Figure 8

Ok, but not really my thing.

Hva gjør dette på lista? Ekstremt A4. Verdens mest gjennomsnittlige album??

Yet a-fucking-nother blast from the past. This list has really been dredging up the oldies lately. I listened to Either/Or around 370 albums ago, much like what happened with Madonna's Ray of Light and then Like a Prayer, which was my previous album. I don't remember much about Either/Or, truth be told. I think the opening to the first track of that album occasionally pops into my head, but other than that it's been memory-holed. It was lo-fi, folky acoustic music if I'm not mistaken, which isn't really my thing. I've thought about revisiting that album in the time between these two albums, though I haven't felt compelled enough to give him a second chance. Maybe this final release will be the one to persuade me. Quite a pivot from what I remember of his previous album. The vocals are more or less how I remember them, but the instrumentals are a pretty big departure from the lo-fi, folky stylings of his previous album. I can appreciate this change of scenery, though I'm still pretty put off by this album. Much like with Either/Or, the vocals on this album frustrate me in a way which is difficult to articulate. He sounds oddly restrained on these tracks despite the competent songwriting and decent range. Holding back as a vocalist is the worst possible thing you could be in my eyes - even worse than an outright bad singer. The breathy, Nick Drake-esque sound frustrates me, too. The instrumentals are kind of cool. There's nothing in here which really sticks out to me, but they're greatly improved over the offerings from Either/Or. Many of these tracks are lively with and some nice electric guitar embellishments and a decent sampling of instruments/genres. Much of it does boil down to idle acoustic guitar strumming, however. Overall, while there's some decent aspects of this album which would probably work coming from an artist that I liked, much of this failed to resonate with me. Book time. Released after a period of hardship. Got an Oscar nomination for appearing on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. Got picked up by the Dreamworks label, resulting in better production and mastering. "In the Lost and Found" was performed on the piano Paul McCartney used to play Penny Lane. That tidbit isn't influencing my evaluation of this album in any way - I just like neat trivia like that. Not that I really needed convincing, anyways. People still mourn this guy's death and he was pretty influential within 90s alternative music from what I recall. If he had lived a little longer, I think this guy could have wrenched out a third list album, though from my relatively uniformed perspective two Elliott Smith albums seems to be the perfect number for this list. I cosign this inclusion.

I mean, it’s pleasant enough but ultimately I found this quite boring. After a full listen I went back to 1 track ‘Everything Means Nothing To Me’ which I did enjoy, think it was the repetition of the chorus that I quite liked…

*2000. Chamber pop (which apparently means pop music that combines like orchestral and classic instruments like strings, horns, and piano, to make it a more complex sound) *I had never listened to Elliott Smith before - this was soft and pretty, and the classic instruments did make it sound really full and complex. *I wasn't much of a fan, but it sounded like if you know anything about music (I don't) then it's impressive. *Wouldn't be mad if someone played it, but wouldn't revisit on my own. RATING - 6/10

Emotional and sad indie/alt rock album. It’s a tough listen if you’re not in the mood to get in your feelings. But the music itself is ok enough, clear and catchy melancholy pop rock. Nothing here sticks out, though, and it’ll likely not be in my regular rotation. Reminds me of Good Will Hunting.

Unremarkable. Not too bad, but nothing stand out to me. I liked the piano on "In the lost and found".

Den første sang fangede mig, og jeg troede så lidt det ville være det samme resten af vejen. Men derefter føltes musikken for mig en kende kedelig og ramte mig ikke synderligt.

Truly nothing memorable. His voice wasn’t bad, sounded like a mix of George Harrison and other 60s singers. It was fine background music, and it wasn’t BAD.

I can see how people love this, but for life of me i can't connect with it. And I've tried, many times.

Dull as dishwater. Kept thinking about Ben Folds, Deathcab for Cutie, and Modest Mouse and how much better they sound.

Don’t get it. Average at best.

Okay but unremarkable.

Yeah not really for me

This is great musically but too depressing for me to listen to.

Surprisingly never heard of Elliott Smith. Quintessential hipster singer/songwriter stuff. It started out ok and started to grate on me by the end when it became whiny and repetitive. (2)

I never really liked the chamber pop trend that emerged in the early 2000s. Many of the artists and bands seemed to take inspiration from their idols and filter it into pop music that was formally competent but lacking in substance — essentially bland, nerdy imitations of Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, Beatles... etc. To me that's also the case with Elliot Smith...

I knew nothing about Elliott Smith prior to listening to this album. Got to about the half way mark and had to stop, I found myself annoyed and constantly thinking what else I could be listening to within my head. Incredibly annoying, what was described and haunting voice, was to me harrowing and whiney, like forced upper register vocals that just pissed me off. Not my music, at all.

otro hombre blanco

scott pilgrim vs. the world vibes. very early 2000s hipster. pretty average. wasn't blown away

First time listening to Elliott Smith, but unlike the other new singer/songwriters I found in this project, he didn't do much for me. The lyrics felt adolescent, the songs faily simplistic. I could not get into the album as I felt 'meh' throughout. Not for me.

I wanted to like it more than I did

I don't like being depressed but it's still good music.

Very forgettable

Fanns någon okej låt men inte min stil

Rösten var inte så fin, lite falsk och inte på ett snyggt sätt. Instrumental fanns det någonting att hämta i alla fall. Det når nog inte riktigt upp till en trea tyvärr.

de e lite för emo för mig

Sad. Quiet. They all kind of sound the same after a while....

Never heard of this guy until today, and there’s a reason for that. Vapid, uninteresting and boring. For a while now I feel I’ve been too generous in giving albums 2 star ratings because for what they are, they are ok, but just aren’t any of my business. And this is the case here. This album doesn’t really need to be anyone’s business.

Emo mess

I don't know if this is good or not. What I do know is that this is just not my kind of music. It's just a bit too boring and samesy. To each their own, I suppose.

Why was I under the impression this guy was around in the 70s or something? Anyway, meh.

The album is okay, it’s just not music I would normally listen to. A little too slow. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

I don't dislike It, but there is no song on this album that stood out to me. So overall, a very meh listening experience.

not my thing

Fairly pleasant, but don't think I'll listen again

if this were maybe half as long it might've been a three from me, but this is sixteen tracks of increasingly monotonous depressive indie rock. i had a headache by the end of it and feel like i just existed a fugue state. it starts okay with the most early 2000s sad guy mid-budget drama film opening montage type shit i've ever heard, but it really doesn't go anywhere from there. maybe it should've gone to get some estrogen, i don't know. i find elliott smith's singing to be deeply tiresome. the whisper softness and the way it's processed in particular very quickly started making my eye twitch.

GRIS

This has Atanarjuat vibes. You know that movie where they show birds circling randomly in the air for minutes on end for no apparent reason? All these songs sound the same the first time you listen and still sound the same the third and fourth times as well. Interestingly (?) Elliott Smith said about the album title that he found something fascinating about the idea of figure 8s, trying to make something simple and repetitive as beautiful as possible. Perhaps try a metaphorical 9 or a 4 or something Elliott?

37. ok

A few lovely songs but the album didn’t grip me.

I read Smith was known for his "whispery, spider-web thin" vocals. What I heard was nasal and breathy, and just couldn't get past how much they annoyed me. The music was alright, but the vocals. . . just couldn't enjoy it.

A few songs are a bit slow and sad but ig the point of the album is his problems there’s lots of indie albums like this so it’s not very original.

below average

Bit basic didn’t ever grab me with a melody or lyrics , felt tired

every elliott smith song sounds the same

Feels like I’m watching Gossip Girl

So I'm notionally aware of this artist - I've read that artists I like follow him. I'm also a sucker for sad/depressing topic songs likely owing to growing up with the Smiths and the Cure. In both regards, I might expect being a huge fan of this album and yet... This album just doesn't click for me. Maybe I'm not in the mood; like I wasn't able to pay close attention to the lyrics? I gave it 2 solid listens. The soft/breathy style of singing bugs. I didn't favorite a single one. So much hope...just not there today. 2/5

Elliott Smith and this album are new to me. I love the fact that the music on this album is pretty diverse. It's not the standard "singer/songwriter" stuff. I found myself tapping my toes while I was listening to a lot of it. I liked the album. Did I hear a song on it that I thought was amazing? No. Is it a memorable album for me? No. But I enjoyed listening to it. Just sort of average for me.

I wanted to love this because on paper Elliott Smith's music is just the kind of work I dig - sad, self-conscious and intelligent. But to be honest this was a mostly middling affair. I didn't like how he tried to be rockier with drums and orchestra. I prefer his earlier works which are quiter yet more intimate.

Unbelievably boring, getting a bit bored of listening to the same music by different artists. Meh.

Not my cup of tea. Singer Songwriter ish med Beatles vibes

Decent not my favorite but still enjoyed it

I have tried repeatedly to listen to this and his other records and I just can’t finish them. It’s good, it’s fine I’m just not here for it. It doesn’t mesh with me really at all, I’m not mad at it, I just can’t care. Not emo enough to draw me in there but not anything else enough for me to stay interested. Glad it’s there for people that like it.

More whiny and disjointed than "Either/Or". I plan to explore more of his work, but so far I gotta put him in the overrated category.

Lowk mid. It’s an okay album tiene decent melodies pero not my vibe.

OK as background music but not particularly memorable.

OK

okayyyy alternative / rock from the (early) 2000s is basically already a plus point • very calm but a bit boring / underwhelming I must say • I’m not a big fan of his voice • the instrumentals are overall very nice, it’s really just his voice that kind of ruins the song to some extent for me 💔

Det høres ut som Elliott Smith eide en Sgt. Pepper-jakke og likte å ha den på mens han var ulike steder i huset. Kanskje legge til seg en liten Liverpool-dialekt også? Jeg syns Beatles er et av verdens beste band, men om man låner for mye av dem blir det rett og slett dritkjedelig. Jeg tror Smith var patient zero for sukkersøte, kjedelige, Beatles-inspirerte singer/songwriter (til dømes Thom Hell her på bjerget). Det er en del finurlige detaljer i musikken som funker bra. Små riff her og der, og det funker litt, men jeg sliter med den hviskete stemmen Smith har gjennom plata. Jeg tror den låta som funker best er «In the Lost and Found» og det er vel en køddelåt. Jeg har skjønt at denne plata er noe annerledes enn de andre, så jeg lover å sjekke ut dem også for å være fair.

It's not a terrible album, but his vocal style is dated. Every song has layered vocals, and it gets tiring. Musically it's fine, but it's very indie. I probably won't seek it out any further.

some good songs and some annoying songs

I don’t know why Elliot Smith is so hard to get into.

Generic folk rock that I doubt will leave an impression beyond today.

Meh... Not really my cup of tea tbf. I can understand why some people enjoy it, but I don't really dig the singing. The first song was kinda nice, but from the second song on, it didn't really impress. Just not memorable enough imo

I suppose a 1001 album list is bound to have some...dubious selection?

Albumi on yhtä ankea kuin sen kansitaide, ei jatkoon millään muotoa

Favorite: can’t make a sound I like the album musically and lyrically. Never been a fan of Elliot smith’s vocals and I stand by it with this album. Second half of the album is better. Something melancholic in the background.

A bit too hippie dippy for me

Too whiny. Became annoying.

I apparently love folk, but couldn't figure out why I didn't like this album. So I looked it up. It might be because the artist is considered "indie folk". Most likely it's the indie I don't like? Does indie equate with whiny voice? Wow, people really like this guy. Just not for me I guess. Liked the song Can't Make a Sound

I really wanted to like this, but I just can't get into it. I think sometimes music just has to hit you on the right day to get across and stick with you. I like Good Will Hunting, I like this guy's voice, I like the instruments for the most part, it's just not something I think I'd return to. I know he has his diehard fans and how he died was tragic. I recognize the talent, it's just not something I want to listen to again.

Sad boy indie

Soms okee, soms erg zeikerig. 1.75

Possibly harsh but found it inconsistent and grating at times .

It’s pretty enough but really could only be good background music for me.

This entire album is nothing but the "AWWWWWWWW SAD WHITE GUY" drop from CVS Bangers. This is just the guy with an acoustic guitar at a party singing his original compositions nobody actually wants to hear. Not for me. I must be a different kind of sad white guy.

What am I supposed to... get out of this? It's just boring acoustics where some whiny white guy complains about things in an accent I can't understand. It's mumblerock more than indie.

Just too chill and boring. Nothing really caught my attention.

Eh

Meh.

sleepy

Uneventful

Immediate thought: Elliott Smith again ... how depressed was the team that made up this book? After listening though, it wasn't as bad as the other album. Still melancholy but not to the point of hopelessness.

Not very interested 2

Never really been an Elliott Smith fan. This sounds like an okay Beatles album to me.

Some of the most paint by numbers singer songwriter stuff I’ve ever heard.

But, like a strong 2.

No me ha gustado nada, un rollazo.

Nothing to dislike, but nothing to love.

not bad but boring

Well I listened . It's okay. Not much range.

Figure 8’s never really worked for me. After XO’s studio pop revelations and the lo-fi, late night darkness of Either/Or, Figure 8 feels a whole lot like a series of formalist, ill-fitting rock band exercises (which would continue in some respect on the unfinished follow-up). Which, to me, says Smith was running low on inspiration and was relying on standards for support. Of course, someone with his talent could do a great deal with that! It’s such a rock record after the quieter, chamber pop leanings of XO, which feels like a deliberate choice, exemplified by an early Figure 8 song, Stupidity Tries, which eschews XO’s warm acoustic guitar and piano for electric guitar, drums, Lennon-style nods, etc...it’s not a template exactly, but once it opens up it certainly provide a bridge. Even the song that feels closest to older Elliott, Somebody That I Used to Know, has a bright, rehearsed quality that contrasts with the muted, even muddled acoustics from the 90s.

You definitely get bullied if you enjoy this. Deservidely.

Album Art Review - pretty cool, pretty cool. Don't know Elliott Smith, but nice graphic art - simple, literal, good use of color highlight - 7.9/10 Album - kind singer/songwriter vibe - melodic, a little spacey, a little symphonic, a little Beatlesque to me, a little maybe 80s/90s retro sounding too.

Meh. Nothing special.

Another completely new one for me. Quite Beatles-esque. Nice and rocky in parts. Prefer the rocky tracks over the beatles-like piano ballads. Not a fan of the drum sound in this. They are lacklustre, flat, a bit muffled. Shame cause theres some nice drumming on this the fills/rolls (?) on everything means nothing to me are interesting for example. Its a good album. I’d add individual tracks into my playlist not rhe whole album - Son of sam, LA,

everything i want except for a voice i can stand.

I don’t get it

Elliott Smith nahm sein fünftes Studioalbum in mehreren Studios in den USA auf, unter anderem in den Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. Smith war US-amerikanischer Singer-Songwriter und erweiterte mit diesem Album den eher reduzierten Sound seiner frühen Platten um komplexere Arrangements. Musikalisch bewegt sich Figure 8 zwischen Indie-Rock, Folk und Pop. Bekannte Stücke sind „Son of Sam“, „Junk Bond Trader“ und „I Better Be Quiet Now“. Die Produktion ist reicher instrumentiert als bei seinen Vorgängern, mit Klavier, Orgel und Streicherarrangements, bleibt aber dennoch von Smiths charakteristisch sanfter Stimme geprägt. Das Album zeigt sowohl seine Experimentierfreude als auch seine verletzliche Seite. Manche Songs wirken etwas ausladend, insgesamt aber vermittelt Figure 8 ein vielschichtiges Bild eines Künstlers, der sich weiterentwickeln wollte, ohne seine Wurzeln zu verlieren.

++: Son of Sam, Somebody That I Used to Know, In the Lost and Found (Hunk Beach)/The Rooster, Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?, Bye +: Junk Bond Trader, Stupidity Tries, Happiness/The Gondola Man, Pretty Mary K, I Better Be Quiet Now, Can't Make a Sound +-: L.A., Easy Way Out, Color Bars -: Everything Reminds Me of Her --: Everything Means Nothing to Me 5,1/10

He’s so sad

I'm really not into the wispy vocals. I can see how this was very influential to people like Bon Iver or Iron and Wine but it just didnt do it for me. None of the songs really drew me in.

Boring

that was sad.

It tries too hard to be sad/depressing and it fails, miserably. The music isn't that great either.

It's ok. It's music and it's calming music but that's about it

Nie wiem naszym stylu

Meh

Felt like it was an experimental album. Did not enjoy the vocalist, sounded like he was mumbling half the time. I did enjoy the piano that was featured in a couple of the songs.

Not my cuppa tea.

Meh, not my thing.

This sounds nice and the instrumentation is perfectly suited to the material. Very professional. No solo's so I'm thinking session artists rather than a regular backing band. This feels like more of a slow burn than an immediate-grab record. The hooks aren’t obvious; they may reveal themselves after a few listens. The vocals are restrained, and this imposes itself on the arrangements. That one word, restrained, really sums up the album. Like Paul McCartney and XTC in their most introspective works. No anger, no fire, just quiet introspection on personal self doubt, regret and fleeting moments of hope. Very nice but not for me.

It just didn't click for me. Found it fairly boring tbh.

this guy + album would have been a problem for me if i had been aware of them a decade+ ago. extremely perfect for looking out the rainy bus window from 2010-2012 imo. liked: la, pretty mary kay

Solid. Probably a 3, but kind of all tracks sound the same. Like Beatles x Simon and Garfunkel. Goes towards 2.

Not sure I love this one. 2 Stars

A poor man's Coldplay. Typical of the sad boy guitar of the era with no excitement. Yawn.

Nearly 3 star. Might listen again

Pretty but so slow

Second Elliott Smith album I've gotten and same reaction. I want to like his music, he's clearly talented but it's so f'ing boring. Every song is the same thing. By about the fifth or sixth song even he seems bored of it.

It is by no means bad, but the melancholy gets really boring really quick.

Really boring, his voice adds nothing and I'd say pretty generic?

These are perfectly fine songs but they sound like they fit on an indie romcom soundtrack from the early 00's more than anything else

While this album certainly is well executed in terms of music and production,it never seemed to get past sounding like a guy who made a Beatles record.

Tja

1.5

Mir etwas zu ruhig.

just okay

Decent, but nothing really stuck out as remarkable

I believe I've listened to part of this album many years ago after learning about Smith through a friend. This album is not Smiths best work which I believe is XO. Smith is an artist that meets many of my requirements as a great artist: he has a great voice, makes attempts to vary how his music sounds, and is an excellent writer. Maybe I am judging him too harshly but this album doesn't live up to his best work because in my opinion he doesn't do enough to meet my aforesaid requirements. This album does get better towards the middle but it's too late to overcome the overall blandness. Every song to that point sounds the same either in how he sings, subject matter, or musical.style.

Not my cuppa tea. 2*

Ok, if a bit forgettable.

Bit whiney and average, I dont feel richer for the experience

It was very good musically and songwriting-wise, but just took a lot of effort for me to get through. Felt a bit dreary and whiney. I think this would have resonated with me more at the time of release, but now, it just felt somber and dated. Unfortunate, as the album is good sonically.

Not my jive.

**an ok album, but boring, most tracks sound alike. No RAP, or hard rock, but very slow

I completely understand why he was beloved in the indie scene and continues to attract new fans, I can't help but feel like I missed the bus on Elliot Smith. His brand of sad and confessional chamber pop falls flat. However, the production on this record is great, especially when the drums and spaciousness of "Everything Means Nothing to Me". Overall, unimpressive, and I do not like his voice.

It was okay, kind of unremarkable kind of annoying

Nice voice, easy listening but not remotely memorable

that was boring 2/5

I like Phoebe Bridgers so I feel like I should like this, but I've never gotten the hype.

Bland, boring and banal. Ugh

Yawn

I really had a hard time listening to this entire album. this album, for me, just sounds so over-produced. every song is a series of slowed down chord progressions as he is VERY sad over all of them. its quite apparent that dude was really going through things, but i wasn't a huge fan of this sound.

Definitely a different tone compared to the emo album, Either/Or, we had of Elliott on the list before. Still, I’m failing to find any particularly interesting tunes that stand out. And I just can’t seem to get on terms with Elliott’s voice. It’s just way too much of a teenage voice to me somehow, even though that might not be Elliott’s persona. I can definitely see that this album, and Elliott in particular, is a matter of taste. Unfortunately I don’t enjoy it, so going to have to be a strong 2 for me.

Similar to evermore and Let it Bleed, I don't hate any of the songs, but I don't particularly like any of them

Interesting. This is sad white boy indie music that should be right in my wheelhouse but it just didn't click with me. I even listened to this twice just to make sure and I feel like I'm missing something. I might give this a few more listens just to see. 4/10

Nojookamaa. Menee taustalla

Ilmeisen taitava kaveri neppailemaan akustista ja kirjoittelemaan kappaleita. Mutta ei vaan aukene Sepultura jälkeen tämä. Not my cup of tea.

Pas mal, c'est pas forcément le style d'album qui me plaît le plus mais j'ai pas non plus jeté mon casque à travers la salle par dégoût. Y a quelques chansons assez sympa sans pour autant être mémorables.

Wish there was only 8

Not my cup of tea. Instrumentals were decent but the vocal work was not doing it for me. 'Can't Make a Sound' was my fave.

Quit after listening to half. I didn’t like his voice very much. When he did do something cool, like the end of Everything Means Nothing to Me, suddenly the other instruments were disjointed.

Not my first time listening to Elliot smith and I tried to like him but I really don’t get it. His voice is boring, the instruments don’t move me, and there wasn’t a song on here I liked. Nothing I particularly disliked either though. He stands out as a unique singer songwriter but it’s not for me. 3/10

I can see the appeal for this album. Personally it felt repetitive and like generic sad boy music. Nothing I’d listen to in rotation, 2/5

Too quiet, I don’t get it.

Not for me, a few were good

yeah its ok,

Figure 8 was pretty good, but it wasn’t my vibe when I was listening to it. Good much just not a Blaze vibe.

faux ~quirky~ and boring! i liked everything means nothing to me

This guy just isn't for me. Musically, he's too boring. Yeah, maybe his lyrics are good, but I can't pay attention long enough to care.

Running out of ways to say OK but pretty uninspiring … unlikely to listen again.

Lieblingssongs: Everything Means Nothing to Me, Stupiditz Tries Singersongwriter, eher langweilig, fand seine Art zu singen geballtbauf einem Album eher anstrengend.

Its good, just not really for me.

Ewww Elliot smith is a wannabe Paul McCartney dude what it’s just a worse version of the Gotye song This guy listens to a lot of 60s rock huh These songs would be cool if he would drop the half note piano chords and if he wouldn’t sing like a 13 year old on SoundCloud who likes owl city Mmm cool guitar

I like the solo acoustic Elliot Smith albums. They are the right level of melancholy and brooding to make them interesting listens. This one seems like a collection of songs too big for Smith. Matt Damon’s favorite brooding artist to put in a sad movie montage.

This was ok. It was giving Beatles vibes. The lyrics were intriguing. Not sure why didn’t hit with me.

This guy sure had a difficult life and obviously was blessed with a ton of talent, but this is just way too precious and sanctimonious for me.

Meh

Interesting album. A little repetitive

Boring and annoying

I found this rather upbeat, despite the bitter lyrics. It dragged a little towards the end.

Bland, uninteresting, boring, nothing special, totally forgettable. If the guy had not killed himself, who knows if this album would have entered the 1001 Albums... list.

Boring.

So depressing!

It was fine. Sounds like a lot of indie music from the mid-late 2000s. Probably one where if you know the backstory you will appreciate it more.

His stuff just bores me tbh. There is no depth to the music. With the best will in the world it does nothing for me

Really didn't enjoy this at all.

Not for me. Another one where I get that to the right person, this is a masterpiece. No desire to shit on that. That person just isn't me.

The one Elliott Smith album I never really cared for, even when I was big into his music. There are a couple of good songs, and plenty of little moments that show off Smith's charisma and style, but the songs feel overworked and saccharine. Listen to Either/Or, listen to From a Basement on the Hill, listen to New Moon.

Ruger showed me him before. I don’t care for his voice and the way he sings but I like the instrumentals

Meh

Wow. This dude picked a lane and STUCK. WITH. IT. Do not listen to this while driving late at night. It’s pretty but so so monotonous.

I really like the music in almost every song. But his thin voice mostly destroys it for me. It´s a pity.

Boring,

Hi, I'm sorry but I just cannot get into Elliott Smith. I've heard a lot of people tell me he's very good and I'm very sorry to hear about his personal issues and his tragic passing but his music always seems so down to me that was hard for me to get into it. I listen to a couple of songs, but I'm sad to say that I just found the music very depressing even though he may be a very talented artist. R.I.P.

Inspires no strong feelings in any direction. The definition of bland, but not unpleasant

For some reason the word that comes to mind to describe this album is "pretentious".

Jfc this was so boring. Couldn’t even make it through a second listen without wanting to lose my mind. 2/5 Highlights: Son of Sam

I liked the bits that are a homage to Big Star and remained engaged enough by some of the lyrics to keep listening.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Either Or and scored it a 4/5 so was looking forward to this. Unfortunately was disappointed - the pop production takes the edge/ emotion of the songs and as result sound rather bland and forgettable. Best song is the opener Son of Sam and that's a 3/5 at best which means album as a whole is a 2.

The odd moment but just couldn’t get into this one. Found his voice too dreary

Nothing extraordinary

Is it The Beatles? Is it Simon and Garfunkel? No bad thing I suppose. Pleasant album.

I'm sure there are fans for this kind of music out there, but to me it sounds like he's trying to perform the least memorable songs he can produce.

Un mix tra malinconico e indie. Alcuni arrangiamenti interessanti, ma voce troppo triste.

It felt pretty one-note. Not really a fan. Voice is nice though

No

So boring, im sure this is great for some people, but for me I was done after the second song.

Fine. Just not my thing

Was not listening to the lyrics much, which I suspect is important for this artist. Other than 2/3 songs, most of the tracks sounded uninteresting and like typical 90's alt-pop (maybe even early emo)

First I had ever heard. Not bad but not my vibe.

fine,not for me, a bit boring

Forgettable lahmes Gedudel mit Flüsterstimme Songs der Playlist hinzugefügt: Keine

..

O wow, na prvu me baš zaintrigiralo, vidjet ćemo dalje. Nikad nisam ni čula za njega! 🫣 Često mi se dogodi da me uvod u album istrese iz cipela i onda mi samo krene padati entuzijazam, mislim da je ovo još jedan takav slučaj. Da, evo, dosada. Izgubila sam volju 😅 jednostavno mi nema ništa da mi drži interes nekako. Sve je još nekako bilo okej do ove Everything Reminds Me Of Her koja me baš naživcirala. A ni iduća nije bolja. (Sad mi je možda jasnije zašto nisam čula za ovo, nekako me moj ukus za glazbu istrenirano vodi dalje od ovakvih glazbenika, jbg) Imam filing da na ovom albumu ako nije žalopojka, onda je neki dosta lejm rok koji mi nikad nije sjedao. Znam da nije dobro kad jedva čekam da završi album. Mah, 2/5, 3/10, čisto jer znam koliko može gore, bilo ih je bogu fala.

Jutros uz kavu je Mia ispričala njegovu priču koju je našla online pa sam malo pod utjecajem toga. Inače mislim da bi ovu glazbu dosta brzo odbacio. Ali, iako je soft ima mi nekakav ok prizvuk. Glazbeno nije loše, lijepu boju glasa ima, na neki čudan način me prva pjesma podsjetila na neki soft king gizzard. Ne znam zašto, valjda zbog tih, ajmo reći, netipičnih harmonija koje ima dok pjeva Zanimljiva kombinacija zapravo, na prvu zvuči jako meko i sanjivo, ali dosta je ovo psihodelično i old skul zapravo I ne mogu se sjetiti gdje sam već čuo njegovo ime, ali poznat mi je od nekuda. Da, polako, ali sigurno, me smorio lik. Da nije ovog projekta, nikad ne bih poslušao niti jednu njegovu pjesmu, a kamoli album. Pošto ima nekih ok elemenata bit će dvojka.

4.5/10 Dosta prosjecno sa nekim dobrim momentima. Ne znam da li su svi u pocetku 2000-ih ganjali tu minutazu ali ovdje mi ima previse stvari opcenito i koje zvuce preslicno. Ono sto mi se zapravo svidja je njegov vokal, pasao bi u dosta pop glazbe, mozda i rocka ali pogotovo indie-a. Nijednom me nije skroz nazivcirao, iako je to moglo biti skraceno na 25-30 minuta i neke stvari su se mogle uredno izbaciti (16 stvari btj, malo je smor). In The Lost And Found mi je dosta sjela, cak sam ju pustio par puta nakon preslusavanja cijelog albuma. Sve u svemu, album koji cu zaboraviti vec iduci tjedan, najvise zbog toliko slicnih laganica i bas niceg novog sto vec nisam dozivio ali hajd, nije mi zao sto sam ga cuo. Ok, next.

Did not care for this. 1.5

Not for me.

First note is that there were some really interesting musical compositions within this album. Some nice guitar and piano work, some nice strings. There were a couple tracks that stood out for me, like Happiness and Stupidity Tries, that I’ll likely revisit. For the most part, I didn’t enjoy his voice and found the majority of tracks to be skip worthy. May revisit at some point but kinda doubtful.

# Album Name: Figure 8 # Artist: Elliot Smith # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Never been a fan of ES. I found the album pretty bland, boring and it never gets going for me. Worst thing is theres 70 minutes of this stuff. Who honestly thinks its a wise decision to bang out 70 mins of average tunes. This is bang average americana. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No

Raw lyrics that I could dive more into, but I just don't enjoy his singing. Unpopular opinion, probably. Wish I was into it, maybe I'll try and revisit again in the future.

Fine but boring indie songs

pre: I know nothing about Elliot Smith except recognizing the name as a musician I actually liked this album, for some value of liked. Seemed like Ben Folds on Xanax. That said, I will never listen to this album again

Eh, I got bored and turned it off. It’s fine.

A bit boring

Not very good

Not really my cup of tea. Some good songs but just interesting as a 50 minute experience for me

its ok but i love elliott smith

Boring is being kind. No passion or emotion even with terribly serious subject matter. Not sure why it made this list

Just didn't grab me

A guy with a guitar. Inoffensive. It's the musical equivalent of beige carpeting - I can barely make myself pay attention to it. Good for working background music. This makes 9 albums with men's voices and one with a woman's.

Kinda boring. I dislike his nasally, breathy voice. Everything means nothing to me is pretty good. Starts to hit it's after that. LA and lost and found are good. Wouldn't mama be proud slaps. The weakest point here is his voice. Don't know if I'd listen again.

One fat lady.

boring

Kuulostaa siltä, että hän ihan hitusen pahoittelee itseään. Samalla on kuitenkin itsetietoinen. Vähän ärsyynnyin - älä hyssyttele, lisää volaa vaan!! Kaipaan enemmän menoa, hänellä olis kyllä taitoa panna isompi vaihde silmään. Mut joo, indiesoundi. Ehkä rahkeet ei riitä suoraan poppiin.

Taidolla, ei tuurilla - ja siinä ongelma. Levyä varten nähty vaiva ei välity muistettavuuteen, sillä artistilla ei ole ollut kärsivällisyyttä odottaa massasta erottuvien ideoiden ilmaantumista. Sääli, sillä LP:n melodisessa lennonismissa on potentiaalia. 2,5

too soft

I feel confident that Elliott Smith's longest and worst album would not be on this list if it weren't also his last. Pete Thomas, though! That's something.

Remember this from back in the day. It was ok

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Not for me

Im sure he’s a genius etc but it’s not my bag baby

I had some extra time this last week to dig back in the catalog of albums that I missed. Im sure this album hit incredibly well in the year of 2000. I gave it two chances (saying a lot for me as its 70 mins) and didn't find much that I was really attached to. It sounds dated for alt rock. I also don't love when artists sing their own backing vocals which was everywhere on this album I enjoyed Somebody That I Used To Know -- Very Deathcab-y. I also liked Junk Bond Trader. 2.5 stars and rounding it down because it was too long

Some nice songs but so, so whiny. Can’t imagine a time I’d like to listen to this

Somewhere between early Paul Simon and Jewel just not nearly as good as either

I find the melodies and lyrics enjoyable, but his voice is so grating and whiny to me.

Not my cup,of tea. Can’t imagine anyone thinks this is really good.

Like: Junk Band Trader & Pretty Mary Bay Dislike: LA

I find his songs heard in isolation are pretty good but a whole album of them devolves into a bit of a mush. Either a strong 2 or a weak 3.

STANDOUTS: n/a OVERALL: 2/5

Very dull. Totally uninspired.

Wasn’t my kind of music, though I did enjoy Somebody That I Used To Know, which I presume inspired Gotye?

This album has some groove to it, but the vocals are kinda drab. I guess that’s what to expect with Elliott Smith though. The first 3-4 tracks were solid, then started to drop off a bit. Stupid Ties was a high point, but the remaining few songs dragged til the end.

Not my music

Very unremarkable.

Another case of a lot of people liking an artist because of the circumstances of his death. Just a bunch of whining over some very uninspired instrumentals

i don’t think this is the elliot smith album for me

Son of Sam Everything Reminds Me of Her Happiness

Wow that was a miserable listen.

Id never heard of this artist of album before. I kinda get the appeal but I found it really boring, personally.

meh

“Figure 8” von Elliott Smith zeigt seine typischen introspektiven und melancholischen Themen, bleibt jedoch oft düster und schwer zugänglich. Trotz der reichen Instrumentierung und poetischen Texte fehlt es an eingängigen Melodien und einem positiven Gefühl. Für Fans von introspektiver Musik ist es vielleicht interessant, aber insgesamt ist das Album schwer verdaulich und etwas enttäuschend.

Not sure if I want to listen to him. Not really fond of his allegations.

Ok, not heard of this album before

The effort is clearly there but production made for an overly uniform sound.

It is as if someone set out to record an album of Beatles sounding music - did nothing for me

7/1001

Man this is the blandest 90's rock i've heard. This album is so quiet and demure... as if it's trying to ride a harley and all it could muster was a 3 year old's my little pony bicycle complete with training wheels. If you look up the word "Meh" in the dictionary there's a picture of this album cover.

Entirely unremarkable. The sort of thing you'd find on repeat in a chain coffee house.

I like his top songs but the deep cuts aren't for me

This was the worst one so far. It's just whiny and boring.

Idk. This was pretty unexceptional all around. Scratching my head at this one

The album would be better without him singing.

I remember hearing a lot about Elliot Smith at the time he was successful. Apparently he was one of those artists you needed to check out, below the radar, if you know, you know. So under the radar people never stopped talking about him. I never heard much of his music. Now I have and it sounds like Teenage Fanclub and The High Llamas with a bit of Badly Drawn Boy mixed in. I places it's quite loud and rocks a long a bit. Nice enough but wishy washy and bland to me. Not sure I've missed out on too much.

s.s., Rock/Pop, 2000 -> 2

I love sadboi music but this didn't really click with me. Maybe I'll give it another go eventually but this didn't really make me feel anything.

Pleasant, but not memorable.

No idea why this album is here on the list. It sounds like thousands of others, but probably I simply don't get it.

Not to my credit I admit, I’d never heard of Elliot Smith before but it appears he was not so well known on UK side of the Atlantic. So I was quite expectant in learning about a new artist. As I listened I read all the reviews and Wiki page concerning Elliot. What a very troubled man and shocking ending to his life. Reading things like that really do affect how you listen more closely to the music and look for clues as to why and how he turned out as he did. Nothing was apparent on first listen but I stand to be corrected on further listens or when broadening my knowledge of his whole musical catalogue. I generally like singer songwriter troubadour types such as Damien Rice, Bon Iver and Paul Simon etc but I’m afraid this album did not quite measure up to some of the aforementioned works. It is an inoffensive album and just OK. However, I’m sure that judging by some comments there are plenty of his fans about who will keep his flame alive and will rate this album as a lasting memorial to him. 2.9/5 16/4/24

Yeah it's okay

Never heard of him but enjoyed listening.

Not really my style. It runs on too long and doesn't really progress. I've had tons of friends swear by him but I've never really got it.

UnInteresting

Sounds like a shitty Beatles copycat

Wasn’t very engaged by this album, it all had the same boring vibe and the songs got less good as the album went on. 2.3

2.5 This is my second Elliott Smith album and about halfway through this I decided to see what I gave Either/Or. I was shocked to find a 4 because I am finding this guy's voice annoying and didn't note it at all in my first review of him. Maybe that says something about how compelling I found the first album, but this one doesn't hold up for me.

So emo

For me it's just another singer-songwritert. He doesn't moove me.

The vocals remind me of Sufjan, but the songwriting doesn’t have the tenderness of Sufjan and leans into stronger sounds that I don’t find particularly compelling when together. It ends up feeling like I’m listening to a song that has had its lead vocal track removed and I’m just getting the backing.

This was just ok. Lovely opening track, then the rest was kinda blah. I remember when he was a big deal when he first came on the scene. Never really took to him.

meh

No, not for me. Dull.

While the lyrics are interesting and warm guitar tones aplenty, I don't really find myself fully drawn into Elliot Smith's voice. Would maybe see myself coming back to this one at some point, but probably rarely. 2.5

I am reticent to give this album a 2 out of 5 because I know that Elliott Smith has a very devout and inspired following and has inspired many musicians after him. But I personally feel as though some of his work, especially in this album, is simple and bland and all sounds the same. Not very impressive and not terribly as deep or tragic as others have made him out to be. That's not to say that I don't like some of his work, His other popular album "Either, Or" has some really great music and fits very well as music to feature in films, cafes, and to comfort a lonely or heartbroken soul. But this album bored me to tears and I couldn't help but feel as though his cult following continually overrates his music.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background I'd probably like this more if I had time to sit with it for a while...downside to this process is 1001+ albums doesn't really allow for that. Anyway, on a few listens (and what I remember from previous Elliot Smith albums...his voice and the slight effect that comes with it never changes. Happy song, Excited song, Sad song, Melodramatic song...all the same in the singing. Instrumentation does vary a bit, but Dylan did a lot more with a lot less. Didn't have time to delve into the lyrics. So has upside, but here we are and I'm moving on,

Albums where a singer wallows in romantic relationships that didn't work out are generally ones I don't enjoy, regardless of the artist's talent. I felt worse about this when I heard this was the last album before Elliott took his own life, and that brought an element of poignancy. It's still not my style of music. Listens: 1 Fave Track: Wouldn't Mama Be Proud Rating: 2

A little too on the slow and emotional side for me. It also reminded me of an era of music where I would avoid stuff like this entirely. Im sure its a good album for some, but I wasn't feeling it.

Read the lyrics, I can't tell if it's me not being able to English or him being too cryptic but I couldn't figure out the meaning behind like half the lines. But what I did understand sounded pretty repetitive. I understand wanting to reuse the same thoughts, I don't get many unique thoughts myself, but maybe make your album shorter or something. Reusing one of my earlier thoughts. The main difference I see between Björk and Kate Bush is how more intimate Björk's music is, I feel like it's directed at me personally, like I'm the one she speaks to. With Kate Bush I felt more like I was invited to watch a spectacle, I'm allowed to see only what she decides to show me. And then there's Elliott Smith, this album makes me feel like I'm his therapist. Funnily enough, the bonus song Figure 8 doesn't have this problem, I liked it. Bye and The Roost are also great but do not redeem the rest of the album in my eyes.

Repetitive and boring pop-like simple tunes

It was pretty boring and felt more like they were going for a sound rather than it coming naturally. It's like it's the sound they thought they should be doing, not the one they wanted.

A pleasant but mostly uninteresting collection.

Sombre and melancholic, fine but unlikely to listen again

The music is fine but his voice seems really put on, I ditched out after 5 tracks

Not offensive. 2/5

I listened to Either/Or recently and didn’t enjoy it, so had low expectations going in. It’s so much better than Either/Or, but it’s still so so boring. Just because you’re sad doesn’t mean you can’t be interesting. 2/5

Not my style.

as some other reviewer said his wispy fairy voice got a little old..