#300: Elliott Smith - Figure 8 (2000)

Zack: I had no idea who Elliott Smith was before I listened to Figure 8 and it wasn’t until after I’d listened to the entire thing that I pulled up the Wikipedia page to glean whatever details I could. I liked Figure 8 a lot and I was thinking how great it would be to hear some of those songs live. It made it all the sadder to see that he had died more than a decade ago. Figure 8 immediately comes off as the type of album that requires multiple listens to really get, and I definitely intend to devote some time to really delving into it sometime in the near future. In that respect, I see a similarity with Nick Drake, who Elliott Smith seems to be compared to a lot. In terms of actual music, though, I didn’t see any real similarities between Figure 8 and Pink Moon (one of my favorite folk albums we’ve listened to, you know behind the Neil Young stuff). Figure 8 felt upbeat and poppy, at least at first. Maybe later on I’ll hear some of the emotions that color Pink Moon so vividly, or maybe the relationship is best observed in some of Smith’s older work, but I didn’t pick up on that at all after going through once.

Favorite Tracks: Can’t Make a Sound; Color Bars; Son of Sam

Emily: The name Elliott Smith sounded familiar when I picked Figure 8 to listen to. Turns out, though, I was totally unfamiliar with his music until about an hour ago. He did contribute a song to the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, which Zack and I watched for the first time a couple weeks ago, but I definitely didn't pick up on that at the time. Regardless, Figure 8 ended up being an excellent way to close out the 201-300 chapter of this blog. It starts out as upbeat power-pop and seamlessly segues into the lush, dreamy sounds of indie rock. It's the kind of album that I just want to listen to again, to make it the soundtrack of a commute or study session or quiet night at home. I don't know much about Elliott Smith's brief career, but Figure 8 definitely made me want to find out more.

Favorite Tracks: Happiness/The Gondola Man; Son of Sam; Junk Bond Trader