Last year in English class, the kids had to do a presentation on their tragic hero. I never got the opportunity to do this, so I will treat this review as if it were my presentation. While other kids chose Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, my tragic hero is Elliott Smith. Doomed since birth, his anguished childhood carried on through his adulthood until his untimely death. Although he is gone, this humble man will never be forgotten for his contributions to the indie-rock music community. Many people find comfort in his melancholy tunes and deep lyrics. One of those people is me. I found Elliott Smith a couple of years back. Although I can't say his music has saved my life or anything along those lines, I can say that his music has impacted me. His songs and albums have been with me through the best of times and the worst of times. It was easy to tell from the start that Elliott was a very talented individual. He was a musical genius and Figure 8 only proves this point further. If you are not familiar with his previous albums, then it is important to note that Figure 8 was a significant point in his career. It is his most Beatles-esque and rock album to date. It has a mix of many instruments, including piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and so on. From the solid start with Son Of Sam and through the rest of the album, you go on an adventure through a range of emotions until you end with the bittersweet Bye. Considering that the last track of the last album Elliott got to see the release of was called Bye, it can't help but make you wonder if that was Elliott's way of saying goodbye to all of his wonderful fans. I hope he's resting in peace now in his reverse New York, a heaven he could only dream of, where everything smells good and everyone is nice. The world will never be the same without his poor soul and he will never be forgotten as long as his devoted fans are around. And to my tragic hero, see you later if I see you at all. Favorite songs: Somebody That I Used To Know, Happiness/The Gondola Man, Son Of Sam, and L.A.