Figure 8

Elliot is the secret mycelium that links a group of friends from high school-college-hamlin and carries the weight of rarely verbalized pain and melancholy that naturally accompanies our lives but doesn't pair well with PBR and conditioned masculinity. Over the years I've often protested playing Elliot, not because I dislike his music (I love it), but because it's such a vibe shifter. At least for me it is. Sometimes it takes a Herculean level of mental and physical exercise (+substances) to catch a positive current, and Elliot can sweep that away in 3 minutes. Powerful guy. He was there (self titled) in Matt's Lakeway house one night playing beer pong in the garage. Bizarre contrast. He was there (Either/Or) in Nic's mom's apartment in Toulouse taking a nap with 6 other dudes in the afternoon. Perfect fit. He was there (Figure 8) in Nic's Volvo on the mushroom hangover drive back from the Tacoma-GH walk. That's when somethnig really connected. I got home to my new place with Rico (who I didn't really know yet), closed my bedroom door, drew the curtains, and put Can't Make a Sound on repeat for hours. Rico was very concerned, but said nothing. Understanding guy. Favorite Elliot album. Melodies so sweet they almost sweep away the sour. Tricky guy. A+

Such beautiful music. A soundtrack to a very sad story. Elliott Smith is one of those artists, like so many on this list, who exist in the periphery: you've heard of them, meant to pull off the highway and go explore them, but you never get around to saying yes to the exit and then meander down an unknown road. This is a terrible album to listen to on a gray day. This is a perfect album to listen to on a grey day.

It’s so classic. Drove to Los Angeles this summer just to take a selfie in front of the mural that made up the album cover.

Perfect score. So sad that this was his last album before he took his own life. You could hear the massive step forward Figure 8 was in his career. Still makes me sad to this day his loss and the loss to the world of music.

Elliott Smith was a big influence on my favorite artist (Ben Folds), so naturally I hear a lot of similarities between the two of them, but listening to this album I can hear the influence he might have had on even more indie artists that followed him (The Shins, Deathcab, Bon Iver, Fountains of Wayne). I read he was a big fan of the Beatles, which totally comes through in his sound (“Pretty Mary Kay” especially, for me)...at times this album even felt like a darker, more contemporary Simon & Garfunkel (though I didn’t find anything to suggest he emulated them specifically). Overall I really enjoyed listening to this album. Hard to choose a favorite song, but right now I’m really felling “Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud” & “Can’t Make a Sound.”

Completely forgettable

Rubbish. The guy is clearly a good musician but his whispery, airy fairy voice really grates. Plu,s the misery in ALL the lyrics just makes this a shit listen. You've gotta wonder if he be anywhere near this list if he hadn't topped himself.

This is one of my favorite Elliott Smith albums. It’s like Dylan going electric. The two previous albums were pared down singer songwriter masterpieces. This album he adds more orchestration, pianos, electric instruments and drums making for a dynamic and fun album, but maintaining his melancholy. Son of Sam, Stupidity Tries and Happiness are three of my all time songs. Doesn’t get much better than this, but I’d put From a Basement on a Hill just above it when it comes to the larger sound albums. Not a surprise grade from the Elliott Smith Superman, 5.

Perfect heartbreaking pop melodies.

Classic album. RIP.

Been listening to this for 10 years. I actually like it more than XO. Some of the most beautiful and haunting songwriting I've ever heard.

great album, son of sam is a top tier opener

The art for this album is everywhere in my life. Not sure why but it is. If there were an Album Art-le game, I’d nail this one off the bat. I love Elliott Smith but this isn’t my favorite of his albums. Some of the songs downright irritate me. It’s very stream of consciousness and when a band/artist goes in that direction, that’s usually when they lose me. (Case in point: Radiohead) One major exception is the Lost and Found—that little piano ditty gets stuck in my head and I LOVE it. So playful. I love the motif of pairing the guitar and piano melody in so many of his songs. And Color Bars is a good one too. Simple. Not trying too hard. I found science in the album. Everything Reminds Me of Her. Everything Means Nothing to Me. Therefore, she means nothing to me. The lyric in LA, “Last night I was about to throw it all away,” just makes me so sad. Cuz one night he did throw it all away. And I don’t judge him for it—depression and drug addiction are a lethal combination. But what a fucking tragic loss.

Cry some more Elliot

My 2nd favourite Elliott Smith record after XO and just slightly ahead of Either/Or. Brilliant.

Love it. Especially the moody atmosphere, the dampened undertones, and the feeling of playing the album on a late weekday night. Smith’s voices comes out pretty clearly and demands my attention.

This is kind of a weird album, in the sense that I don't really see why it's significant in terms of it's role in music history or the era/movement that it was part of, but I still just enjoy it. There's something about the sound of his voice that I really enjoy. The production is very solid all the way through. There's also something that feels very personal about his writing 4/5

Not as depressing a I was expecting it to be.

Elliott Smith snorts coke off his mum's tits. Pass it on. My dear friend Sir Whippy Pippington passed away listening to this record. RIP.

PERO QUE MIERDA ES ESTO

Funny enough, it was the grand and bombastic moments where I feel Elliot truly shined here; the quieter moments were good too, but they didn't hit quite as hard as they did on Either/Or. Great album though.

Elliott Smith was a favorite among my friends in college. I like it. There are albums by him that hit harder than this one but still good.

1. The palm muted guitar technique here sounds really nice, as well as the short break with the distorted guitar. The instrumentation is cool overall, and the piano feels right in place. Strong first track. 2. Really like the somber tone of the song with the fast pace as well. Sounds downcast without being too downcast, which I like. 3. Awesome start to the song, sounds amazing. The bassline is cool too. The overall rhythm and riffs in the song are really neat. 4. Really nice, relaxed and laid back song. 5. Really weird, but also sinister. Reminds me of Technology is a Dead Bird and Machine by Mars Argo, which have a similar somber feeling. The delayed drums are funky but interesting. 6. Really cool beat, the distorted guitar and rhythm is cool. The chorus is really cool, and the guitar work is amazing. 7. Piano is really cool. Eerie at the end of the song. 8. The guitar work is really cool, and the short bursts of the distorted guitar accenting the track sounds awesome. The bassline is really cool. 9. Really chill acoustic song, I liked it a lot. 10. Amazing momentum in the song, I love the acoustic guitar part in this. The weird synths throughout the song add so much. It inspires me to use more unconventional patches in music. 11. The piano is exceptionally strong in the song, and I like how the guitar accents its part. 12. I like the subtle rhodes in the background, and the muted guitar is so cool. Really impressive track. 13. The harmonized voices are cool, and the really messed up guitar is pretty cool. LOVE the synths. 14. Solid song. 15. Intro is kind of samey, especially when compared to the last track. The bass and lead guitar really spice it up though. 2:35 POPS OFF. 16. Really sinister, but not bad.

,,, I don't know.. missing something here... sounds like every other indie guy moping about something....

Feels like an annoying guy at a party who breaks out a guitar when no one wants to listen. 1.4

Tragic figure. You can really tell he was influenced by the Beatles, particularly Lennon. Smith ultimately inspired later artists like Ben Folds and the Shins. Great stuff here.

This album is full of really nice rock songs with many songs having piano. I have enjoyed every song on this album, although Everything Means Nothing To Me has repetitive lyrics.

I have a friend who's very into Smith and I can see why now. The singer songwriter vibes of the album make it very relatable and cozy. The piano and vocals in Everything Means Nothing to Me are beautiful. Fave track(s): Son of Sam, L.A., Stupidity Tries, Can't Make A Sound

All of the yes. That voice. Not my favourite E.S. album (Either/Or), but still really really good. At the same time, listening to this, I’m realizing there’s something really cold and distant about it, not as intimate as his other stuff, and the fact that it’s the last album released while he was alive while his mental health was deteriorating brings that home, and I think makes it a bit haunting in a way. Favourite track: “Can’t Make a Sound”

Real top shelf shit

He didn’t kill himself.

V Good. Emo but not in a way that is annoying.

Not my favorite Smith album, but still phenomenal

I’ve heard individual songs from Elliott Smith that I really enjoyed, but never listened to an entire record. Ngl, I was pretty disappointed. This album, as the kids would say, is mid. Far from the worst thing on this list, but not great. “Son Of Sam” and “Easy Way Out” are my favorite songs from it, but nothing really stood out. I’d give this a 2.5 if I could, but I’m rounding up to 3 because a 2 seems a little too harsh, but it was close.

The author of this list seems to have a real soft spot for records that ended up being an artist’s final record before their tragic death. 40 records in to this exercise and I’ve been given a few already. While often an important document of the waning days of an artist, albums like this are not always the best representation of the artist’s output and often gain mythological status solely for being the last thing they put out before they died. Figure 8 feels like it was included because it was Elliot Smith’s final record before taking his own life and not necessarily because it’s one of the Elliot Smith records you should hear before you die. I think ”XO” from 1998 would be a better inclusion, in that case. Don’t get me wrong, Figure 8 is a good record. The songs are all well crafted, with expansive instrumentation and nicely layered vocal harmonies. Compared to XO, Figure 8 has a bit more of edge compared to its predecessor with more distorted guitar, and a darker, more blunt lyrical theme. XO, ultimately, is a more enjoyable record. Its songwriting is more concise and memorable. Figure 8 kind has a sprawling feel - a lot of ground travelled, but you still end up in the same place: unknown, yet entirely familiar. Fittingly, it reminds me of traveling in the city it was recorded, Los Angeles: There dozens of neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles, all with their own traits, yet very much the same. Figure 8 takes its time in navigating its sprawl, in the same way that traveling Los Angeles by car can be so time consuming. I’m not sure I landed that analogy properly. Going back to my original point, this isn’t the Elliot Smith record I’d recommend to a newcomer, Either/Or and XO make better starting points. I would save Figure 8 for last. Sometimes the last record an artist put out is the last one you should hear.

I thought this was pretty boring

It was ok. Background music really. Perfectly ok, but nothing that stands out.

Sad stuff but always love his songwriting, and influenced so much of what I like today. Goes beyond singer songwriter stuff, interesting chord progressions and layered instrumentation. The early part of the album starts off so strong and feels like it stretches a bit at times in the middle, but overall really like the pacing.

Sad music for sad people. You know what though, I actually enjoyed listening to this, it's certainly a mood killer but it's quite powerful and his voice suits the tone and subjects well. Original a 4 bur ended up listening to twice in a day so now a 5

I didn't know about Elliott Smith until after his death. But have since become a huge fan. I know this record back to front. When it came up, I tore through it like I always do. Elliott is so out of step with everything but his music is somehow just familiar.

Absolute delightful album and one of my favourite all time artists. I often think about the music of Elliot’s that we never got to hear . Incredible musician and writer ❤️

abi uc aydir bu album benim her seyim. everything reminds me of her ve everything means nothing to me BU IKI SARKI UC AYDIR DINLEDIGIM EN GERCEJ SARKILAR of aglicam cok seviyorum

I had never listened to Elliott Smith but I can say this is really great. The album has a unique sound, feel, and quality... and that is surprising in a genre that has been explored as much as indie/alt. I really love the idea of the figure 8 representing the artistry here. It's an endless loop, a journey towards perfection without ever reaching it or knowing when to stop. In the same sense, you end up in the same place you started but your better for having traveled that road. I was between a 4 and 5 but I listened to the album again and it's gotta be a 5. I've already added a few tracks to my playlist and I'll listen to this in it's entirety again.

I am definitely biased with everything related to Elliott Smith. This album, though not my favorite in his discography, is fantastic. The production sounds different than the Either Or's -more distortion, faster songs- but it still feels personal, vivid, a piece of his self from him to us. I love it. It grows in me with every listen.

Vabbè, so pronto. Grazie al signore non è From The Basement On The Hill che fortunatamente non c'è nella lista, ho controllato. In conclusione: Non faccio pezzo per pezzo perché li conosco troppo bene e non avrebbe molto senso. Questo album non lo ascoltavo da un po', non è il mio album preferito di Elliott Smith (che rimane FTBOTH), ma cazzo se è un bell'album. Il suo modo disperato, vulnerabile ma giocoso di comporre è una cosa che secondo me ha fatto storia e ha lasciato il segno in un sacco di cantautori successivi. L'onesta dei pezzi è indiscussa e come dice lui stesso in Memory Lane "If it's your decision to be open about yourself, be careful or else...". Non so se li accomuno per la fine tragica precoce o per la predisposizione acustica ma Elliott Smith per me è un po' il Nick Drake dei sui tempi, ha avuto un impatto altrettanto forte sulla musica (che nel caso di Nick Drake è stato postumo). Nonostante questo album sia decisamente (e fortunatamente) meno dark di FTBOTH comunque certi pezzi mi hanno dato comunque una bella botta, tipo Everything Means Nothing To Me che mi arriva sempre come una coltellata (no pun intended). Vabbè bando alle ciance: per me, nonostante il glamour che lo circonda per la sua vita disastrata e che lo fa piacere agli hipsteroni un po' morbosi, Elliott Smith rimane un patrimonio dell'umanità. Se a lui non dò 5 non c'è speranza per nessuno.

Great album.

easy, 5 one of my faves

Love Elliott always

Was sad to learn, Figure 8 was the last studio album Elliot Smith released when he was alive. All his solo albums are worth a listen, as he's a fabulous songwriter and performer and with each release he got better. So it figures that, Figure 8 is Smith's most celebrated album and easily his most accessible. Though, this didn't top any Billboard charts or sell millions of copies, but it was his highest charting record, so at least it had an audience he rightfully deserved. Highly recommended!

This was alright, but totally unmemorable.

Didn’t get much from this, wasn’t good, wasn’t bad, just meh.

i've watched liveleak videos that were less depressing than this album 👍

Can't point out any particularly bad thing about the album, but also nothing particularly good. 5/10

Elliot Smith tried to hard to sound like The Beatles meet Bob Dylan with Pavement opening on this album. To me, it was very mid.

Not my type of music but wasn’t horrible

Very poor, extremely wussy effort. He puts as much effort into songwriting as I do into these reviews. Part-way through there are a couple of maybe "diss tracks" that are so weak they make you want to kick sand in his face yourself. Get it together dude, you're shit but who cares?

Elliott is a creepy name. It's a name for guys who don't cut their toenails, or those self-proclaimed "nerds" who watch lots of anime but aren't literate enough to read fantasy novels. But I promise to give this a chance, even though my spidey sense tells me this is gonna be "influenced by Bob Dylan". Ok, it is. And it's Beatles-y as well, just to make me squirm even more. An hour of this whiny garbage almost made me want to kill myself - funnily enough, that's just what Elliott did! ha ha! 2/5.

Sounds like the Olivia tremor control guy without interesting music behind him.

More fucking lackluster indie garbage from the 00s. I just don't care.... I'm so tired of these fucking mid albums on this list.... There are so many of them. This album is so fucking lame. There's 52 fucking minutes I will never get back..... I'm starting to think that the morons who made this list have fucking brain damage... Favourite songs: Junk Bond Trader, Somebody That I Used to Know Least favourite songs: Everything Reminds Me of Her, Everything Means Nothing to Me, Pretty Mary Kay, Bye.... And others..... I just..... Don't care...... 1/5

Did not care for this album. Junk Bond Trader was the only song that caught my attention. The band is talented but the music is not my style.

OH god as I said Elliott Smith is a massive soggy wet wipe and I can't stand it. I think its the singing style. Just find it whiney and annoying, mostly his singing style. The songs lyrics make me cringe. Soz nope.

Probably the most generic thing I've heard in my life. My Chemical Romance but what if it was written by Michael from The Office

Cheer up emo kid....

...

I don't find Elliott Smith lyrically interesting for reasons I won't get into here. That leaves his music. Since Smith went into a self-confessional folkie direction, his lyrics are mostly what he's about, so that's two strikes against him. Fortunately, on Figure 8, Smith opens up his sound somewhat past his quivering voice and spindly guitar picking, which definitely helps matters. But still, Smith's tunes sound like they all came from the same factory. It's been said that his music is Beatlesque, but that's an insult to the Beatles. Their music sounds joyous and effortless, but you can hear Elliott Smith painfully grinding away on tune after tune, and at almost an hour, that's way too much of a bad thing.

Sounds like British 2000s rock. Just bland and boring and hard to listen to. Totally forgettable. 1/10.

Boring. Vapid.

Powerfully humble

I fuckin love Elliott smith man

Quite different from either/or, but still fantastic the whole way through

Elliott Smith left this earth far too early so we'll have to appreciate what we were gifted.

One of my favorites

In Smith’s catalogue, I’m least familiar with this album. Still loved it. Another light snuffed out too soon.

Excellent album

😊

This album is so good. It has this melancholy yet hopeful feeling to it. The songwriting is really good and I love the variety in chord progressions and sounds on it. I don't immediately repeat too many albums from this list but this was one that I threw on a second time immediately after the first time.

I've always been an Elliott Smith fan. It's his sad, longing vocals with his unique guitar picking that draws me in. On the surface it feels very straightforward, where you think it might just be singer songwriter gibberish but its far more pop centric than it comes across. Especially when its produced like this record, it's like The Beatles but really sad and moody. Is this indie-anti-folk-pop? Whatever it is, I'm a fan. Its somewhat vibey, but also deep and longing. Its fun and also sad. Its a good mix of sounds and emotions.

Fortíssimo Elliott alegrando meu dia com boa música

i cant fathom rating elliott smith lower than 5 stars

I feel like I really don’t have to give a review. This album was amazing. I’m so happy I was able to listen to this. Up until this, I primarily listened to “Either/Or” or “From a Basement on the Hill”, but now I know I have to add another to that lineup. His music is indescribably raw and emotional, to an extent where his voice and guitar on each of his songs just make me somber(but in a good way?). He’s just a beautiful singer/songwriter who left this world way too soon. Thank you for all this and all of your art. I hope we get to review another one of your masterpieces soon!

Such an incredible artist and album here. He has such a distinct sound and a way of layering his voice in with the instruments. Such unique chord progressions that make simple songs so much more complex. Can listen to his music for hours.

Dette er jo faktisk jævlig bra...

I'd never heard of Elliott Smith before, and it turns out this is right up my alley. Finally the list comes out with an album that I both haven't heard before, as well as one I want to listen to again. Sure, it's sad singer/songwriter stuff that will likely end up feeling old after a few too many listens, but for a first listen, fucking fantastic. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the late Elliott Smith's works. 5/5

There's a vibe and rawness that permiates this album. Even when there's a positivity to the songs, you can feel the clouds building, crowding the sky and bringing you down on a sunny day. The whispers roar and what's inside you controls what's around you.

May be my 3rd or 4th favorite Elliott smith album and it’s still a 5.

Elliott Smith is genuinely some of the most devastating folk music I've ever heard. And this is definitely one of his best albums in my opinion.

9/10

happy tunes + sad lyrics + consistently fragile, hauntingly vulnerable singer = shotgun through the heart

Totally unexpected and pleased that an Elliott Smith album made it on this list. Great power pop (16 songs in 52 minutes) with excellent vocals and harmonies. Very clean production. I wanna say that these are cheery songs about depression, but listening closely, there's really not a whole heck of a lot of cheer here. And, for reasons unknown, I find the closing number, BYE, exceedingly sad. Despite the melancholy (or maybe because of it), I'm giving ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 67 🎧 LPs left to review: 934 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 15 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 18 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 18

Elliott mi fa sentire meno solo

Elliot fær 5 stjörnur hjá mér. Snillingur sem fór alltof snemma.

I still like Either/Or and XO better than Figure 8, but I can't give Figure 8 less than 4.5 due to some of the amazing songs on it, even if I wish they were a bit "rougher" and more "raw" in production. "Everything Means Nothing to Me" and "Everything Reminds Me of Her" are two of the most beautiful songs I know.

So… ‘Figure 8’ is (give or take) a top 20 album for me, and is probably my favourite album of the 00’s. I think it’s pretty good. I obviously have too many thoughts on this, so I’ll try to keep things as brief as possible. To start with: considering this is the last album Elliott Smith completed in his lifetime, it’s a surprisingly happy listen. ‘Figure 8’ sees Smith at his most Beatlesque and fiercely melodic. As ever with Smith, the contrast between the almost childlike and pure vocals with his tough as nails songwriting, leads to an album full of addictive pop nuggets that have the ability to sound hopeful, dignified and melancholic. All the songs are amazing; from the all out rocker of ‘LA’, the orchestral swells of ‘Stupidity Tries’ and the just plain perfect ‘Can’t Make a Sound.’ Best of all is the opener, and my personal favourite Elliott Smith song; the cheerfully ramshackle ‘Son of a Sam’ which may well as be a previously unheard Zombies demo from the ‘Odessey and Oracle’ sessions. Like everything else on here, it’s just a lovely, life affirming and comforting song that is just a nice place to be. And yet… and yet… There’s always the unhelpful habit of viewing the career’s of tragic songwriters only through the prism of their inevitable tragedy and erasing all nuance from their work. Despite thinking this, and putting aside the context for what ‘Figure 8’ actually is; there’s clearly something disturbing bubbling under the surface here. The album is obviously littered with lyrics that (intentionally or not) seem horribly prophetic knowing what we know now would happen to Elliott (most uncomfortably in the naming of the final three songs on his final completed album, ‘I Better Be Quiet Now’, ‘Can't Make a Sound’ and ‘Bye’.) Even outside the lyrics, Smith is clearly trying to create a subtly unsettling atmosphere. Very few of the songs actually end in a normal, confident way. Instead, songs either just fizzle out or are immediately subverted. ‘Son of Sam’ ends on such an uncertain note that it’s as if Smith had suddenly lost faith in the entire concept of the song. Meanwhile, the lovely plinkety plonk of ‘In the Lost and Found’ end’s with the a mournful shoegazey instrumental whilst the genuinely anthemic and feel good ‘Happiness’ is instantly followed by the otherworldly creepy instrumental ‘The Gondola Man.’ With this being such a deliberately nostalgic, warm and almost dreamlike sounding album, these difficult endings are only designed to unnerve and undermine whatever fuzzy stupor the listener may be in. I always see this album as like Smith sitting in his childhood bedroom, trying to escape back to that time mentally, and yet not quite succeeding as everything’s now too corrupted and off. This all eventually results in the genuinely terrifying final song ‘Bye’; an eerie lo-fi piano instrumental that’s completely at odds with everything beforehand and sonically like blinding strip-lighting suddenly being switched on. The wistful daydream is over and in its place only stark reality. The albums final repeated words “Why should you want any other when you're a world within a world?” still swirling round your head… Depending on what mood this album catches me on, it either sounds like a hug from a friend or the most heartbreakingly depressing thing in the world. In either capacity it remains such an intriguing, singular and potent listen, and I love it so much for that. 6/5

Wow. Now I’m depressed.

This list introduced me to Elliott Smith through “Either/Or” which, by the end, gained my appreciation. This album had me from the first song and was just… consistent, interesting, enjoyable, even if quite a bit of melancholy was masked behind the pleasant sound. I give this 5 stars. Not the 5 stars of the “Rubber Soul” sort, not a groundbreaking classic, but the pleasant surprise kind. The kind of album you joined this crazy roller coaster ride to learn about.

Favorites: Junk Bond Trader and Son of Sam

In which Smith expands his instrumentation to new heights and goes all in with his Beatle-esque melodies. This is a triumph and it's just too bad that we'll never get to hear where this could have gone from here.

Elliott Smith with the best instrumentations you could have give to his music. Heartfelt to the core. Total love at first sight for this album.

RIP KING

I'm a big Elliott Smith fan. I have an Elliott Smith Tattoo. I am not the person you want to review this. I am clearly at a bias. I think XO and Either/Or are better albums, but I like a lot of songs off of Figure 8. 4.5/5