Elliott Smith
Figure 8
[Dreamworks]
Rating: 6.9
Oh, Elliott. Are things really that bad? We've been listening to this grizzled old bastard's
miseries since his self-titled, indier-than-Mary Lou Lord 1995 debut on Kill Rock Stars. And
what has it gotten us? Well, those of us addicted to Smith's plug-and-play hooks got it in the
ass-- we've invested well over $50 on his entire catalog. Ah, but we got a value, I guess.
It's a pretty rare event when we find someone this capable of crafting whole albums of instantly
accessible pop.
When we last left Elliott Smith, his Dreamworks debut, XO, was being called the best
album of 1998 by all your dad's periodicals. His songwriting had clearly advanced since
the release of his heralded indie classic, Either/Or, and songs like "Bottle Up and
Explode," "Tomorrow Tomorrow" and "Pitseleh" featured far more intelligent lyrics and melodies
than the songs off its predecessor. But Smith's long-time followers-- Olympia indie punks and
emo kids-- saw a problem. XO's multi-layered vocal harmonies, syrup-drenched string
sections, polished effects and warm atmospheres detracted from the intimacy of his
semi-confessional earlier work. It also didn't help that, from out of nowhere, he was nominated
for a very un-punk Academy Award for his song "Miss Misery," which was featured prominently in
the also very un-punk "Good Will Hunting."
A minor indie backlash ensued shortly after the record's release, but the songs spoke for
themselves, and despite the record's overwhelming studio sheen, XO is still generally
considered a pretty fine record. The new album, of course, will be a major determining factor
in the course of his career. It could break new ground in the genre, taking a hammer to
conventional pop rules and re-writing music history (don't count on it), or it could establish
him as the new king of adult contemporary radio, virtually erasing his name from punk's history
books. Of course, it's somewhere between the two. Figure 8, ultimately, isn't as good
a record as XO or Either/Or, but he's not out of the picture yet.
Punk fans will be pleased to know that Figure 8 is a bit more raw than XO, though
the same production team-- Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf-- was called in again. The album
accomplishes more with less saccharine perfection. But sadly, Smith still goes a little
overboard here and there. The throwaway toy-piano honky tonk of "In the Lost and Found (Honky
Bach)" is a giant, airy studio disaster complete with high-treble piano, a rambling, go-nowhere
melody, and a glistening chamber hall effect that sounds like someone dropped a reverb bomb by
the mic. "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud" is a grasp for the VH-1 ring that puts Reef to shame. And
the first single, "Son of Sam," hasn't got a damn thing on "Sweet Adeline" or "Speed Trials,"
Smith's previous album openers-- it's one of the less infectious songs this guy's written since
his debut.
But while Elliott Smith includes some of his least inspired music of all time on Figure 8,
he also surprisingly pulls out some of his best to date. The simple, jerky, acoustic melodrama
of "Somebody That I Used to Know" proves that Smith can sing in other tones than his standard
shy whisper. "Everything Means Nothing to Me" harbors an unpredictable, evolving, vaguely
psychedelic tune, and uses the album's massive major label budget to its advantage by
incorporating creative, unique ideas and not overdoing it with the Neil Diamond Orchestra.
"I Better Be Quiet Now" serves as the most affecting ballad here with its acoustic intimacy,
gentle guitar strum and Smith's lyrical honesty: "If I didn't know the difference/ Living
alone would probably be okay/ It wouldn't be lonely/ I got a long way to go/ I'm getting
further away."
But "Pretty Mary K" sums up Figure 8 most ably. It carries the burden of that "wall of
Schnapf" reverb overdrive, and is a shining example of Smith's sometimes lumbering songwriting
which, in its attempts to remain original, can become unbearably random-sounding-- a problem
that plagues this record from start to finish. Yet, it also pulls some of the album's most
impressive twists, and most clearly recalls the Beatles of any of these songs.
16 Elliott Smith songs is a lot to plow through, though-- even 16 of his greatest tracks would
be a task. The question here is: is it worth wading through the filler to get to the good
stuff? In some cases, as with "Color Bars" and "Everything Reminds Me of Her," it can be. But
how much "Honky Bach" can one person stand? Figure 8 is, without a doubt, another step
down from XO in terms of songwriting, even if its production has taken a step in the
right direction (away from Michael Penn's house). But in the grand scheme of things, you only
need to hear so much Elliott Smith before you get the point. You'd be better off with
Either/Or.
-Ryan Schreiber