in me.

Coffee shop music. Faux-deep but ultimately insubstantial. Not bad to listen to, but very much background music.

I listened it twice but its not my type. Pictures of me is ok. Rose Parade is ok. Punch and Judy - ok. Other - not remembered songs. Sad and depressions.

This is Sufjan Stevens if he was more boring and straight. I even gave a few of these another listen to make sure I had really heard it but, yeah a tad too whiny and monotone for me.

Sounds really basic and uninspired - never understood why this guy got any attention. So many superior examples of this type of music are out there, your local bar singer-songwriter can probably do it better. Quite brief, at least

Not very exciting but fine

Easy listening, but a bit... Boring. Apologies to the fans, I know lots of people hold him in very high regard indeed.

This one I just couldn’t get in to. I’m all for dark, slow, brooding music and artists but I found myself not listening and trailing off with my thoughts more than I heard the music. As always, respect to Elliot Smith but not my thing. Choice cut:2:45 am

Jeg lyttede til det her album først da jeg var på arbejde og efterfølgende da jeg kom hjem og skulle læse. Jeg kendte ikke kunstneren, men havde godt hørt hand navn i et afsnit af Rick and Morty (Tiny Rick afsnittet). Jeg havde regnet med noget melankolsk akustisk guitar og hvad der nu hører til det, og det var også delvist rigtig. I sidste ende sagde albummet dog ikke mig det helt store.

I actually had to turn this off. One of the handfuls of types of voices I can’t stand-whiny but monotone. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: none

One of the greatest, most intimate records ever. I've always loved it.

Magic mopery

yes perfect

Слушала пару дней назад как раз. Слова излишни. Гений. I can’t fix him.

It may be the obvious choice, and there's great songs on every one of his albums, but this is my favorite Elliott Smith record. Just perfectly encapsulates everything that made him singular - his Beatleesque ear for melody, the amount of emotion and urgency he can convey while barely singing above a whisper, the lyrical brilliance of songs like Rose Parade. Even the way the man played guitar was unique, with that signature step down tuning and spacy quality. Pretty perfect and has to be one of the best albums of the 90s, love this one

Interesting album and new to me artist. I enjoyed what I heard but none of the songs stood out overall at first listen. I did find what I read on Wikipedia about Elliott Smith and his life interesting. Seems he influenced a number of artists including Billie Eilish and Madonna, whom covered “Between the Bars” Sad life ending story and seems to be another untimely death for the musical world.

It was a pretty good album. It combines rock and folk and it sounds really good. It's a hidden gem in the world of music and definitely deserves more appreciation.

This album is just so goated. Elliott smiths ghostly layered vocals on every song are perfect. This album is some of Elliott Smith's best work. Absolutely beautiful, 5 stars.

An album so beautiful and bleak, it makes you want to give Elliott Smith a big cuddle. This was the first ES record I ever heard and saw him live the following year (with Quasi as his backing band). Chatted to him after the show and he was just a shy, lovely man. This is one of his best collection of songs. The production is wonderfully lo-fi but intimate and warm. I can’t pick a favourite. It’s a perfect album.

Was already sad this didn't help

Formative album. I saw Elliott Smith in a tiny club right after his weird Oscars performance, and it's a cherished memory.

Perfect vocals. Perfect guitar work. Perfect melodies. Perfect production. Just an all-around perfect album

No idea what this has to do with Kierkegaard. I've listened to Either/Or a few times over the last couple years, desperate to see in the album what other people have seen in it, and I think this is the run that cracked it open. Once I let go of the tragic mythology of it and enjoyed it as some great guy-at-hos-guitar rock I really loved it. It's the kind of music that's best suited to the compact disc - the kind of record your buddy loans you and you keep on repeat in the car stereo for a couple weeks. Let it's moodiness, it's sense of strange melancholy, wash over you and flick it away with the windshield wipers. You're eighteen, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and trying to learn your favourite Elliot Smith song on the acoustic guitar your roommate brought to the sharehouse. You saw a guy at a party play Between The Bars around a fire pit (the 'guy with an acoustic guitar' is still a 'cool' archetype) and can't remember the song for years until it randomly appears in your Spotify weekly. Fav tracks: Between The Bars, Cupid's Trick, Speed Trials

i got into him bc of the royal tenenbaums. i did not particularly like that movie tho. i miss him every day also listening to this album gave me the chance to revisit a lot of songs i forgot i liked!! i haven't listened to it in full in such a long time

That perfect song from Good Will Hunting

As a teen, like many teens before me and since, I got into Nirvana in a big way. I always gravitated to MTV Unplugged more than any studio album. In 2005 (2 years after Elliott’s death), I used to post on nerdy music forums like ateaseweb and sonic youths message board. Some person whose name I’ll never know suggested Elliott Smith to me on the basis I liked MTV unplugged. I can’t really explain the effect it had on me at that point in my life and I can’t listen to this (or any other of his albums) rationally since. Always 5 stars whenever I come back and I suspect it always will be.

Years ago I dated a girl and the morning after we spent a night together I put this CD in my discman and walked to work. I remember it being a beautiful day: the sun was out, I sat on the green grass idling away time before my shift started, watching people going about their days. “Say Yes” came on and that lyric about being in love with the world through the eyes of the girl all made sense in a way that a song had never made sense before. That relationship didn’t last long past that day, and it wasn’t love, but Either/Or is still one of those albums that holds a lot of personal meaning for me. Five stars.

I am really happy to see this album pop up today. I think this is probably the best from Elliott Smith. I sort of found him randomly just in the last few years, long after he had died. What a sad story his is. I know that he gets compared to Nick Drake a lot now and for some reason that really insults the hardcore Elliott Smith fans. I totally get that comparison although I don't think any similarity is intentional. Nick Drake was fairly well unheard of (at least in the US) when Elliott Smith was doing his thing. He might have heard him a time or two but I can't see him as being a huge influence like a lot of people would hope. I feel like this is one of the ultimate 'sad guy' albums. I'm not sure how else to explain it. Like you listen to this record and you just want to try to get the guy some help. Sometimes that makes a great record though. This albums is super short and sweet, the worst thing about it is that you aren't ready for it to be over when it ends. A great record and one that always makes me wish that he had been able to make more music. 5/5

Won't You Follow Me Down To The Rose Parade? 1001 Albums Generator 302 (5/29/2026) Either / Or is an absolutely haunting bit of rock-tinged indie folk. Completely performed by Elliott Smith himself, every element of this album is carefully put together to emphasize his soft, whispered vocals. Some of the really stripped back songs, like Punch And Judy and 2:45 AM are not very interesting, but most of this album is fantastic. Elliott just had such an ear for pop songwriting, even in this lofi, indie production. I also appreciate that it is really tight, coming in at under 37 minutes. Songs like Speed Trials, Ballad of Big Nothing, Pictures of Me, and Cupid's Trick are so catchy. Overall, a really solid, sad album. 4.5/5, rounded up to 5. Favs: Speed Trials Ballad of Big Nothing Cupid's Trick Least Fav: 2:45 AM

One of my favorite albums ever

this album was soo good! i’ve listened to most of the songs before, but actually sitting down and listening to it again was much different. my favorite song was punch and judy, but it was hard picking one!

Although I like Elliott Smith, I thought I wasn't going to be in the mood for this today. However, the strength of the songwriting completely won me over.

Good god this album is brilliant. First time I've heard Elliott Smith and I'm going to do his entire discography now.

So many good songs! Definitely a great talent gone too soon. Can't give this anything but 5 stars.

Mr. Smith makes cursing sound like the angels. Too fucking soon.

This is the album that made me first fall in love with Smith’s music, after hearing my sister play it on our little desktop computer in the basement. It took me some time to appreciate this rough — at times abrasive — sound, with the double-tracked vocals that sound like they were recorded in Smith’s own basement. It's both folk and punk, but it sounds like neither of those things. Like all of Smith’s music, it contains a painful poetry, but the album extracts that pain (mine and Smith’s and the pain of millions of others) and transforms that energy into something new and beautiful and healing.

ok je, veoma melaholicno nedeljna jutra onanmoja

YESSSSSSSSS MY BELOVED THANK GOD THIS IS TOP 1001 if anyone rates this album lower than 5 I’ll throw a fit

Between the Bars é literalmente minha música favorita da vida. Álbum lindo.

Beautifully depressing. Unfortunately, he's just so perfect for music like this, and for those sad, grey days. I think I will be coming back to this a lot. Unfortunately.

Such a fantastic moody album. Ballad Of Big Nothing is a great example of how Elliott Smith can write an upbeat song but still have it be sad.

I think the genius of Elliot Smith is in how much he did with so little. He really perfected his sound on this album, and undoubtedly influenced the future of lo-fi indie music. Every time I listen to this album I change my mind on my favorite song.

Rating: 10/10 My review got deleted. This is a 5. I love alternative 90's singer-songwriter folk and this is some of the best. Maybe Elliott Smith's best album in a great body of work. I would say the album is literally perfect outside the comparably weaker (but still good) track Punch and Judy. It's not easy to name a favorite song but it's bookended amazingly with Speed Trials and Say Yes.

Did you know Elliott Smith is just one guy?

Tl;dr: This is a first impression that could not have went better, I think. "Speed Trials" is a haunting opening, with brilliant lyricism and a unique, whispered delivery. "Alameda" is far more blunt, with more complex composition and accusatory projections hurled towards an unfortunately relatable "You". "You" don't want to get better, "You" want to bring everyone down with you, all while strutting your shit. "Ballad of Big Nothing" is, sonically, the largest song by far. It's, to me, about the granting of empty platitudes to somebody hurting that comes from a place of ignorance and a savior complex. "You can do what you want to!" can feel remarkably patronizing and useless. "Between the Bars" is remarkably soft and remarkably evil. Elliot Smith's voice is masterfully comforting on a song that is written as anything but. The enabler's (or 'drug' itself's) warm blanket is remarkably tempting, but it is a cold comfort. In a faux-triumphant breaking out, "Pictures of Me" sees Elliot valiantly dropping the "You"phemasims and replaces it with I. Except, what's what wrong with I? 'I' challenges the listener (and lies to himself) that the 'pictures of me' doesn't show the full image. It's other peoples' fault I'm like this! You're romanticizing MY struggle! What a fantastic change of pace that still has that cold sting found across the entire record. In the following song, the subject of the album has successfully pushed everyone away, becoming "No Name No. 5". At last. Heartbreaking. "Rose Parade" is an arm outstretched to our protagonist. It's hard, but we're all human. "Punch and Judy" and "Angeles" are the extreme temptation to enter back into that vicious cycle, due on one hand to the inherent struggle of it all, and the other to that warm comfort from before. That temptation and often inevitable relapse is... Here. "Cupid's Trick". It bounces between a hazy malaise and extreme energy from somebody who can barely muster beyond a base-level exhaustion, only bolstered enough by the high to barely shine behind the psychedelic and heavy guitars in the foreground. The protagonist is finally taking control back, and is thus completely and totally trapped and lost in that fake euphoria. It's always at a time like "2:45 AM" when somebody has the smallest chance to make the decision to get real help, and face responsibility. It's daunting, it's hard. Then, after a time, there's the smallest chance that you wake up and feel better. When you "Say Yes" to the part of you that wants to be better. There's the smallest chance that you find yourself, and people that want to be around you unconditionally. I'm so glad this gut-wrenching record ends with this ray of hope. The instrumentation, the vocals, and the vulnerability throughout this record is masterful and emotional. 5/5.

Really mediocre and boring. 2.5/5

The songs on this album are crazy melodic with influences such as The Beatles and Big Star. For the most part they’re quiet whispery songs similar to Bill Callahan as Smog.

Thoughtful, subtle songwriting. Layered beauty.

A warrior of the sun

Beautiful production. Amazing album front to back. Love the full band sound he introduced on this album.

siempre me dio miedo escuchar a este hombre porque me habían dicho que me iba a deprimir lo cual fue efectivamente así pero dios mio que buen album !!!! ahora entiendo el por qué del estilo de phoebe bridgers (la punisher con elliot) tuve que escucharlo haciendo apuntes porque lo empece a escuchar en el bus y me estaba haciendo concha. En fin más que contenta con este descubrimiento, destaco Cupid's Trick. No creo que tenga skips, solo que yo inevitablemente resueno con las canciones con un ritmo un poco más acentuado 10/10

Very peaceful and enjoyable and a little interesting. Have listened to some of Elliott Smith's songs for years so it was cool to listen though a full album - first one I've had like that in this list.

The world needs more Elliot Smiths

Amazing album, one of my favorites. It's one beautiful song after another.

Beautiful, loved it

En intraveineuse svp !

Dans mon top 10 ever, pure mélancolie

very pleasant sounding. didn't really like the first song bc he's so quiet but the rest are great fav song: Ballad Of Big Nothing

This guy gets to me!

This is just perfect.

Uhhh, det her glæder jeg mig til at få lyttet til! Det her er lige mig, Cupids Trick og Speed Trials er highlights for mig. Lyttede til det 2 gange i streg, for jeg havde lyst til at give 5, men ikke uden at være sikker. MEN det er en 5'er.

Incredible Say yes Between the bars 2 45 All of them All brilliant Great

Unrelentingly dark and continually simple, yet never getting unbearable or boring. All this is owed to Smith’s songwriting, being a true “warts and all” painting of his life; he examines his flaws, sure, but at no point does it feel like there’s no hope.

An amazing talent who possessed creativity and an outstanding voice who passed way too soon.

Can listen to it for days, go to metal recovery album

5! Oh yes this is a 5! And not because it’s well composed as an album, but just about every song is a masterpiece! I didn’t realize until this listen that Elliott actually accompanied himself on the drums - and of course he played the guitar, but his drumming is masterful! It adds so much depth, my God he was a genius. I love you Elliott. RIP.

Genuine perfect album.

This album pretty much invented emotions. I'm not sure I knew how to feel things before I listened to this. It's maybe not the most diverse album, but it makes up for it with just being absolutely excellent at what it does. Every song grabs you by the heart and puts you in this state of overwhelming sadness and melancholy. Nobody conveys emotions like Elliott does. Just read some of these lyrics: Drink up, baby, look at the stars I'll kiss you again between the bars Where I'm seeing you there with your hands in the air Waiting to finally be caught For your own protection over their affection Nobody broke your heart You broke your own, 'cause you can't finish what you start Crooked spin can't come to rest I'm damaged bad at best She'll decide what she wants I'll probably be the last to know No one says until it shows, see how it is They want you or they don't Say yes With hidden cracks that don't show But that constantly just grow Just wow. With every listen, there is a new song that I get absolutely obsessed with, a new lyric that gets stuck with me for days. It's my go to album for bad days and I will always love it for that.

Gorgeous. Simple, sweet and sad

Can never go wrong with Elliott Smith

Love me some Elliot Smith, but I'm already too sad for this today.

I love Elliott Smith and this album is probably my favorite in terms of just overall sound and the amount of great tracks. Ballad of Big Nothing is one of my favorite tracks of his in general. This time the one that really stuck out for me was Rose Parade which I hadn't usually put on if I'm just picking tracks. It will definitely be the soundtrack to April of 2026 for me.

Ya es mi álbum favorito de antes

Some may see this is depressing. Well...that's the point. I didn't know Elliott Smith but I think this album is really good. I'm giving this one 5 stars because, after listening to this album, I'm really looking forward to listening to some other albums by Smith. I think all songs are very good. Probably the best discovery for me personally in this project.

Perfect because of its imperfections.

high 5

There is something so magical about his voice

Bar none one of the best indie singer/songwriter records ever made. Elliott took the grunge sound, stripped it way back, and then started crafting gorgeous lyrics around all of them for the best twist on the 70s singer-songwriter sound. It's telling that a generation of musicians tried to follow him after this - it's so well-crafted, but so simple, that it makes you want to noodle on the guitar and get your own songs together. Glad to own this one in multiple formats.

My favourite album ever, and it’s not even close.

In 2000, the first boy I ever loved made me a mix cd with 2.45am was the first track. I cannot be even slightly impartial about this album or about Elliot Smith. I love it and I miss him.

love

Heartfelt and haunting. One of our best.

🐐 album by one of my 🐐 artist. Elliott at peak form and he’s one of a kind. Not a weak moment on this one. Listened today watching a sunrise and sipping ☕️. Pure sad bliss.

Sensational album, I’d never heard anything by ES, this album blew me away - fucking brilliant RIP young man, you had so much to offer🙏🏼

9.625/10

There is no such thing as a bad Elliot Smith song

Delightfully delicate. Like fuck this is good.

10/10

This just hits so right for me, but I get it won't be to everyone's taste. Sounds like it was on the soundtrack to every film in 2003

Beautiful album. It was so soft and gorgeously written. Elliot Smith has a fantastic voice. Loved this, will revisit.

A DEPRESSÃO EM PESSOA. É um álbum totalmente lo-fi, acústico, q engloba o melhor dele, não a toa é o MELHOR álbum dele. O cara deu uma nova cara a músicas melódicas e triste com violão apenas, as vezes testando com o instrumental incrível presentes nesse álbum. Melancólico, porém suave. HIGHLIGHTS: Alameda, 2:45 AM, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me, Cupid's Trick. 10/10

An incredible, haunting record. Songwriting, production, and performances all perfect.

sad!

Oh I don't even get to TRY to have a good day huh? I joke about this being depressing but I truly do love this album. Smith had such a poetic way about song writing that is truly one of a kind in my eyes. My number one pick of an album if I need a solid cry

fuck

A great album, definitely one of the best of its genre. If you’ve seen Good Will Hunting you’ll know that many of these songs form part of the great soundtrack to that film, with Angeles and Say Yes especially memorable from the film and album. It’s not a cheery album of course, but it avoids becoming dreary in doing so. It’s being tuneful while having that depressed emotion is its real strength.

There’s something kind of comforting and reassuring in really sad music. And Elliott Smith makes it all so beautiful and perfect

Either it’s 5 stars Or it’s 5 stars. RIP.

Wowww! Way more energy than I was expecting it’s so good

Okay, this is a solid album. Really good song craft all throughout. Sounds good. Some of the melodies made me think of Brian Wilson. A few comparisons to draw there. I enjoyed this one more than Figure 8. It grabbed me.

easily one of favourite albums of all time

so sad so good

Really solid album. I hadn’t listened to much of his stuff prior to this but I think I will keep exploring his other work.

beautiful album, really enjoyed it, class

Абсолютна класика, дуже люблю цей альбом і загалом Елліота Сміта.

STANDOUTS: Alameda, Between the Bars, Say Yes This album is such an anomaly to me. It's depressing as hell (I mean hear the lyrics for yourself they are heartrending), yet the album still feels getting a hug from a loved one after being touch starved for years. The melodies are perfectly melancholic, to the point where it feels impossible for me to listen to this album without at least humming the songs. I think Say Yes, my personal favorite song on the album, exhibits this perfectly. It's a song about hoping to salvage a relationship after a breakup (maybe a bit more optimistic than the rest of the album but still not a happy topic by any means), and Elliott Smith accompanies this bittersweet song with merely a guitar, strumming possibly the most gorgeous set of chords I've ever heard. It simultaneously feels like both a gut punch and a warm embrace, an experience that is unique to Either / Or. In my opinion, there's a decent chance there will never be another singer-songwriter on the level of Elliott Smith. May he rest in peace. 10/10

i mean what can i say............. elliott smith man that you are. epitome of sad indie folk rock

Feel like The Generator is front-loading my favorites and musical milestones for me. In my book, "Roman Candle," the 2nd eponymous album, and "Either/Or" are a towering trio. The first two being some of the darkest folk music ever recorded, with Either/Or being a slight return to a few of the rock elements of Heatmiser. That rock production, more Beatlesque than punk, would return in his last two albums, which I like much less than the early albums. Back then the production of XO felt like a radical shift to me, away from the intimate lo-fi recordings and into full technicolor production, but I now hear Either/Or more like a transition album. Drums and bass feature in most of the songs, layered electric guitars are featured regularly, and there's organ and other instruments in the mix too. "Cupid's Trick" rocks out, Heatmiser style, for a bit. Commentary aside, the songs are great, he's a generational talent as a songwriter. This might not be the album where Elliott Smith broke new ground and changed the direction of music, but it's still a monument. 5/5 Belongs on the list, but the first two albums might be more significant.

This is a beautiful record.

Not sure what to say except I love Elliot smith.

I find it hard picking a favourite Elliott Smith record, even when purely looking at his lofi period, it's a tough call whether its Either/Or or self-titled. And yet I'm still happy calling this one of the finest records of the 90s. Dude could work magic with the sparsest of arrangements and bleakest of lyrics.

You hate Elliot Smith? Oh cool. Do you hate rain? Do you hate when the clouds blow across the sky on a fall day and everything is crispy and you feel death behind you a little closer each day and then remember you're own mortality. Death is coming. You will die. And music like this is how we process it all.

10 out of 10. The songwriting on this is unmatched and you see his influence in everything that comes after Either Or. Elliot Smith is a genius, he has this aura about him, this troubled artist who writes so so well. I love it, this album has only grown and grown on me. Long live sad music.

This felt incredibly familiar even though I don’t think I’d heard most of the songs before. It was a place that felt so welcoming, I think I played through this album more times than anything else so far in the challenge. Elliot Smith truly belongs to the tradition of great singer-songwriters.

Elliot var snillingur. Sorgarsaga. Frábær plata, fullkomin vinnutónlist.

Absolutely ELITE studying music holy shit. yeah man this is suchba good album, a percectly miserable yet motivating and surprisingly up beat, at least sonically, collection of songs. What the goated. It's real, it's visceral, it's enjoyable.

Speed Trials: i always wished that maybe he would've redone this one some point later in his career, but maybe that would've washed the feeling this song gives away. my 2nd favorite opening track off any album of his (next to Angel In The Snow) Alameda: i spent a while trying to learn the guitar part for this song but it's a bastard to learn, how someone even came up with it is kind of beyond me. i love the album version, but i think i prefer the alternate version, the "here comes the" at the beginning draws me in a lot for some reason. love this track Ballad of Big Nothing: my favorite song ever from him for so long, and i think the third song on acoustic guitar i ever learned (next to let down and no name 1 respectively), i don't know if there's ever been a song that sounds quite like this one does, but if there is one, i need to hear it Between the Bars: maybe one of the best songs lyrically i've ever heard, super fun to play on guitar and a song that got stuck in my head for years. first song i heard from him when i was about 14, but i heard the version on Lucky Three first. Pictures of Me: this song always threw me off for the longest time, seeing how it comes right after Between the Bars. i think over time though, i've grown to love where it is on the album rather than wish it was somewhere else. No Name No. 5: another song that has such a unique feel to it, almost feels more like it should be named 2:45 AM rather than the actual track of 2:45 AM Rose Parade: so fun to play on guitar, big fan of the progression and also the duracell bunny line. hard to pick a favorite from this album but this song could definitely be a contender Punch and Judy: i love the solo and the walk-up riff as well, however this song might be my least favorite on the album. for my least favorite to still be an amazing song is insane though. Angeles: i learned to play this one on guitar (although i still need to practice it more) but this song is just amazing. i love the lyrics, the guitar, the drone, everything about it is perfect to me. i would probably say this is my favorite song on the album. Cupid's Trick: wish he would've kept the lyrics on the vinyl lyric sheet.. 2:45 AM: such a fun riff to play, also not too hard to sing while playing.. Say Yes: also one of the first songs i ever heard from him, this song was probably a huge factor in pulling me into his discography. such a catchy song for a song with no chorus Overall: i am a huge elliott smith fan and so my opinions are likely biased on anything he does but music is subjective anyways! this is one of my all time favorite albums, along with all of his other albums. i wish he could've been around longer to see the impact he has had on so many people who listen to his music. rest in peace. ❤️ p.s for anyone reading who liked this album, maybe consider listening to some of the newer tracks on the extended version of either/or? i figured you out is a really good song.

the "YESS" i verbally let out when this album was generated for today.. i first discovered elliot smith because a girl i had a short crush on in middle school really liked him fav tracks on this album are pictures of me and cupid's trick glad i got to revisit this banger

Total builder of an album. Killer.

Simple, eloquent perfection.

A masterpiece that floored me the first time I heard it many years ago.. and still. A talent that was taken away from our earth way to early.

PERFECT

2026.02.20

Elliott Smith is one of my favorite artists (it's always nice when one of those shows up on the list). This isn't my favorite album of his, but I still really love it.

Mope-tastic

Just beautiful...and personally meaningful.

I guess this album was eclipsed by XO, but it is thoroughly gorgeous. Everyone who likes this record seems to associate it with a moment in their lives, which for me was when I moved to Maine and worked alone at home and could play whatever music I wanted all day long, and I think it was primarily this. How did I get anything done? I never knew that he went to Hampshire College, which seems to me to be significant and especially sad. Hampshire needs all the brilliant alumni it can get.

I have a weird relationship with listening to Elliott Smith... Sometimes it's nice, other times it's awful, and most of the time I just don't need his depression overshadowing my own feelings of whatever odd existentialism I've got going on, so I rarely visit his sad and slow discography... But here I am, feeling like I'm not quite in the dimension I am supposed to be in and I find an Elliott Smith album I really appreciate at a 5 star level? Something ain't right.

ES has been my most listened to artist for years. Either/Or was the first album of his I heard, and still my favorite. Easy 5⭐️

This album comes with a lot of baggage. Tonight was my first time listening in many years, having cried SO MUCH to this album as a Sad Art Teen. It taught how me to fingerpick, and kept me company sneaking cigarettes behind the dumpster at shitty minimum wage jobs. But I, graciously, don’t smoke or get that kind of sad any more. I didn't cry this listen. Having grown older than Elliott lived to be and uncovered newer, more exotic sadnesses, I guess I'm desensitized to the songs, drawn instead to memories of a different life long gone. It felt a little bit like running into a childhood friend who never made it out of the town you grew up in. Anyway, five stars, RIP. Favorite track: 2006 - Angeles; 2026 - Ballad of Big Nothing

Jess nyt on herkkää tulkintaa. Tän jarrun seedeitä on joskus tullut oikein hankittuakin. Uskosin, että tän levyn kun vetää soimaan lonkeropöhnien laskuhumalissa Hotelli Vantaalla vietetyn ehtoon jälkeen ja koittaa pysyä hereillä, niin siin pääsee liikuttuneisiin sfääreihin muistakin syistä kuin siitä, että kerrankin ei tarvi jakaa sänkyä kolmen muun kanssa. Eli vaikka todennäkösesti tää nyt kerää parjauksia muniinpuhalteluista, niin kyllä se on joskus hyvä niihinkin antaa hönkäystä. Samalla voi kehuu, että immersiiviset ominaisuudet on vahvasti läsnä ja paikoitellen minimalistinen lähestyminen kantaa. Loufiin vihaajat tietty saattaa kauhistua kun ei oo kiillotettua kikkeliä, mut so not kuhan tunnelma toimii ja hyppy kulkee. Älbymin päächarru on soitellut kaikki instrumentitkin itte, joten ei oo ainakaan liikaa päässyt muut tuuttamaan omaa tilutustaan sekaan. Päächarru myös koki kovan kohtalon oman kätösen kautta (oletettavasti) rajulla tapaa. Eipä siinä. Viis ja siitä viis. Jos annat tälle huonot pisteet niin mee pimeeseen huoneeseen alasti makaamaan iltamyöhällä ja laita tää soimaan. Sitä en kyllä lupaa, että se muuttaa arvosanan yhtään paremmaks, mut tuleepahan kokeiltua kaikenlaista.

This album is so good, but it hurts to listen to

elliott smith is my favorite artist ever. this is probably my least favorite album of his (his self titled is my favorite ever) but i will treat myself by listening to this regardless

Ultimate emo grandpa, love it.

Phenomenal I will be listening. I liked Alameda

Some of the best singer songwriter music to self loathe too

Definitely more my taste lol. Soothing. Relaxing. Chilling. A very sweet and entertaining album.

I’m SAD!!!

Listened on the car on a drive to the luminary walk on the lake stating abolish ice. Perfect atmosphere for the cold with my family

This is an amazing grunge album it almost sounds like the rules are turned down at time so you can really hear the depths of the music

Hauntingly beautiful songs. Solid 5 Stars.

It’s a 5. Probably a bit higher. It’s just a very humanizing album, that’s all. We’re all trying out here, but we all fuck up, we all feel lonely, we all need some friends, and we all just need to acknowledge that those feelings are normal. Those things DO happen, and you’re not wrong or different for having experienced them. You are human for having gone through it. Music is often a fun escapism, but music that reflects such an earnest shadow back at its listener can be really effective when done right, and this album does it VERY well. The lyricism here is just really strong; I can’t really go track-by-track with it on account of a lot of it hitting closer to home than I’d care to admit, but there’s a LOT of really good, biting & brutally honest lines here that clicked with me well. It also helps that this album’s recording / production feels so homely. There’s nothing overproduced here, nor is there any kind of CD-era fluff or flair. It’s mostly his guitar, his voice & some percussion, and whatever extras arrive with them, they never really overshadow that simple base. Even in his vocals, they don’t feel like they were recorded in a studio, creating a vibe around the whole album that adds to how relatable it all feels. I think it’s an album where the music mostly speaks for itself. It’s certainly one where I can’t type anything more about it, because it did just hit that close to my own thoughts at times. I’m very glad it’s on the list, I think it’s beyond deserving of the acclaim it gets, and I think it’s a very easy 5, if not higher. Just a great album. P.S.: I didn’t realize Chris Elliott died via a presumed suicide in 2003 until I finished the album, which I suppose is a testament to his songwriting abilities. Sure, a lot of the demons he sang about here may have piled up & contributed to his death in some way, but this isn’t an album defined or enhanced by it. It’s an album to take from, to try and feel the struggles he so vividly goes through on each track, digest those feelings, and then do your best to just… lift yourself up & live on afterward. That’s all you can try to do. It’s a tragedy that Chris couldn’t.

Such a beautiful and haunting album. Incredible. Lovely. Tormented. I Love Elliot.

If I have to...

amo muito!!

I cannot believe I did not know about Elliot Smith beforehand. Amazing album, and truly a corner stone on Alt music. Listened to it more than 1x because of the sounds it held. Great album!

One of the best.

Amazing!

221223 16:30 4.5

וואלה הסגנון שלי כרגע. עצוב כזה אבל גם יפה ונחמד ומלנכולי יחסית אבל לא מידי. מעין עצב פשוט כזה אהבתי ועל כן

Favorite Track: Between the Bars

Classique de fou, un de mes albums préférés, son seul problème c'est que c'est putain de déprimant. Mis à part ça, c'est juste sublime, d'une sensibilité all time, ultra touchant c'est exceptionnel.

Casi lloro . Ya lo conocía -solo algunas canciones- pero aún así escucharlo completo me encantó

5 Stars. Don't know if this qualifies as a "new" 5 star discovery for me since I knew several of the songs on here. But the whole album is great, beautiful, haunting.

solid 5

I had listened to, and rated a couple of Elliott Smith's songs on www.rateyourmusic.com, and given them four stars each, but now that I've heard this album, I would probably have given them five. The album is a haven of peace, with heartfelt, intelligent lyrics and a gentle passion in the delivery. I even like the sparing use of profanity, which only serves to emphasize the feelings portrayed by Smith in his poetry. Another surprise from the project, and another new artist for me to enjoy when I want my quiet time.

Heel aangenaam

i already listened to this but it's fucking amazing 10000000000000000000/10

This album, his most Angeleno, was important to me around the time I was 25, living in Echo Park in a small apartment right down the road from the last home ES lived in (and where he died). I had just gone through a monumental break up but was still living with my ex because neither of us could afford our own place yet. It was maybe the loneliest period of my life. I spent a lot of time by myself with my headphones on wandering around LA on foot and I often went out of my way to walk by his house as a type of pilgrimage. I had very little in my life to comfort me at that time except for this music. Now, when I listen back, I'm struck by how many of the songs express a ground-level view of LA; it's like ES wrote half the songs after he took his own walk around the city. It's hard to express how grateful I am for this record.

Dit was erg mooi. Ik hou er van.

Een van mijn favorieten. Echt zonde hoe het met hem is afgelopen...

i fucking love this album 100000000/10

There are a lot of shows I regret not going to but Elliot Smith is one that I was on the fence on but drove the hour and half to a sold out show and was able to get tickets from someone who had extras for $25, which was a lot for a concert at the time. This is one of the Elliot Smith albums I tend to gravitate to, with the other being From A Basement On A Hill and an easy 5 star

OH MY GOD HOLY SHIT WOW WHAT A FUCKING TREAT

me sad

This is the only album ever. 6/5 Favorite Tracks: Say Yes, Between the Bars, Ballad of Big Nothing, Angeles, Pictures of Me

I listened to this album so much when I was 16 that it would be a betrayal to not give it a 5.

Lovely. Reminds me of Blitzen Trapper and Mac DeMarco. Nothing but respect for an artist that is all about the homemade craft.

A beautiful time capsule

Only heard a couple of his songs before this. None from this album. Loved every second of this.

Loved it. Very Paranoid Park/Portland. Wanna listen to more.

loved it

best album ever

Lyssnat på massa, älskar

Pinegrove but sadder

Anther all-timer for me. One of the greats of its genre. Still would love any level of diversity during this project!

Amazing album, so sad, so very, very sad

This is a favorite album of mine. Favorite songs: Speed Trials, Rose Parade, Angeles, Cupid's Trick

I’ve heard a lot about Elliot Smith—I know about the “sad boy with a guitar” type of music he made, his history, and his tragic death—but I’ve never listened to any of his stuff before. This album was great though. It made me feel like a middle aged dude flipping through old photos of his dead wife (I was, in actuality, looking at pictures of my dog—who is still very much alive and kicking at the age of 15) or a dude in his twenties working a boring job. Emotional as hell and really great quality songwriting.

la depresion antes de la depresión tkm elliot

really quiet indie rock music. music that makes you lost in thought; besides his voice it's mainly just strums on the guitar and drums. it's another album in this list that, while very simple in composition, offers a LOT to the listener. vocals whispering in your ear like a damn asmr youtube video and instruments where you have to lock in and close your eyes to track the cool melodies being laid down. i really enjoy album that describe how stressful life is, but the reality of it all, instead of making it some weird screaming fantasy. a pleasant surprise, this album turned out to be.

Heartbreaking, captivating, one of the voices of my teenage years. Elliott Smith was such a tortured soul. I love every song on this album, forwards and backwards, it gives me goosebumps.

I liked it, it was chill and I feel like would be fun to play on guitar

Was really surprised to have liked this as much as I did, I've never really gotten the Elliot Smith hype. This was really amazing, it feels like a scaled down Jeff Buckley and it makes this album feel so personal and intimate. It's a shame we never got more than a couple others from him, he was a really talented guy.

My favourite Elliott Smith album. Absolutely perfect and heartfelt. Some have mentioned it’s boring and monotone. But the more you listen, the more you’ll enjoy… trust me!

Great album, no notes

I had listened to this on my own just a few months ago. On first listen I would have rated it a weak 4. Now, its a 5. Just a great album from front to back. Tender and soulful, low-fi and desperate, a really specific and indelible sound. Hard to call it anything but a masterpiece.

thank you elliott 🌹🌸🌻

Grunge meets singer song writer.

Fantastic from start to finish

Somber, beautiful, cuts deep.

Amazing album by an incredible, influential musician. RIP, Elliott.

listening to Either/Or as my album of the day, it’s like a reward. what can i say about Elliott Smith that’s something new, not much so i will repeat what i always say when i speak of Elliott Smith. the man is a lyrical genius, a songwriter of a generation. his music never gets old, his music never gets skipped. there is no song of his that sucks in his personal work or even with his band Heatmiser. God i fucking love Elliott Smith. Genius album. Truly an album you have to listen to before you die because it is indeed life changing. 5 isn’t a high enough rating. top 100 albums of all time without a doubt.

It’s no Figure 8 but I still love him

i cried

Amo estos descubrimientos. Seguramente por ahí durante la vida había escuchado el nombre de Elliott Smith, pero nunca le dediqué tiempo a escuchar uno de sus discos. Gran error. Esto me pareció espectacular, llegador, y en general, un trancazo en toda la extensión de la palabra. Quiero escucharle todo.

This is great music for my seasonal affective disorder, not bumming me out at all. Man do I love Elliott Smith, Figure 8 is my favorite record of his, but I do understand why Either Or should land in the pantheon of great music. I‘m an ignorant little shit so I didn’t know who Elliott Smith was before I first listened to him, and I‘m 24 anno domini 2025, so I kind of experienced the loss of him as I read his Wikipedia article, which makes all his records more bittersweet for me. Really great album for today, I haven‘t seen the sun in a week :) At least I didn‘t get David Berman, that would’ve made me ugly cry.

Never heard of this guy, but his sound is familiar in so much modern music. Definitely putting this in the rotation.

Beautiful

Amazing LP from an amazing talent who left us too soon.

New Discovery

I don't even have to listen to it. I LOVE this album! (I'll listen to it tho)

I'll admit that I didn't listen to this today, but I've listened to this album at least 50 times already. It's a good album.

Wow. I enjoyed this more than I expected. I wanted to listen to it again when I was done. I'm more of a Sad Boi than I realised.

Was very nervous to listen to this at work. But of course it banged. Skipped Between the Bars bc I'm not trying to cry at work today. Really liked: No Name No. 5 and Alameda

THE sad indie rock album.

I love Mr Smith he's so endearing and I think this is a nice batch of songs that illustrate his creativity really well. I'd give this an 8

a very very good album i love it

I don't listen to a lot of Elliot Smith so I had forgotten how great this album is but GODDAMN. Easily his best album. Favorite track: Pictures of Me 4.5/5

As someone who really doesn't care much about indie folk, or singer songwriter music that much, Elliott Smith is truly great. I don't know if this is going to make sense to anyone else, but I see a lot of the same songwriting techniques in Elliott Smith that I see in Kurt Cobain. They are both super authentic, and able to create amazing catchy melodies, that seem so deceptively simple that anyone could have come up with them. However, Elliot Smith is much more on that sad / somber scale compared to Kurt Cobain's angst and rage. Anyways, I really enjoyed this and have been meaning to listen to it for a while now. Low 5.

What a talent. Managing to make an album sound this good that was recorded in no fewer than four locations, while you play all of the instruments. The production is crisp yet raw. Love the guitar tone.

I am not usually one to talk about how an artist or an album got me through a time period but Elliot Smith might just be one of those artists. This entire album just flows seamlessly and sleepily (in a good way). I feel like I can relate to the subject matter and just immerse myself in the music. I sort of feel like I am in a dream or like when you were a kid looking out of a car window and pretending you were in a music video. So many great tracks here that tear at my heartstrings. I had a decent enough day but this listen still got some tears out of me. i also like the briefer run time. It has zero fat to trim. Standout tracks: Speed Trials, Ballad of Big Nothing, Between the Bars, Angeles, Say Yes. I might as well list the entire track list at this point.

Ok

Another of my all time favourites, and probably his best album.

A lovely little album

Elliot smith has always been the voice for the sad boy era globally. this album in particular is what i mean by it. Recording wise, this album is okay but its not as the album elliott smith elliott smith. but this album is still emotional. Elliott smith is a phenomenal writer ever even if most people does not care about his song.

Elliott wrote all of the music on this album himself. Wrote all the lyrics. Sang everything all by himself. Played all the instruments. The only thing missing from a total DIY experience is for him to help build the studio it was recorded in. He did that for the next album. The point is, Elliott was massively talented and hard working and it really shows on Either/Or. I've loved this album for many years, listened to it many times and it never gets old. The melodies are mesmerising, the lyrics a treasure trove where you discover something new in the words during each listening. The way he used mundane words to express complex situations and emotions, jamming three meaningful ideas into three words, building worlds within his music with so much empathy and expressiveness... He was so quiet but so, so loud.

Great stuff.

I remember being 18 finding this album and listening to it to the point my car CD player wouldn't play it any more.

10/10

1) Rose Parade 2) Angeles 3) 2:45 Am 4) Say Yes 5) Ballad of Big Nothing The album feels really nostalgic and calming, Songs like Rose Parade have an interesting message on this parade that is supposed to joyful but poor in town are just trying to get by while everyone else celebrates. His whispery singing pairs with the melancholy melodies, and complements the little instrumentation well. The guitar on Angeles is very detailed and the Ballad of Big Nothing chorus singing just hits. The darker emotional tone of 2:45 Am and when the drums come at the end I can't recommend enough every song is amazing

I been on this for a while so this reviews gonna be a bit sweatier. Tracklist Review Tier 1 — Elite • Pictures of Me • Between the Bars • Cupid’s Trick • Say Yes Tier 2 — Good • Big Ballad of Nothing • No Name Number 5 • Rose Parade • Punch and Judy • 2:45 AM Tier 3 — Mid • Speed Trials • Alameda Elliot Smith’s pretty definitive magnum opus. It’s the only folk album I could compare to Carrie and Lowell. His sound is so distinct, it’s hard to describe. The songwriting has both a poetic and raw, unfiltered side to it, and the contrast works perfectly. The acoustics are amazing, but more importantly, his voice comes through so immaculately at almost all times. The soft delivery, along with the layering and occasional reverb, is CINEMA. I wouldn’t say the album is perfect, as it comes through a little inconsistent, but the highs are so high and the lows don’t go very low. I’d go in the 9.4–9.7 range.

This album sounds good top 3 songs 1 Between the bars 2 Say yes 3 Ballad of big nothing all 10/10 songs 9.3/10

not my favorite elliott smith but still solid gold to me.

;_;

One of my big musical regrets is not seeing Elliott Smith live. I came to him late, near the end of his life, and it just didn't happen. I don't know Either/Or as well as his self-titled album, but this has a ton of songs on it that I like quite a bit. I should be listening to it more.

Awesome. Exactly the kind of artist I wanted to pick this up for. Wasn't sure at first but the music is really subtle in the ways that it keeps you pulled in. Feeling some Beatles influence here definitely.

Speed Trials - 5/5 Alameda - 5/5 Ballad of Big Nothing - 5/5 Between the Bars - 5/5 Pictures of Me - 5/5 No Name No. 5 - 4/5 Rose Parade - 5/5 Punch and Judy - 3/5 Angeles - 5/5 Cupid's Trick - 5/5 2:45 AM - 5/5 Say Yes - 5/5 Average score: 4.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ god this man was so fucking talented and influential, i remain devastated to this day that he isn't here to see the impact his music has had. the songwriting, the production, the multitracked vocals, the dreariness... he's inspired many of my favs, but Elliott's still considered one of the best in this genre i think there's still a couple albums in his discography i gave heard in full, but i'm pretty sure everything he's ever made will be 4+ stars at least, if not 5's across the board

Confession time: I am a sucker for the ’90s Pacific Northwest music scene. In a way, it was raw, unhinged and at the same time as beautiful as the Oregon coastline. The number of great musicians and bands from that time and place is just mind-blowing. And yet, Elliott Smith managed to stand out from the highly gifted and wildly creative pack. So much has been said about Either/Or, and I don’t really have anything new to add. Only this: when I look at the cover now, I’m reminded that I loved this album so much back in the day that my adoration for Either/Or overshadowed his entire discography. Today, I’ve finally come to terms that Figure 8 at least matches (if not surpasses) the brilliance of Either/Or. Elliott Smith was a truly unique songwriter: Someone whose kind doesn’t roam the earth or grace our ears and hearts very often. Even though many of his recordings come from dark places, the songs on Either/Or bring an unlikely sense of comfort; the lush, restrained arrangements can really lull you in. I’m so glad we had Elliott Smith among us, and that he chose to lay his idiosyncratic songwriting and angelic melodies to tape. Too bad his life ended so abruptly and far too early. We miss you, Elliott - and there are hardly any better voices to turn to in the search for solace than yours.

love this sad dude and his songs

Another very pleasant surprise that I'm happy I gave a go. I always wanted to explore Elliott Smith's music more and I'm glad this was the one, great album!

Dark and emotional

256/1089 - When I first listened to this I didn't expect to like it since I'm not huge on folk or indie but I ended up really enjoying Either / Or a lot and it eventually became one of my favorite albums! Wispy voice that worked very well with the creative guitars and drums. Extremely strong melodies throughout, just a great album. I like XO and Figure 8 a lot too.

I was walking home to my flat after a night out when it started pouring down. I ducked into a bar to get out of the rain and ended up catching the end of someone's open mic set. I was utterly captivated with the song I was hearing and having picked out some of the lyrics, I ran home before I would forget them (my phone was long out of battery). After a bit of drunk Googling at a stupid time of the morning, I learned that the song was called Needle In The Hay by some guy called Elliott Smith. I've been a diehard fan ever since that day (which I realise was 15 years ago now; christ I'm old). While the self titled album will always be my favourite on the whole, Either/Or contains some of Elliott's best songs. Between The Bars is the closest he came to a true hit single, Angeles has the most covertly complex guitar work I've ever heard on an acoustic song, and Say Yes is a beautiful bittersweet closer with some rare hope for an Elliott Smith song. The man never released a bad song, and even the droves of unreleased work that has been "released" since his untimely passing has been better than most other bands' entire catalogues. Elliott with a true one of a kind, and it's my biggest regret that I found out about him too late, but his work continues to give so much, and with a huge quantity of live recordings from fans kicking about the Internet, thankfully there will always be plenty of his work to be listened to.

my smile faded when i saw this album was next

Absolutely fantastic album by a much missed genius. Stunning songs with beautifully simple production focusing on the arrangements and that fragile voice . So good I own at least 5 copies of it

There are some voices that I'll never get tired of, and Elliott Smith's is one of them.

Elliott Smith debía de tener una de las almas más hermosas del mundo. Letras fantásticas, ambiguas, llenas de significados pero con líneas que van directo al cuore, cantadas con una emoción que corta como el diamante, y con arreglos alucinantes, super creativos. Me hace acordar mucho a John Lennon. En fin, Either/Or es un disco espléndido que se va a ganar 5 estrellitas. Es mi tercer disco favorito de SM, hay un par de canciones que no me dicen tanto, pero después me parece sobresaliente en todo. Es de esos que tendrían 4,5 estrellitas si esta página me dejara la opción. Musicalmente este es el último disco de Smith que es básicamente acústico, aunque hay guitarras eléctricas en algunas canciones, como Alameda, y la presencia de instrumentos de banda, como batería, en varias de las canciones. El disco abre muy bien con cuatro canciones que hablan sobre adicciones de manera muy diversa. Acá están mis dos canciones favoritas del disco (Alameda y Between the Bars). Eso no quiere decir que ahí se acaba la diversión. Recién comienza, después tenemos Pictures of Me, temazo beatlesco con letras de auto-odio. No Name #5 sigue en la línea del auto-odio, pero es una de las canciones del disco que me gustan menos. Tiene arreglos interesantes, pero nunca pude conectar mucho con este tema (Para ser sincero, lo asocio con Roman Candle, disco que no me gusta mucho). Y otra vez más en Rose Parade. Lo interesante es que Elliott Smith revisita estas sensaciones desde distintos puntos de vista. Si en Pictures of Me, Smith renegaba de la imagen que construían los demás sobre él, acá él mismo se retrata como distanciado de la "gente" que va al desfile. La música no me gusta tanto como la de las primeras cinco canciones, pero es decente y es una vuelta a la forma, después del tema 6. Volvemos a romperla toda con Punch and Judy. Es la canción más optimista del disco pero igual es para cortarse las venas. Punch y Judy aparentemente son dos marionetas populares en EEUU. Smith las usa como una metáfora del distanciamiento de dos personas (a partir de este punto es que el disco se empieza a poner más -no-romántico*). *Menos en el tema que sigue, Angeles, una crítica no al capitalismo, pero sí al exitismo y consumismo de Los Ángeles. Aparentemente en varias canciones del disco hay referencias a Los Angeles (malo) y Portland (bueno), pero esas referencias se nos escapan a los que no somos de ahí. La música del tema es de las mejores del disco. 2:45 es una canción que musicalmente no me gusta tanto, pero con una letra más filosa que varias espadas, hablando sobre el abuso sexual. Entiendo que podría ser un tema autobiográfico y hablar sobre como lo abusó su padrastro. Cupid's Trick y Say Yes son canciones de desamor. La primera la interpreto con como nos engañamos cuando nos enamoramos (ojo, también podría ser sobre la droga -!-). También esta puede ser la canción menos depresiva del disco. Es la más rockera, por cierto, y Say Yes, mi tercera canción favorita del disco, una idealización del amor que nunca se va a concretar. La melodía es tan pero tan bella que me hace llorar. Me pasa lo mismo con The Biggest Lie, el cierre del disco anterior. Ahora que terminé de hacer la reseña creo que estoy más cerca del 5 que del 4,5 (?). Solo No Name #5 no me convence mucho.

Heard it before. Oh what a fantastic album. Very powerful despite the very lofi instrumentation 5/5

What an album. I may be a bit biased because Smith is my favorite solo artist ever, but honestly I wouldn't even consider this his best as I think his later albums eclipsed this record due to their more refined songwriting and orchestration. Despite that, you can still see his true musical talent shining through this entire album, probably due to its stripped-back production. I think a lot of people only think of his music as being sad, but damn he is also just a lyrical and melodic genius and that's the aspect of his music that's most apparent to me. This album also makes me so nostalgic for Portland, where I lived in high school. Much love for this album, especially the songs Alameda, Rose Parade, and Ballad of Big Nothing. Til we meet again, when I inevitably get Figure 8!

Elliott Smith is not someone I had heard of previously, but his melancholic indie sound and deep lyrical themes really resonated with me. I also liked how unpolished it all sounded... As someone who wrestles with perfectionism in songwriting, I feel like this makes me feel better about things not having to sound exactly perfect. I will be listening to more of his stuff for sure.

his album is like whispering your secrets into a dusty tape recorder and then listening back years later just to hear yourself bleed. It’s fragile, bruised, hauntingly intimate. Elliott Smith doesn’t sing at you—he sings near you, like someone mumbling confessions in the next room. Acoustic heartbreak meets lo-fi whispers, stitched together with melodies so sad they loop in your head like intrusive thoughts. Rating: 5/5 Short Review: The kind of album that makes you look out a rainy window even if it’s not raining. Favorite Track: “Between the Bars” — because it feels like addiction, love, and self-sabotage all sitting at the same dimly lit bar.

Beautiful. Really enjoyed it.

Love this dude. So 90’s.

10/10 I know it’s an unpopular opinion that I prefer Figure 8 to this, but I still think this is a truly incredible album with so many fantastic songs

Very chill vibe

So Incredible!!!

Great album among many of Elliot Smith. What a loss.

90s bias here, but love this album

Havde hørt før men det havde aldrig rigtig klikket før! Det gjorde det *virkelig* den her gang. All timer, kun gode sange.

Very lovely also quite sad

Just a really sweet record. Probably his best and again makes me wish I had more of a lyrically bent brain.

obsessed in the best way possible. brings up so many feeelings always and reminds of my first apt in echo park. such a soothing voice he had

masterpiece

Brilliant singer, brilliant lyricist. So sad that he left us too early.

Loved this one, hadn’t heard of Elliott Smith before and reading about him made this one hit even harder. Also went back and listened to his self titled album which is also phenomenal both of them are now in my digital collection.

Love it, this is him at his best. Beautiful craft to these songs.

Beautiful beautiful raw album Slight Beatles undertones in a few songs

Wow!

This was great

My favorite Elliott Smith and an overall favorite album in general.

I've lost track of how many times I've heard this one. One of my personal favourites. 5

Surprisingly good, great and unusual harmonies, more instrumentation than expected from singer/songwriter, I liked it a lot. Makes me want to listen more of him. 4.5

One of the biggest influences on my teen angst years

Brilliant.

Is it possible to hear this record and not feel immediately enshrouded in the most sanguine and coddling melancholy? A weighted blanket of comforting sad; permission to fuck it all off and wallow. Wallow we can, but only for so long. By the time “Between the bars” has thrown you around with its sharp inversions and “Pictures of me” has dared to put you in mind of musicians no less vaunted as T-Rex and The Beatles you’re awkwardly close to having to admit there’s real depth under that mirrored sheen of self-soothing. The one-two punch of “Angeles” (perfect, perfect song) and “Cupid’s Trick”; “2:45 AM” … the ven diagram of wonderful songs on this album and its tracklist is a circle. And on it goes – variations on a theme, but always with something uniquely arresting about them. Tremolo guitars, drum kits apparently made of boxes, double-tracked vocals that refuse to aspire to total symmetry, a full band rock out; none of it a gimmick, all of it in service of the feeling. Elliott Smith’s genius – and it was genius – wasn’t in identifying that feeling out of love is as powerful and unifying an experience as falling into it, that’s been known for ages. His genius was in isolating that prickling, nagging, insistent shame and turning it into something else entirely. A shared thing. Nothing to be ashamed of. Troubadour Young Werther; you deserve to be happy, too.

Love this album.

Very relaxing album I enjoyed listening to this

One of my favorite albums of any time and certainly the 90s. It still sounds great and pretty timeless to me. Ballad of Big Nothing is my favorite slacker anthem. My 21 year old daughter, who loves Elliott Smith, was born on the same day he died and likes to imagine some piece of him was reborn with her. :)

5/5 - You need to hear this because Smith’s influence keeps living on. The whispered melodies and spare production keep the focus on the songwriting here, so I like this even more than XO I think. I’m glad this album came up because it had been a good long while since I sat with some of these songs. Great stuff.

Awesome

A beautiful bummer of an album. I was too hard on the first ES album we got, I think because at 35 with three children and a happy marriage I have very little use for depression or nihilism or sadness that feels performative in any way. But that doesn’t mean ES doesn’t have some pretty special songs or that his misery isn’t exquisitely expressed. Angeles, say yes, between the bars and rose parade were all songs I listened to all the time as a moody teen, and the fact that listening to them now I can picture exactly where I was the last time I heard them and how I was feeling at the time is a testament to their power and specificity. This is a great album I won’t ever listen to again (unless I ever get divorced).

Some of his strongest songs - Between the Bars, Say Yes, Angeles, Ballad of Big Nothing. Great acoustic guitar parts, songwriting, and melodies, everything song is catchy and pretty memorable, if a bit dour. Will need to compare this to Figure 8 at some point - very different production just from the few songs I went back to today.

Um lindo disco que já foi trilha sonora de lindos momentos na vida de muita gente, incluindo a minha. É difícil pra mim desvincular a imagem dele do filme Good Will Hunting, por exemplo. É um álbum bem cinemático mesmo, muito fácil sonhar acordado enquanto o ouve, pensar em cenários impossíveis, em memórias agridoces, em rostos deformados pela indiferença. Um LP para sonhadores e amantes. Logo de cara, você é pego de surpresa pelas composições minimalistas e pelos vocais íntimos. Ouvir este álbum no escuro faz parecer que o Elliot está no quarto comigo. Err. Sem maldade. Gosto muito da percussão, e as canções climáticas como 2:45 AM e Cupid’s Trick são incrivelmente satisfatórias. Fico perto de deduzir meia estrela da nota final por conta de uma certa monotonia que te ataca bem no meio do disco. O início e o fim deles são brilhantes, catalogados pela incrível combinação de abertura Speed Trials -> Alameda -> Ballad of Big Nothing -> Between The Bars. Seu final também é grandioso com Angeles -> Cupid’s Trick -> 2:45 AM -> Say Yes. Mas, o que se encontra no meio pode ficar na mesmisse. São lindas faixas e maravilhosas canções, porém, elas não impressionam tanto quanto as sequências de início e fim. Mas, sendo bem justo, é impossível deduzir qualquer fração da nota dessa obra só por conta disso! E não serei injusto com esse álbum tão belo, importante, e influente. 5/5

love this album. Easy 5/5.

very nice very

This one's a little tough for me to review. One of the few albums where I'll really have to dig into it multiple times. That said, I think I have listened to this before, it's just been so long that I don't remember it at all. But I'm really liking what I'm hearing. Very subdued but beautiful album that has a ton of unique little vocal tricks and guitar licks. I've heard music similar to this, but never music that is so specific on the little details. And everytime I get to a song that I think is just gonna peter out, he opens it up for a great finale, lik 2:45 AM. To my ears, kinda sits somewhere between a folk version of Nirvana and Foo Fighters. I'll have to dig around, but there's a specific Foos song that sounds like a lot of this album, especially Ballad of Big Nothing (which also sounds like a Foos song name). Other good tracks are Alameda and Cupid's Trick, but honestly the whole thing is great. Definitely one I'll be listening to through the rest of the day. Edit: I'm thinking of the Foos song Big Me.

One of my favourites of all time

I love this album. An artist I wish I could've witnessed live. This album was important to me when I was an emo teenager, and it is still just as important to me now, as an emo adult.

One of the best

One of the best albums ever made imo