Reviews (page 8 of 14)
Nice
A solid album with a few standout tracks, Either Or showcases Elliott Smith’s signature intimate songwriting and melancholy vibe. While the music is well-crafted, his soft, high-pitched vocals can wear on you after a while. Still, it’s an emotionally rich listen that highlights his talent, even if it’s not something I’d have on repeat.
2.5
2.5
Sure
8/10 I've been meaning to listen to this album in full for ever. The singles I already knew remain the high points; Between the Bars is as heartachingly beautiful as ever, the driving rhythm of Angeles makes for a compelling listen, and Say Yes is a fantastic closer. Of the songs I hadn't heard before, Alameda and the Ballad of Big Nothing stood out. A tricky album to score because the high points are so high, but I felt the quality lulled a little in the middle. Listens: 3
Fantastic album.
Guitar was great, vocals didn’t seem well mixed, could barely hear lyrics over the music.
- hier hat mal wieder nicht wirklich etwas herausgestochen, war relativ eintönig und hat mich nicht groß abgeholt
WARNING: THIS ALBUM MIGHT MAKE YOU CRY I might just be deep in my feelings right now but this really hit just right where I needed it. I've spent years trying to get into Elliott Smith and it finally clicked. So many Portland references littered throughout the lyrics which is appreciated if you have ever lived there. Alameda, The Big Ballad Of Nothing, and Say Yes are my favorite tracks off of the album but every song is solid.
Can't get into it
Elliott Smith was the precursor to all the confessional male singer-songwriter types of the late 90's and 00's. Think Bright Eyes, or Sufjan Stevens (in acoustic mode), and you get the idea. Smith, however, has a purity unlike any other, also his music is incredibly sad. Initially I didn't think much of his music anytime I came across it, but one day I listened to this very album more closely and really connected with it. Relevant to say, I was going through it at the time... Key tracks: Alameda Ballad of Big Nothing Between the Bars No Name No. 5
Debated on giving this a three or four because it’s a true 3.5 for me but I feel 3 is too low considering this album had some really good songs, and I don’t really like any other Elliott Smith too much so it was a surprise
I'd never heard of Elliott Smith. I liked a few of the songs, he had a really nice voice. But this album was so bland. Everything blended into 1 long song 3 ⭐️
Elliott Smith is perfect at making music that's sad, bordering on depressing, but without being pretentious. The genuine raw emotion in this album is like nothing I've ever heard and yet still feels so real and relatable.
The internet claims that this artist’s songs were selected for a few movie soundtracks. That makes sense to me since the music is quiet and would be good as background. There is nothing on this album that stands out as above average. Very forgettable.
Elliott Smith was extremely popular on fanmixes in the early 2000s. Basically the Snow Patrol/Death Cab of its time. Nothing bad here, but it's so mellow I don't get much out of it. Dashboard Confessional-y but not emo enough to evoke any real emotion. You get the picture.
Ни о чём
Morose music for morose times. Thanks and God bless, Elliott,
I mean of course this wasn't the first listen of this album. This is one of , if not the best singer songwriter album of all time. Every song is so simple and so beatiful and as usual in Elliott's discography very depressing music. Not only the album has amazing songs as I said but in addition it has between the bars. Like that song is just up there in the all timers category. First 9.5-10/10 in this 1001 albums challenge.
I liked this album. I was really interested in the use of multi-tracked vocals, which aren’t super common in acoustic music like this. Favorite Track: Between the Bars
Non fa per me, non mi comunica nulla
Love his voice and displays of vulnerability. STAND OUTS: Ballad Of Big Nothing Between The Bars - SO good Pictures Of Me Angeles Say Yes
Fantastic voice, fantastic album
Ja, geweldig album he. Ideaal voor 's avonds naar huis te rijden ofzo. Of op elk ander moment ook. 4.7
already know and love; literally perfect
Exceptional songwriter
some decent sounding stuff on here
Cool
Found this quite enjoyable. At times it reminded me of Beck. Some good tunes on here
So many wonderful ingredients, but I’m not sure it all really comes together for me. I suspect it would need multiple listens I just don’t want to invest time into at this age.
An easy 5 from me. Smith has a way of drawing me in and holding me in his perspective. The songs barely hold together in the best way and the lyrics are HEAVY.
This guy picked a vocal tone/flavor and stuck with it for the entire album. The way the vocals were filtered/processed made them all sound the same. Pretty mid, neither good or bad.
This is maybe the easiest five I’ve given so far. This is completely my taster in music. The man’s voice is so nice, and everything wraps together into a beautifully mentally ill package. I can absolutely see how Phoebe Bridger’s had pulled from his music for inspiration. I’m also realizing how much of the music I listen to probably has allusions to these songs that I’ve just never noticed. This entire album will quickly be integrated into my regular listening I’m sure.
I first listened to this album late last year because I was told it was one of the greats. And I remember listening to it and wondered how was this one of the greats. I felt as though I wasted my time with it. Needless to say, I did not love the album. In fact, honestly, I’m still not sure if I even love it. I’m still not sure if I even get it. Further, I honestly don’t even have half a clue what Elliot Smith is saying in his lyrics through this album. The music itself is not even that interesting or exciting. His voice is certainly nothing to write home about either. Nothing he does is really that innovative or creative. These common criticisms of the album I have shared and still share with many. And yet, beyond all of that, as I have listened to this album countless times since my first listen, I have noticed there is a resonating feeling deep behind the fleshy hollow gorges of my soul whenever I listen to this album that somehow, perhaps through the aether of the universe, connects me with the music contained herein. Truly, it is a beautiful, sacred, and hallowing experience listening to this album. It’s a quiet and careful experience, however, one that if you divert your focus away from it for even a second you risk missing out on the whole thing. It’s a simulacrum if Elliott’s own mental state, he invites us into the delicate space of his mind that is at such odds with itself (“either/or”) that even the slightest distraction will make it impossible to hear the quiet voices that are behind the brain static we coat ourselves with. The pure and raw emotional depth of this record is unparalleled by nearly any other music I have heard. His soul aches, and the voices, when you hear them, yearn. Power lies in subtlety.
One of those albums i cant say much more about. I absolutely love this album. Its a really cozy album but behind the indie folky instrumentation is some really fantastic songwriting which adds to elliot's stellar acoustic guitar playing 10/10 Favourite: 2:45 AM Least Favourite: None
I could get into this
Impressively expressive and unique without sacrificing melody
What a mixed bag. There are some songs I really enjoyed (like 2:45 AM) and others that were absolute slog fests. Pretty middle of the road album for me 2.5/5.
This was pretty meh. I loved the depressive discography of Elliott Smith when I was an angsty teenager but not anymore. Ballad of Big Nothing used to be a fave, but I didn’t care when it came on this morning.
More like Smelliott Ith
I was being yelled out by Elon Musk. He was wearing old lady clothes that were all green. I tried to retort but couldn't breathe
Woooooooo
All a little too soft and gentle for me. I feel like this probably has more lyrical worth than I was able to get my teeth into. I had 'Figure 8' as one of my first albums and that album felt a little less soppy with more life in it.
Not for me
Not bad, not great.
Don't know why I didn't expect that to be so gentle and soft. It's still not quite my jam, but I now have clear respect for Elliott Smith.
Well this will be upbeat. Somewhere between a depressed Jack Johnson and a slower Smashing Pumpkins. It’s a sensitive young man’s record for someone who never really liked Poison.
OHHHHHHH oomf LOVES this album. she is that type of person who loves elliott, lana, leonard and all those depressive stuff. and now i know why she would call his music "the best soundtrack for self-loathing". 4/5.
3/5
Two things stand out to me listening to this album now: First, you can tell it was recorded to tape in someone's basement in the 90s— probably the golden age of basement recording. (It wouldn't be long before computers and digital recording would change a lot of things.) Second, it's an historically great album with an understated and unique kind of beauty.
So sad
Agradable . Sonido acústico
Smith was a talented songwriter, though his style could be rather dark, yet at the same time a rather stripped back alternative/folk style. A good introduction to the artist setting the style that would follow him through his short career. 4/5
Elliott tried to join Houmous & Chutney back in ‘74. He just kept turning up everywhere. Studios, venues, even at Lens house. We kept having to say ‘Elliott! It’s Houmous & Chutney, not Houmous, Chutney & Smith! That sounds like a solicitors, not a groundbreaking musical duo’ 3.6
Decent
fav
Dazzling.
Didn't finish. Too boring for today. Maybe later.
in turns bouncy and dark - more influenced by Big Star than some of his other albums. refreshingly concise - 37 minutes is an excellent length for an album if every song is as good as these are.
Sadgasm but yeah this is it
So I had a lot of conflicting feelings about this album. For example, I appreciate that for a folk album, there was a lot of different instruments and the music was very melodic. But the main singer uses a filter on his voice for most of the album and I hated that. In fact,I specifically hated the way the instruments sounded with this fake sounding voice tone. And as always I struggle with songs that are slow, and a good majority of these songs are slower. The biggest positive of this album is the guitar playing. It’s so smooth and flowing but also pointed when it needs to be.
I really like Smith's brand of indie folk/rock and this one isn't a classic for nothing!
Quite a gentle laid back album. Nothing remarkable about it though. OK to listen to, inoffensive. Heard worse
I’ve seen this album cover for years, but about six months ago, I finally listened to it, and all I could think was, why did I overlook this for so long? It’s great. The vocals are raw, personal, and stripped down, mostly dealing with loneliness, isolation, and personal struggles. While there are some electric guitars, the album is mostly driven by fingerpicked riffs, with lo-fi production that gives it an unpolished, intimate feel.
Dosta loš album. 1/5, 1/10
If you asked me if I thought this album was good or bad, I’d say “Either Or.” It’s just a basic soft rock album, not my thing.
Nah
Either/Or? More like Either/Nor. This album is like if someone whispered their feelings into a tin can and called it lo-fi brilliance. I get that Elliott Smith was going for raw and emotional, but somewhere between the barely-there vocals and the lullaby-level energy, I almost forgot I was listening to music and not the sound of someone sighing in the next room. Sure, it’s introspective, but so is staring at a beige wall. Two stars because I respect sad guy guitar music in theory—but this one just bored me to tears.
Could’ve stayed in the 90’s. Seems like he wants to have a chili peppers vibe but lacks the vocal prowess to deliver.
3.5 Stars - deserves multiple listens
I am quite familiar with Elliot Smith, for me his songs always feel melancholic like there is a certain sadness to his works. Upon looking up this album which btw the only song I knew in this particular album was Say Yes and I believe this might just have been the time where I sat down and listened to the entirety of this album. It is no doubt intimate but not in a romantic way, a haunting experience since I do struggle with existentialism, self-destruction, and self-doubt as well as the failure to achieve inner peace. I certainly feel biased rating this as this feels rather personal.
Superb. Will be spinning this record again
6.5/10 Favorite Tracks: Speed Trials, Say Yes, Pictures of Me Least Favorite Track: No Name No. 5
I have listened to some Elliott Smith songs before and tried to get into some of his albums. Really liked a few songs (Between the Bars and Say Yes from Either/Or) but never got into the albums or they never stuck with me. Therefore I was a bit skeptical about this one being on the list. I was wrong. I was lucky enough to get this album on a Friday, meaning I had the whole weekend ahead of me where I could listen to Either/Or for three days and finally give it the chance it deservers. On late Saturday something happened, and what I can say now is this album is near perfect. Not one bad song on this one and it's so hard to pick the best songs, but here I will try: Between The Bars Rose Parade Say Yes Alameda Speed Trials Angeles
it was fine, didn't engage me
Got to admit not aware of Elliott, other than he has the cover infront of the famous graffiti. Must have heard the songs on Goodwill hunting. It’s a delicate, sad sounding record, not really the thing for my commute to work today, but there are some nice melody there. Didn't know any background on that 1st listen, but obviously not party ground central. I like it and will listen again definitely but when more appropriate. Reading around since it now places context, good record, not 250 rolling stones all time good or whatever those muppets said - why does anyone give them any relevance, there is always the boost from the misfortune of a tragic story. 4 Star for the music outside any post hearing context
Elliot Smith is one I wish I discovered earlier. Beautiful and sad. Truly masterful work.
I DONT LIKE ELLIOT SMITH THAT MUCH AND I DONT KNOW WHY IM SORRY :’(
the permanent soundtrack to my degree, many moons ago
Never heard of this dude til now, Honestly goes pretty hard. Feels very modern.
Not too much to say other than Elliott was a masterful songwriter who's albums speak to me on levels I simply can't put into works. This is simply a perfect album, literally no skips. Fav tracks: "speed trails" "ballad of big nothing" "rose parade"
This is actually excellent
good sad album
Amazing album, just so good
I was always a self-titled truther for a long time & hadn't listened to this album in a bit. Rolling it on its' 38th anniversary feels like fate and I finally understand. Listened multiple times yesterday, highly enjoyable. May be music for sad people but dammit if between the bars isn't one of the best songs ever written
This album defined who I wanted to be when I was in high school. That's how I wanted to sing; how I wanted to play guitar; how I wanted to walk down the street.
Amazing singer songwriter with some of my all time favorite songs (Between the Bars). I could listen to this album on repeat (and did, in fact, listen to it back to back several times yesterday). I'm glad this project reminded me that Elliott Smith is amazing because I had forgotten his work.
Devastating. Heart wrenching. Beautiful.
I've been hooked on the follow up to this album, XO, quite a bit recently, but I haven't given Either Or a full shot. It didn't blow me away like XO, but it's genuinely incredible still. Just kinda wish XO also got on the list but I'm not mad...
It's a bit boring and his voice isn't my favorite but there's nothing WRONG with it.
Another great album. He really manages to conjure that sadness with his beautiful voice and playing. 5 stars
Well-made and melancholy but it didn't really grab me. Favorites: Between the Bars Least Favorites: Speed Trials
Never heard of this artist. 1997 I was living in Japan. Not my taste - not something that speaks to me and not something I would sing myself. Its just the same song over and over again. I finished it and glad I know about it now. Won't listen again.
Speed Trials Ballad of Big Nothing Between the Bars Angeles Say Yes
Angeles No name no 5 Cupids trick Between the bars Punch and Judy. All bangers
idk, I didn’t connect with this, and I wanted to like Elliott smith since cool people do, but maybe I was listening wrong
I feel like kids who I thought were cool in middle school would’ve loved this album. Reminds me of getting bullied, so plus one point for that.
I have had "Between the Bars" on a playlist for a while. However, I don't pay attention to lyrics well and I thought it was about werewolves.
One of the great albums from the 1990s.
Not bad as a whole. got a little boring towards the middle with some high highs and mediocre lows. The stripped awayness of it all kind of detracted and made it sound a bit repetitive. Pretty chill, easy to throw into background and will revisit
Yes I understand he's a great musician. Do we really need more than one album of the generally same songs though?
Lovably low-fi and undoubtedly authentic, if not quite heartbreaking. One likes the vibe and mood, understated and restrained, but also sense some slightness. One was only half-in in all the hype back in the day, and feel only somewhat more invested now, pathos from his utlimate outcome notwithstanding. Really listenable, however, for all the delicacy and poignance. The sincere whisper vocal style never gets precious, which might be the record's saving gravce. A a few top-shelf songs: "Alameda," "Ballad of Big Nothing," "Pictures of Me," "Rose Parade" and "2:45 a.m."
Great modern era folk album. Need to dig more into the catalog.
good album to fall asleep to i guess
Great Album but can’t listen all the time
ok
Not my cup of tea. There are other artists out there that do this better.
Classic. Best Elliott
this album brilliantly captured meloncholy and introspection and was huge for my teenage self. 3.5 rounded up
Wow, two of my favorite albums in a row. This album is as close to perfect as an album can get for me. The double tracked vocals over Elliott's complex yet effortless guitar riffs and the expert production of the album makes it seem like he's whispering his poetry directly into your head. The flow between upbeat and uplifting songs and heartbreaking downtempo songs is unrivaled. The fact that he wrote the lyrics and orchestrated the music, sang vocals, and played guitar, drums, piano and bass on this album blows my mind. I wouldn't even say this is his best album, but it's still a 5/5
Soft sad boy music. I'm supposed to know Elliott Smith because he's a progenitor of everything I love in music. But I'd never at listened to him until now. This is very good. Ballad of Big Nothing is great. My own tastes usually prefer a grittier voice, but this is really solid stuff. Damn this whole thing is great. might pull me into softboi indie jams again
Listening to this, it was very clearly the progenitor for a bunch of mid-2000s sad-boy indie.
This was conflicting for me; it's clear that he was foundational to what we think of with indie for the next decade, but the whole album was a bit softboy for me. Maybe it's because I can never understand what anyone is saying when they sing, and I'm missing some major lyrical depth. More people should sing so I can understand them
Singer songwriter - he’s very quiet and whisper sings sometimes
Beautifully made album. Every song just hits like a truck. Elliott Smith had the perfect voice for his kind of music, I don't think anybody else sounds quite like him. Guitar work is superb as well, I heard it was in weird tunings that not even Elliott Smith knows what they are
Not really my kind of thing. I get the importance and the influence but I'm too old for this kind of indie emo now
Nah bruh
Some pretty parts, some slow parts. His songs have always sounded a bit plodding and rigid to me. It is definitely an identifiable sound.
Nice instruments instrumentals Bit forgettable
Folky and indie
This album keeps getting better with each re-listen. Elliotts best work in my opinion. A masterpiece from start to finish. So well made. Everything from the production to the singing to the instrumentation and songwriting complement each other perfectly. Not a song, lyric, or note out of place on the entire record. It really easily and simply transports you right into his world so effortlessly. So few albums do that as effectively. It’s got great range. Songs from all walks of life that still feel connected. It feels like it was crafted with great care and caution. One of my favorites of all time. Really good shit here. 5/5
1997….this isn’t so bad after listening to a few heavy metal bands
Decent album. It was very nice to listen to.
Decent album. Bit dreary
This was also very good. One of the best singer songwriter albums on the list so far.
A true, deep, powerful classic album.
Fine
That was tiresome. The first song I enjoyed was on a different album Spotify auto-queued once "Either Or" finished.
Another dreary , boring album. Why is it on this list? It has no redeeming features whatsoever. If I could give it zero stars I would.
Love Elliot Smith. Top tier sad guy music. Reminds me of college.
Monotonous to the point that I tune out and can't be bothered to listen to what he's saying.
One of the greatest albums of all time. Surprised by how familiar I have been with the album this generator has given me so far, though I certainly don't know more than ~30% of the albums on the list. What's there to say? An album that artists (mostly unsuccessfully) try to recreate over and over because it's so damn good. Angeles has one of the 10 greatest guitar parts of all time. The guitar solo on Say Yes is fucking insane. 2:45 AM and Between the Bar are brutal. Every song here is endlessly catchy and has stuck in my head since I first heard this at 13 years old.
There are so many emotions in this record there are moments that feel filled with hope and joy sandwiched with songs of intense pain and struggle Favourite songs: Between the Bars and 2:45am Alameda lyric: “Nobody broke your heart you broke your own because you can’t finish what you start”
Really intriguing sound - feels simultaneously like it was recorded by many people, but also one entirely by themselves. Great desert vibes, or maybe more like the badlands in a sort of Stroszek way. Sad, but not mawkish, when it gets emotional - Nick Drake, filtered through Kyuss and gas stop cigarettes. Favourite tracks: Ballad of Big Nothing, No Name No.5, Punch and Judy, Cupids Trick, 2:45am
3/10
Amerikanischer Singer-Songwriter. Sehr jung gestorben
I mean I can see why people like him. He is talented for sure and there are some songs I liked as well. But the style of singing and music is just a bit too depressing for me 3.5
Now this is some fine shit
Soooooo good
I don’t get it. At least not as much as the effusive praise it’s shown by critics and the general public alike. I thought the themes of loss and fighting addiction would pull me in, and they do on a number of songs, but I never fell in love with it. Looking at the songs I liked it’s actually quite a few and may suggest I should rare this a bit higher but I don’t know… I just don’t think I’ll be revisiting this one much. Not all classics are classics to everyone. It’s a three out of five stars. Songs that I did like were “Alameda”, “Between the Bars”, “Pictures of Me”, “Punch and Judy”, “Angeles”, “Cupid’s Trick” and “2:45 a.m.”.
I had a tough time writing something that wasn’t verbose, or sound phoney… Anyway, to me this is songwriting brilliance. Maybe I’m just a victim of gravitating to emotionally vulnerable music.
Very pleasant. Never really loved Elliot smith but this one hit. Kind of a mix between death cab and bright eyes
I enjoyed this one more than the other Elliott Smith albums that we have had.
Very 90s singer/songwriter sounding. You could pick out the influences from the bands of the same era, with the same vocal styles, and the same instrument styles. The album is fine, but doesn't tickle me in any way.
alright, too soft for my liking
Beautiful album.
Wow loved this one
This is already one of my favourite albums ever made. I absolutely love Elliot Smith, and I consider Either/Or to be his greatest work. This album consists of nothing but brutal honesty, Elliot consistently shares his deepest emotions, fears, and traumas. A lot of songwriting on this record focuses on the topic of abuse he suffered in his younger years, and the way he bares his heart open to the world is very striking. Musically I think this is just a beautiful record, it’s raw and genuine and real, it never feels forced or overproduced. This is one of those albums that you feel more than you hear. It’s so incredibly powerful that I’m afraid my words here cannot do it justice. It’s literally impossible to pick a favourite song on this record, because each song is just as incredible as the last. I’ve probably listened to this record a thousand times in my life, and I’m sure that I’ll continue to play it regularly for the rest of my life. Rest in Peace, Elliot. 5*
I feel about Elliott Smith about the same way as I do about like, an injured wild animal. Very sad and pretty and somehow poignant. I definitely see the appeal and appreciate the softness, the guitar playing, gentle vocals, the pure emotion... but it isn't really for me. Someone give this guy a hug and maybe like a pina colada or something. That said, I think this album deserves closer examination than I was able to give it with one listen and I would listen again. 7/10
As far as I know this is the first Smith album I’ve listened to…knew his story but not his music. Neither Or for me.
i do like a nice bit of Elliott Smith but XO is his best album by a million miles, why've we had this and Figure 8 but not XO. GET A GRIP
While I wasn't angry to be listening to this (that's my threshold for giving out a one star rating, those are all albums that pissed me off) it's not exactly anything I want to ever listen to again. Wispy tenor with acoustic guitar? Pass.
The album cover told me everything I needed to know about Elliott. This is exactly the sound I expected and I thought I wouldn’t enjoy another tortured soul crying about their traumatic past. But, I liked it. The more I listened, the more I liked it. Either Or starts a bit “either-ish” and slowly evolves into “orrrr”, or maybe this is actually good? Elliott makes it his own and tells his own stories of overcoming past wrongdoings - EITHER his own OR others. There’s a sneaky hope in Elliott’s voice, guitar playing and vocals. This album is a pack of Marlborough Red’s and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s with a long time friend you wish was still alive. RIP Elliott.
I don't like feeling sad. I know, it's a hot take. This album is just dreary. It feels more like depression than sadness anyway, and that's not a mood I want to wallow in. As for the songs, they blend together to a point where I couldn't tell one from the other. Still, I can see why people like it, and it's not bad, per se, but I'm fine with never hearing this again.
Really enjoyed this one. Feels like it has the potential to grow on me even more with repeated listens.
not my speed, too slow / guitar focused
Good
Great Gutes album muss aber nochmal gehört werden
A really good album that I feel could have been better. The songs range from really catchy and fun, to almost awkward and unfinished. Everything feels about 30 seconds too short, which really hurts the songs that lean into more unconventional chord progressions that never end up resolving. But overall a nice unplugged listen that has a lot of good going on. Top tracks: Between The Bars, No Name No. 5, Angeles
Really enjoyed this, reminded me of a laid-back Guster. Super chill, perfect length to not overstay its welcome and easy for subsequent listens.
Okee Dokee.... I knew this day would come. I mean it has come already but I suppose ... Anyhow! I honestly felt that this album was kind of boring. Everything about it has been done before and frankly, done better. This is not meant to be offensive or mean-spirited, just basically honest. I think music has always worked this way. There are always tons of bands out there that either swim around in local circles or rise above, with a few -- worthy or not! -- that rise to the top. I had never heard of Elliot Smith prior to today. I am not surprised after listening because he is one of those lost in the crowd bands. Sometimes we call bands "underrated" and for good reason, other times... they just don't rise above enough.
The type of singer/songwriter stuff I just can't excited about it. There is a mystique here, I get that. And there is much more substance than the average ... but it just doesn't float any of my boats.
Depression
Really good, not perfect, but really good.
Beautiful, intimate, touching. This soundtracks my life right now. Wish it wasn't so, but here we are. I'd still listen to it anyway
Favorite Track: Rose Parade
Sad boy pretty tunes
Now that's what I call music. Just wonderful album. Next to no weak tracks and the good ones are so good it hurts.
A very pleasant listen
Really didn't enjoy this
It's a belting album that I've not listened to for a time. I can't listen and not think of Good Will Hunting, and thats a good thing.
Elliot Smith is the embodiment of a tortured artist. The music isn't really anything special, lots of the same soft guitar strumming covers this entire album. But he has a way with lyrics and every song is elevated because of it. Between the Bars is the best song here for me, but I also liked Alameda. It has a pretty cool riff.
This album made me feel things. Each of the songs is beautiful. Would listen to again consistently.
Great from start to finish Standout songs: Speed Trials Pictures of Me 245am Say Yes
Sounds like a Twilight movies soundtrack in the best way possible
I thinkh Elliott Smith is genius, I think this album is heartbreaking and fascinating in all aspects. I've been loving this album for a long time but only today I realised how MUCH I fucking love this album. I wish I could erase my memory and listen to it for the first time again. In my toughest moments I can find comfort and support and sympathy and solidarity in this only album. And that is because I feel like through this album Elliott Smith takes a share of every listener's suffer and pain.
I had never heard of this dude before. Music was alright, very much of its time but good. I enjoyed some of it
7/10. It's a really mellow album. It's a depressing listen, but nevertheless, it is a really great album.
It's a damn classic, no question. Some of the most beautiful music you'll ever hear in your life. He just had a knack for writing magical tragic songs, taken from us far too soon. Not a weak point in his entire discography.
A little sleepy for me but better than I'd always anticipated. 3.5/5
Yippe!! Getting this album on blue Monday made my life so much better. Easiest 5 stars ever. Love you elliott
Not my thing.
Man, 4 stars is doing a lot of work in the scoring process, covering a range from better-than-good to almost-great to recognisably-great-but-not-my-thing. Anyway, somewhere in that territory are both Either Or and XO.
Perfect 👌
bangers prob more a 3.75 pretty good
I feel like this album grows on you, it has a great indie lofi rock sound and he has a great quiet voice that is also loud. Speed trials is a great song and a highlight on the album. My favorite track was Punch and Judy, the instrumental perfectly complemented his voice. Initial rating: 9/10 or 4.5/5
enjoyed the first half much more loved ballad of big nothing, pictures of me, no name no. 5, and say yes
OK
I had never heard of Elliot Smith, and after the first song on this album, I didn’t think I would care much for it. But as it went on, I found it really grew on me and I ended up liking it a lot. I will definitely will listen to this one again. Four stars.
Mello
I like this more than I thought I would. Simple songs
Good easy listening. Mix between Sufjan Stevens and a softer Nirvana. Would absolutely listen to again. Favorites were Rose Parade and 2:45AM.
вайбовенький, лёгкий, меланхоличный
Dull
An original. Ultimately, it always makes me a little sad. The music is sad and interesting and pretty. But an unhappy ending for a man that wrote love letters to Portland.
Perfection from an artist we lost far too soon. Elliott‘s music could be deceptively simple sounding but the lyrics and music contain depths and layers that were carefully crafted. I love what we were given from him and mourn what could have been.
Sad bastard music but it's done well for sure. Say yes and pictures of me were highlights. Overall a good album but one I'm unlikely to revisit
Interesting one. I think he'll join the list of artists I will sometimes listen to in the future. He sounds to me like a combination of several very different artists, both before and after him.
As depressing as Elliot Smith’s music can be, I’m finding it to be a very effective salve for the anxiety I’ve been dealing with recently.
Rlly love his voice, some songs were mellow and soothing, others more intense.overall an amazing experience.
No private session need for Spotify, I have listened to this one a lot, usually my first album of the day. So many good mellow, but rocking, songs on this album. All the songs are good, but "Between Bars" standouts out in a collection of great ones, painfully easy to relate to given some of my relationships and issues with booze. Elliot is a great guitar player and song writer, who left us too soon, luckily for us he left with a few awesome albums, including this one.
Nudne 2/5
love it. great all around.
Amazing album. No notes.
This just isn’t that good. I get some people have an emotional connection, and, while his death is tragic, I just don’t get the high ratings.
Not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.
9/10
Really nice sounding album, quite enjoyed this one. Nothing really stood out to me but it was a nice listen
Can’t get into it
honestly tuned it out, so couldn't of been earth shattering
I just can't get into Elliott Smith's music. Seriously. I tried when I was younger because everyone talks about him and how great this album in particular is. I can't see it. Hate his voice and I fail to recognize the genius of the lyrics, in the end all tracks blend together for me.
Not for me
I love the melancholic atmosphere he created, really boosted by his vocals, which are definitely the best part of the album Some tracks are really good such as Speed Trials, Alameda and Angeles, but the bad songs are quite the drop off compared to the rest. Albeit there aren't many, they drag the rating from a possible 5 to a mid 4 Still a great listen, definitely deserves a revisit
Emo, indie. Nice, but not for me.
Still can’t get into his voice, it seems to convey no range of emotion.
2 stars
Pleasant enough, but feels a bit forgettable to me. All quite melancholy and wispy. Enjoyed 2:45am
3.4 Not totally up my alley but I can see how others would appreciate it
Mehh
нормалек, одну песню добавил. меланхолично... напомнило Джеффа Бакли...
Definitely my favourite E. Smith
People who are fans of Nick Drake - will love Elliott Smith......a grand album
Rip
In Rainbows meets White Ladder meets Mellon Collie ... and yet, didn't quite resonate. Angeles is pretty.
I dunno, mostly just not what I was in the mood for
Lo-fi singer-songwriting. Sounds "nice" but it leaves me a bit cold. I really struggle to say much more about it. A bit samey and background music for me.
Decent for sure. Would listen again.
eerie and venerable vocal performance and lyrics, a great listen fav tracks: speed trials, alameda, ballad of big nothing, say yes least fav tracks:No name no. 5
“Say yes” seems both out of place and right where it should be tonally when taken within context of this album.
I knew I was going to love this album right away
Hat etwas grunge-ges, dunkles aber auch singer-Songwriter vibes, ist aber irgendwie langweilig. Tröpfelt so dahin. Ich bin nicht hooked. Kann aber so im Hintergrund laufen. 3.5 Sterne.
bit boring
Boring indie rock. Weak vocals
Moody indie singer songwriter. Cohesive album.
Soft tones, nothing pops.
First listen. Not my kind of music.
Either/Or is enjoyable, and probably better than Elliott Smith's other entries on this list. But there are a lot of elements missing that could bump this up to 4 stars or higher. The melodies are technically fine – maybe a little meandering and unrefined at times – but it's the vocal delivery that really sabotages the entire sound. Smith's singing is breathy and out of tune. It sounds like he isn't trying at all, and that's something unforgivable in my view. (Billie Eilish commits the same sin, and I'm not a fan of her voice either.) Many of the 5-star reviews here speak to Smith's emotional vocal delivery, but I don't hear emotion so much as a sense of depression and hopelessness. Even as someone with a history of depression, I really can't bring myself to enjoy the atmosphere Smith's singing creates. Especially during the summer. (Darn.) That being said, the instrumentation – particularly the guitar playing – is consistently excellent. It's simple, enjoyable, and smooth. Great for background listening. The album has ups and downs, switching effortlessly between the groovy, early-Radiohead-esque Ballad Of Big Nothing and the sweet acoustic ballad Between The Bars. So, unlike a huge proportion of the albums on this list, Either/Or actually feels like a complete album experience. And Say Yes is a solid closing track. 3/5 Key tracks: Between The Bars, Pictures Of Me, Say Yes
first listen an earnest endeavor
This album is an important one for me. My cousin, Charlie, introduced me to Elliot Smith as he would play lots of his stuff on guitar. RIP to two great guitar players. I think this is an effective album. The gentle and almost plaintive guitar chords alongside Smith's double-tracked vocals create this subtle atmosphere of melancholy, even in the record's more explicit or dynamic songs. The thing that makes this album for me, though, is the synergy between the acoustic guitar and Smith's voice; they are so complimentary in their quotidian simplicity, and they both manage to evoke such a particular breed of somber. Fave tracks: Between the Bars/Angeles/Rose Parade Least fave: Alameda/Ballad of Big Nothing
2.5-3 stars I love a good sad album. This one just didn't have enough variety for me and I don't think I understood why I was supposed to be sad based on the lyrics. I felt that at times the music was much louder than the instruments overshadowed the singing. Favorite Song: Say Yes
Seems kinda emo, I’ve never heard of this person but he’s vibey. Speed Trials and Alameda were okay. Ballad of Big Nothing was pretty good. Between the Bars was a nice soft song. Pictures of Me was good. No Name No. 5 was okay. Rose Parade and Punch and Judy were alright. Angeles and Cupids Trick were fine. 2:45 a.m. is good. Say Yes is fine but a good end of album song. The melody sounds like it wants to end the whole time. Track No. 2 sums up how I feel about this album: Ballad of Big Nothing. Was it a vibe? Sure. Was it my vibe? Not really.
This is my first time listening to an Elliot Smith project. I'll start by saying that the album grew on me significantly between the first and second listen. Perhaps it would continue to grow on me if I listened more. That said, my first impressions generally remained the same: the best tracks are also the biggest, for a reason. "Say Yes"/"Between the Bars"/"Angeles" feature Elliot Smith at his best, with simple acoustic backing, singing within his range (and with nicely layered vocals), and providing short, catchy melodies to singer-songwriter lyrics. Fav Tracks - Speed Trials, Between the Bars, Say Yes, Angeles Least Fav - Cupids Trick
Very easy goiing and complete. Altough there's a certain sad flowing trough. Ended up listening to all his music for the rest of the evening.
I always thought his stuff was typical downbeat singer songwriter stuff and never gave it a go. I really enjoyed some of these songs and will definitely check out more
I've listened to this album a lot because Tim loves it. I don't think it was great for a Monday morning, more a Sunday evening kind of vibe. I have enjoyed this album in the past but I felt like too many of the songs were similar to eachother. Elliott Smith makes me feel a bit sad. If I want to be listening to a great male song writer and feeling sad I'd go for Nick Drake.
Tried so many times to get into Elliott over the years. Some lovely melodies. But I'm really not into that kind of soft, whiny male vocal.
Nice stuff
Amazing how this can be such powerful stuff sang in a very quiet way - he was an incredible talent troubled by his past which comes across in his music. A good listen.
Later than the other Glad I could bother The loudest quiet song In my head they belong Last year's soundtrack Emotions it doesn't lack Pure iridescent pain unwavering beautiful gain
I had no knowledge of Elliott Smith prior to this. I am sure that I had heard of him - but I had no idea of genre or sound. I liked it. Didn’t love it.
I'm always afraid that I'll become overly melancholy when I listen to Elliott Smith. So I have this subconscious hesitation. Maybe without that I'd really appreciate more? Not that I don't appreciate it.
Have struggled to get into Elliott Smith. But this album drew me in a few different times.
Will Hunting jams.
Please use your inside voice when singing about depression. 5/10
Mind-numbingly mellow. Feels like each song is just the same as the one before with slightly different lyrics. This is the kind of music that you ignore when it comes into rotation. Or skip if you can. As BEavis and Butthead would say "This sucks, change it."
I've heard about this one before. I was quite surprised to discover that such a relaxed sound belongs to one of the coolest dang album covers I've seen in my life - I was half expecting this album to be grunge or sludge metal going in. The first half is quite good, but those remaining tracks pump the brakes and blend together a little too much for my liking. I've listened to this one twice now, and I'm inclined to give it more listens down the road. It was a good time all around.
Pleasant Sunday morning listening without especially feeling I need to investigate further, and two on the list is surely one too many.
What a moody, breathy album. Not usually a fan of this kind of music. It always strikes me as understated to a fault, where an otherwise profound or powerful message is lost in how subdued its delivery is. So for that reason, I really need to listen to this again with the lyrics in front of me. Each song is generally pretty short, and the way they’re sung isn’t easy to follow. I’ve always had a knack for just not understanding singing that isn’t crystal clear (looking at you, Thom Yorke…), so I couldn’t really understand a lot of what he was saying. The music was cool though. Lots of really moody arrangements, great instrumentation, tight sound. Reminded me of early White Stripes in some moments, Radiohead in others, and Bob Dylan in still some more moments. Overall, this was cool. Four stars, while allowing for the possibility of it rising to five upon relistens. Standout Tracks: Alameda, Ballad of Big Nothing, Angeles, Cupid’s Trick, Say Yes
Och nee.
Angenehm zu hören. Entspannter Rock/Pop 4/5
Seems fine as background music. Nothing really breaks out, but nothing bad either. Just kinda dull and slow. Best song: Alameda
Maybe a 3
Elliot Smith was a special talent and a tortured soul. I've listened to this album a hundred times, but I still manage to find something new every time.
Liked this album. Quite soft and nice dinner party music 7/10
4.5 rounded up highlights: speed trials, ballad of big nothing, rose parade, cupid’s trick, 2:45am (feb 17 2025)
sad boi
Beautiful songs with just enough variety. I could listen to Say Yes a thousands times and not tire of it.
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.
Entweder nöd schlecht oder nöd guet? Sowohl als auch wohl eher. Also neue albumsnamevorschlag ‚as well as‘. Akustisch isch das Album a mir verbigseglet wie es Segelflugzüg lokale vom Flugplatz. Ein modernes Segelflugzeug hat eine Gleitzahl von über 40. Das heisst, mit 1000 Metern Höhe kommt man 40 Kilometer weit. Hochleistungsflugzeuge weisen sogar Gleitzahlen von 60 und mehr auf. Segelflugzeuge fliegen mit einer Geschwindigkeit von über 100 km/h. Das „Benzin“ für Segelflieger ist also die Höhe, die sie abgleiten können. Die umweltfeundlichen „Tankstellen“ sind Aufwinde, in denen das Segelflugzeug aufsteigt. Darum 3 Propeller fürs segelflugzüg, demits in zuekunft na biz meh power hed
mondays, am I right? han bis jetzt immer nur elliot smith glost wenn mir öpper s‘herzli broche hed, also hani bim erste durchlauf liechti flashbacks gha bim zweite mal lose hani denn aber gmerkt, dass mer sich das durchus au ohni heartbreak oder ohni das öpper gstorbe isch chan gäh... es hitted aber scho chli weniger so trotzdem 4 träne uf de heissi stei
Inoffensive. Just not the kind of music I particularly enjoy.
it’s kinda crazy to me that i’ve never listened to a whole elliott smith album…i’ve picked up so many songs here and there but i managed to bypass him almost entirely as a teenager (which seems like a minor miracle). in fact his voice is most solidly associated with that one heartwrenching scene in the royal tenenbaums where “needle in the hay” plays in the background, to the point that hearing his non-heatmiser pushed-through-a-sieve vocals instantly transports me into that emotional space: anxious and hollow, overwhelmed with despair…i almost wish i didn’t have that association because it makes him really difficult to listen to outside of that context. blah. where was i…well it’s just sad and brilliant for the most part even the overplayed bits. fav tracks: speed trials; rose parade; angeles
Really really beautiful. It was so short though! I could’ve had more of this, which I never say. It’s definitely interesting to hear what is the inspiration for so much indie rock/folk from my lifetime, because it’s not a genre I typically like but I really like this version of it. Fav tracks: Speed Trials, Alameda, 2:45 AM
Oh yeah, this is the kind of indie sleaze I’m here for. My only qualm is that it’s a little one note. I might not listen to the album in full again, but some songs will definitely make it into my rotation.
3.5
More dull US Indie pop
Que dire sur cet album et surtout cet artiste qui m’accompagne depuis déjà longtemps et dont la mort m’a marqué et me suit toujours. Voix extrêmement touchante, sa douleur est aussi la nôtre. La production, son jeu de guitare, le chant doublé. Et ses textes : “I’m in love with the world through the eyes of a girl who’s still around the morning after”, “Drink up one more time, and I’ll make you mine, I’ll keep you apart, deep in my heart”. Donc “Between the bars”, “Angeles”, “Say Yes” vivront à vie gratuitement dans ma tête. Le reste est suffisamment bon pour que ce soit un 5, parce que “Alameda”, “The ballad of big nothing” c'est beau aussi.
Interesting music. Always like hearing something different.
Boring....
Nice melodies and lyrics. Quiet. A bit underwhelming. I know he was very popular and the soundtrack of many peoples lives who grew up in the 90s but I was busy parenting then.
Jingle jangle dude on the guitar, save me please from these mid dudes with guitars. Boring album, not painful to listen to but come one, there's better dudes with guitars doing this same music even. Harvey Danger came out this same year in 1997 and their album front to back is better than this whole thing.
snert album
MID
I mean... I guess I just don't get it. Singer / songwriters are a dime a dozen, but GOOD ones, come up with songs that stand the test of time. This album... doesn't really have that for me. There was no stand-out track. It was kinda... meh. I don't understand why it was listed in the 1001 albums I have to hear. Someone explain it to me? NEXT.
A good album but I think I liked Figure 8 better. Definitely giving me Brendan Benson and Pete Yorn vibes again, his higher falsetto vocals especially stood out this time. He changes up his chords and tempo across songs and yet it felt a little repetitive to me. Maybe the first four songs are more varied and then later songs start to repeat some of the earlier formulas. I'd say my favorite tracks were Ballad of Big Nothing, Pictures of Me, Rose Parade, and Say Yes. If a few of the tracks didn't appear in Good Will Hunting would he or this album be as revered? I still like him as an artist, but this album is around 3.5. And I'm going to distinguish my rating from Figure 8.
Over the years, several people have tried to get me to like Elliott Smith, most recently my teenage daughter. Lately I've taken to saying to her, "Stop trying to make Elliott Smith a thing!" Well, I tried to give this album a fair chance and what it primarily did was cement my prior perceptions. First, let's start with his whispery singing style. I think that's one of the big barriers to me enjoying it - I think his singing is just not that engaging. Then there's the somewhat amateurish recording style. Some view it as immediacy - we just had Nick Drake's Pink Moon, which sounded like you were sitting right next to him, but Drake's songwriting (and singing) were just so much more engaging than Smith. The drums have a very acoustic, non-processed sound, which could be good, but adds to the amateurish sound of the album. It would also be nice if he'd vary the tempo once in a while. I swear almost every song has the exact same tempo. Basically left me very bored. Positives: Decent lyrics through most of the tracks and I appreciate his guitar playing. Favorite Tracks: Alameda, Pictures of Me (Beatles-ish - genius.com says more Zombies-ish. Either way, 60s Brit sound), No Name No. 5 (dragged a little in the beginning, but I really like the open tuning chords, and picks up energy at around 2 minutes), Rose Parade (the first song that didn't have whispery singing), Cupid's Trick (pretty much the only rocking song on the album). After I told my daughter I was going to give this album a 3, she first called me an "opp" and then said "you would probably like XO better." I decided I should give it a chance - the girl has been very open minded re: music I like, so much so that she's apparently now a Rush fan and was blown away by seeing BEAT (King Crimson) in concert. So, I figured I should give it a chance since she recommended it (and it's not in the 1001). The recording quality and the songwriting are so much better than Either/Or. More varied styles (and instrumentation), better vocal quality (less whispery, although certainly similar). Favorite tracks: Sweet Adeline (opening track and my reaction was this song is better than pretty much anything on Either/Or), Waltz #2 (excellent song with powerful lyrics and a driving rhythm), Baby Britain (fun sounding song w/ shades of Penny Lane and good lyrics), Waltz #1 (I like the vibe), Amity, A Question Mark, Everybody Cares Everybody Understands (particularly the powerful ending). I'd give XO a 4, so too bad it's not in the 1001.
i've tried many times over the years to like elliott smith but i always find that, even though i like many individual songs and love a select few, listening to full albums mostly feels repetitive and sleepy
I love this album
Very enjoyable, slow tempo - 5 stars 🌟!
This one seems like it's possibly a pretty deep album lyrically. However I wouldn't be able to say because the music completely failed to catch my attention so I managed to forget to listen to any of the words on the entire album. I can't mention a single thing this album is about. On the positive side I didn't hate the music, it just never made an impression Standouts - 2/5
Glad I was in a good mood or this would’ve absolutely made me cry. Fantastic listen.
Ugh.
4/5
I had never heard of this before but what an awesome discovery. There's an intimate quality to the songs that just draws you in.
Indie folk, acoustic guitars, a bit of a dark mood, and all throughout this album. I've heard worse, but definitely nothing I would care to listen to again.
6.5/10. A little slow for me but pretty close to unplugged material I like. Track 1 and 2 are very strong
Just didn't interest me at all
I've been listening to this album regularly since the year it came out and it still makes me cry
sweet and soothing, never listened to him before. what a knowledge gap!