Either Or

Another artist that I have heard of before, but haven't listened to. This site really is one of the reasons why I love the internet! A couple songs in, I'm really loving the sound of this so far. Kind of mellow, warm, bright-ish lyrics and instrumentals, definitely something I'd listen to just chill out and take it easy. A lot of songs get kind of depressing when you read into the lyrics. Can't say I can relate with stuff like alcohol addiction all that well, but the way he phrases things and makes you feel is really striking and captivating. I like all of the songs on here so far. Not sure what else to say about this project, It's got interesting lyrics, that laid back, personal sounding accoustic guitar instrumentals, this warm energy.. I could go on and on, but overall, I really like this, 8/10 definitely!

Solid songwriting and I like his vulnerable, but not whiney, voice. The album starts with a handful of strong tracks but fades a bit. Very melancholic feel, but knowing he died young and led a miserable life could have contributed to that. Once again, Spotify sent me, to Nick Drake after the last song, which isn't a surprise.

I had a hard time initially getting Elliott Smith's wispy vocals and folk guitar sameness. After repeated listens, I really like the introspection in the lyrics, the subtle variety of additional instruments on some tracks and the melodic nature of the songs. It is really good. Big fan of Cupid's Trick, Angeles, and Alameda.

Me confundió bastante la portada, porque parecía de rock o algo así bien raro, pero todo lo contrario, me gustó bastante

Extra half star. Will revisit sometime down the road.

Felt like I was not sad enough for this

有点无聊，但是也没认真听

Pretty, but unremarkable

6.5/10

nice sound

decent

I liked it, but it also wasn’t too memorable.

slusala sam ovo dok sam vezla pred spavanje i bas mi se uklopilo u momentu. samo mi je jedna pesma ostala u secanju zbog uvoda (angeles) i 2:45 zapravo, ali to je to.

More delightful songs by Elliott Smith. If you liked the other album, you'll probably like this one too. What a thought.

As with my previous exposure to Elliott Smith on this list (Figure 8), I wound up enjoying this more than I expected to. He had a gift for lyrics, though these arrangements were disappointingly simple in a lot of cases, and his guitar (well-played) had a tendency to drown out his voice. He deserved the better production of Figure 8, not to mention a longer and happier life.

Wird ja ziemlich gehyped, die Figure 8 liegt mir aber deutlich mehr.

Gut, aber überbewertet. Finde "Figure 8" und "XO" besser.

Is it as phenomenal as people say? Nah. I can see why it's being loved but... it's not for me. Still cool album.

Quite enjoyed this, especially the more up tempo songs. Thought it would grow on me but not really after 2 listens.

- I can see how this could be divisive, but I really like his voice -- this feels like quintessential 90s sentiment delivered in a less grandiose fashion than something designed for repetitive radio play ("Bittersweet Symphony" comes to mind) - I can also see how other artists probably drew from his style of almost whispering into the microphone. it feels very intimate, like each song is a secret just for you to hear - even the more rock-focused songs ("Cupid's Trick") don't have much force at all behind the lyric delivery, which I appreciate. grunge hotshots like Eddie Vedder were already behind the heavy 90s vocal performances, so this is a whole different approach

Given how little daylight there is between them (spirit-wise, that is, not temporally), it's kind of a bummer to get Nick Drake and then Elliott Smith in back to back order. And much like Drake's music, I'm a bit hard-pressed to distinguish between the two Smith albums in this collection, although I *think* this one is a bit less retro-inspired? Overall, though, it seems like a fine album, well-produced, and strangely (sadly?) forgettable, with the exception perhaps of "Pictures of me", "Cupid's trick" and the impressively bleak "2:45am". However, apparently Gus Van Sant was far more impressed, given that he put four different Smith songs--three of them from this album--in "Good Will Hunting". How do you like them apples?!

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

nice and calm, good for a peaceful walk.

First time listener. Absolutely outstanding. You can hear how hugely influential this has been to artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. Loved it.

This is decidedly chill with an amazing laid back vibe.

Such a good, haunting album. This hits the sweet spot between Elliott’s low fi early stuff and more produced later stuff. Right in the middle. So good.

Ik vind het een heeeel erg sterk album. Sommige nummers zijn echt fantastisch. Ik heb het een paar leer geluisterd en ik zit er wel lekker in. Toch spreekt niet alles mij aan, of misschien toch wel. Bij het ene nummer twijfel ik niet en geef ik het 5 sterren bij het andere nummer wel. De stem spreekt mij heel erg aan de overdubben van de vocals, op een fluisterende toon werkt heel goed. Between the bars is natuurlijk het best. Say yes vind ik ook mooi. Onsamenhangend verhaal: 5 sterren

Een goed weekend album wat wel een beetje bij het weer paste. Heb de plaat in de kast staan en er vaak naar geluisterd. Betrapte mij er wel op dat niet alle nummers even sterk zijn zoals Balland of big nothing en pictures of me. Het is dus net geen no skip album. Toch staan er zoveel mooie nummers op die dat weer goedmaken. Met mijn eigen nostalgische bril van toen ik dit album veel luisterde is het toch 5 sterren.

Mooie, soms wat zwaarmoedige teksten, die op een lichte, breekbare stem worden voorgedragen. Ik ben erg fan van Elliott Smith en heb daarom het hele weekend naar dit album geluisterd, vooral ook omdat het een album is wat je moet leren kennen. Qua productie vind ik het ook erg smaakvol gedaan, duidelijk een DIY/Lo-Fi achtige homerecording met de daarbij behorende saturatie en warmte.

Classic Indie from my era. Love it

I had “the great good fortune” to see Elliott perform in Charlotte, NC, I think just before XO came out. He stood at the back of the stage, as deep in the shadows he could get, stepping up to the mic to sing in that breathy conversational semi-whisper, and then immediately sinking back out of the light. I won’t attempt to describe his music. I couldn’t do it justice. But my impression of the man, the artist, that night, was that he was like a child who was this frail little vessel for this immense poetic power, and it was cracking him apart. Like some advanced hyper-empathic alien intelligence was blowing through him, some extra-galactic Coltrane using Elliott’s whole everything as an instrument to convey these massive, monumental truths about the human condition, and it was tearing him at the seams. It’s enough to make you understand self-medication. It’s a night, a scene, a communal soul-sharing I will never forget. And, like Elliott, I have not always wanted to be alive, and there was every chance I could have not-been on that night. And I am so incredibly goddamn grateful I was.

Oh wow I can't believe I've never come across this before

I'm not a sad songs person but I've always loved Elliott Smith's voice. It's so special to me. This album is so hauntingly beautiful. It works for any time or season.

I listened to this all day. Years before its time I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_PPdjD6mg (10/10, 5/5 on this scale)

he is perfect. I miss him so much!!!!

“I hope you're not waiting, waiting 'round for me… 'Cause I'm not going anywhere, obviously.” Some of the songs on this album are hopeful, some are curious vignettes, and some are distilled depression in a bottle. All of them make me feel something. Elliott had a gift for melody and lyrics, but also for creative chord progressions and voicings and song arrangements. The albums he released after this are excellent, but to me this is his masterpiece. Favorite songs: Angeles, Pictures of Me, 2:45 AM, Speed Trials, Between The Bars.

Gear: Fostex TH610 (Lawton Mod Black Limba Chambers) Artwork: 🪞🎨🚬 Production: 🎧🫂👄 Music: 🖤💔❤️‍🔥 Rating: 🫗🫗🫗🫗(🫗)/5

I flit between this, self titled and Figure 8 as my favourite Elliott Smith album, but most of the time this is number one. So many incredible tracks, with Angeles, Say Yes and Between the Bars being some of his finest songwriting. He gets pigeonholed as a 90s specialist in misery, but his songwriting and use of harmony is just special, and belies the stereotypes. Listen to the chords in Between the Bars - very few people have ever used melody and harmony as brilliantly as this. The guy was a master. A top ten favourite album for me

Beautiful in its rawness.

Straaange, just started listening to this one loads before today so can quite happily write my review without listening, but will still listen Obviously his best album in my view. Phenomenal singer-songwriting, weird tunings, Speed trials (love the whispery singing), ballad of big nothing, between the bars (good will hunting anyone?), angeles, what’s not to love. Such an unassuming voice behind such sadness, wonder if he would have made anything better than his brief output. Most sketchy suicide ever makes it all the more frustrating

RIP goat, this isn’t my favourite Elliot smith album but that doesn’t mean it isn’t damn near perfect 4.5

great album. don't have much to say about it, but it grew on me heavily after these last two listens.

Love!

Now this is sad but music I can get behind. These something that feels honest and raw about it

Some of the best music ever written and one of the music world’s greatest tragedies :(

9/10 - I knew the album already but this was a great excuse to listen again. Incredible album from an incredible talent.

This was darn near perfection. This album will be listened to again and again.

Perfectly balanced in anything.

Jeez. 2 in a row? This album is in my personal top 10. 5 "I still miss you" stars.

i love elliott smith this album feels so intricate and cozy im gonna cry

Elliott Smith’s Either/Or is one of those rare albums that hooks you on the very first listen, making you want to replay the whole thing immediately. It is a beautiful, heartbreaking classic that perfectly captures why the 90s is probably my favourite decade for music—there were just so many artists making absolute gold back then. For me, this record is incredibly special. It gave me a lot of comfort when I was going through some intense grief. Because it carries so much emotional weight, it’s definitely not an album I can play every day, but looking at how much it means to me, I don't think I can give it less than a perfect 5-star rating.The musical talent on display here is fantastic, especially the great chord changes and the guitar work. "Ballad of Big Nothing" was an instant love for me the second I heard it, and "Pictures of Me" is an absolute gem. But "Between the Bars" is the one that really does something to me; it feels so raw and intimate that it puts a lump in my throat. The whole record just feels so vulnerable. Elliott Smith was a massive talent who was gone way too soon. R.I.P. Elliott.

Prachtig album. Ieder nummer is perfect.

In some ways "Either/Or" best captures the tone of Smith's music in that it is warm, intimate and brilliant in its melodies, yet simultaneously sparse in arrangement and understated in production. The tracks glide with layered harmonies and intricate fingerpicking, evoking the wistful happiness Smith is best at. It is clear that few albums convey such resonance and passion.

This is optimal sad boy music and I mean that in a complimentary way. I feel sad that Elliot was never able to get passed this in his personal life and I think that probably does cast a shadow over a lot of his music because you can't help but feel the heaviness of his death in all of his songs. That being said, I love me some Elliot Smith and he was really was that dude make the saddest tunes about and, in isolation, sad tunes are pretty cathartic and good to listen to and he was probably the best at making them.

detta är en av mina favoritalbum, 10/10 i min åsikt. har lyssnat på elliott smith fler gånger än vad som anses att vara normalt.

obviously 5 star album

No Elliott Smith album to me is below a 5/5. But I do have my favourites. This album to me used to be my favourite Elliott album and it still ranks high. I think self-titled would be my favourite. In any case, this is a great record. “Between the Bars”, “Angeles” and “Say Yes” are some of the best Elliott cuts in his discography. For anyone getting into Elliott Smith, this is the one I’d recommend.

Perfect album. One of my favorites

Such a massive influence on my own writing and the majority of indie folk music coming out today. So honest and emotionally vulnerable without coming off as too whiny, and Smith’s tuneful ear and penchant for unexpected chord changes make every song stick. I still remember hearing “Speed Trials” for the first time, feeling that chill run through my body as I heard the line “when the socket’s not a shock enough” and knowing that I’d never heard anything like this before. True all-timer from one of the true all-time great songwriters. Still my favorite Elliott.

What a song writer. So sad he is no longer with us.

perfect

Do you have any idea how fucking sad this made me feel

music is love

This is a utter amazing complex sad album

the scream I scrumpt when I got this album

HOLLLYYY SHIT wat een emo muziek.. nick drake van de jaren 90? 10/10

Great tunes and find fir me thx!

i knew elliott but not his music, i found the album very touching, best recommendation so far.

Nothing makes me quite as sad as Elliott Smith, his music and his life story. Such a musical talent that was taken way too soon. He influenced a whole generation of music. I miss you Elliott.

The chord changes on this are beautiful and never predictable. It's like Radiohead or Nirvana playing sad boy folk (this is a good thing). 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Elliott Smith is the greatest ever songwriter in my opinion

easiest 5 ever

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

One of my favorite records of all time. Incredible melodies, delicate songs with devastating lyrics. Enough emotional rawness that even clunkers like "say yes" can land

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.

Elliott Smith is such a whiny bloke. 5 stars!

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.

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 Elliott Smith 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