Sunday, September 05, 2004
Elliott Smith - Figure 8
You won't always get the added excitement of a weekend review. I tend not to make sufficiently lengthy car journeys on my own on a weekend - except for when I go to do my shift on hospital radio on a Sunday evening. That's a journey slightly longer than my usual work run, and so the perfect time to sneak in an additional record!
I don't remember buying this album. I think it must have been a freebie from radio days, or suchlike. I don't really recall listening to it, except for the lead track 'Son of Sam', and then that's probably for egotistical purposes. Still, there it has sat amongst the other Ss in the rack, and it was through a completely random choice that it got listened to this evening.
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Elliott Smith only really emerged from the obscure indie masses after one of his songs was used on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, receiving an Oscar nomination. That attention gave him access to major label finances and allowed him to dabble with more complex and detailed arrangements for his later works. Yet the theme here proves less is most definitely more.
This album from 2000 finds us firmly in singer-songwriter territory. The tracks fall into two broad categories. Most are sparse, some solely with Elliot's voice and acoustic guitar, others adding only a simple piano accompaniement. The doubling-up of his own singing and playing makes for an interesting effect; if you can imagine Simon & Garfunkel but with two Paul Simons, you won't be far wrong. Another familiar reference is the more laid-back pieces from Badly Drawn Boy (although of course, this album came first).
The remaining tracks are more dense, with drums, electric guitar and strings. One or two of these work quite well, but I feel others are rather out of place. Indeed, at 16 tracks, this is quite a long album, and a small amount of editing could have worked well. I found on the journey home that I began to lose attention with the closing tracks. There's certainly a great lyrical depth, intense and rather dark in places, but I didn't find myself compelled to pay attention throughout.
I think this one's a slow grower. Play it once and you'll only latch onto the opening track. But give it a few loving listens and I reckon you'll start to see hidden depths. I get the impression this could be an album that crops up on future 'unsung classics' lists; for now, though, it needs time to mature.
I don't remember buying this album. I think it must have been a freebie from radio days, or suchlike. I don't really recall listening to it, except for the lead track 'Son of Sam', and then that's probably for egotistical purposes. Still, there it has sat amongst the other Ss in the rack, and it was through a completely random choice that it got listened to this evening.
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Elliott Smith only really emerged from the obscure indie masses after one of his songs was used on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, receiving an Oscar nomination. That attention gave him access to major label finances and allowed him to dabble with more complex and detailed arrangements for his later works. Yet the theme here proves less is most definitely more.
This album from 2000 finds us firmly in singer-songwriter territory. The tracks fall into two broad categories. Most are sparse, some solely with Elliot's voice and acoustic guitar, others adding only a simple piano accompaniement. The doubling-up of his own singing and playing makes for an interesting effect; if you can imagine Simon & Garfunkel but with two Paul Simons, you won't be far wrong. Another familiar reference is the more laid-back pieces from Badly Drawn Boy (although of course, this album came first).
The remaining tracks are more dense, with drums, electric guitar and strings. One or two of these work quite well, but I feel others are rather out of place. Indeed, at 16 tracks, this is quite a long album, and a small amount of editing could have worked well. I found on the journey home that I began to lose attention with the closing tracks. There's certainly a great lyrical depth, intense and rather dark in places, but I didn't find myself compelled to pay attention throughout.
I think this one's a slow grower. Play it once and you'll only latch onto the opening track. But give it a few loving listens and I reckon you'll start to see hidden depths. I get the impression this could be an album that crops up on future 'unsung classics' lists; for now, though, it needs time to mature.
# posted by Sam : 22:54
Comments:
<< Home
I quite agree - this one does take a little time to grow on you. It's not, however, one of his better alba, I'd argue - 'XO''s probably a better one to 'get into' Elliott with, and I found 'Figure 8' much better once I'd got to grips with his style.
Post a Comment
<< Home
