lustylady's Full Review: Figure 8 by Elliott Smith
I've long been a fan of Elliott Smith, preferring his early work, which was more stripped down, to his more lush arrangements. But Figure 8 completely won me over with the sheer beauty of the music. I had heard him perform "Happiness" in an early version, and was struck by the simple honesty and emotion in the lyrics, where at the end he sings, "what I want now is happiness for you and me." Elliott Smith can manage to sing lines that might sound silly or cheesy from someone else and make them sound like the most beautiful and heartfelt words ever written.
This album takes him to new heights, where he experiments with different musical styles but makes them all his own. "Son of Sam," while not one of my favorite tracks, is still unique in its own way, comparing the singer to the serial killer. "Everything Reminds Me of Her" is sad in its loneliness and despair and sounds more like the quiet, sad Elliott songs I'm used to. He returns to more of the rock sound he got into on XO with "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" but then goes back to his melancholy on the haunting "Better Be Quiet Now." I found these songs swirling around in my head long after I'd turned off the CD, and enjoyed that Elliott took the chance to make a different kind of record, even though at first it didn't agree with me and I don't like all the songs on the album. He manages to use his voice and a wealth of instruments to convey so much, usually sadness, but in entirely new ways. This is a fabulous album, definitely worth checking out for those who are already fans of Elliott's or those looking for some brilliant new music.
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