"Wouldn't Mama Be Proud" has Smith almost going out of his way to compose what is probably the most radio-friendly song on the album that is complete with warm, clear vocals and a soaring, extremely catchy chorus. What comes next is a song that, above any other song on the album, I wonder why it didn't become a breakthrough mainstream hit for Smith, as it seems to fit alongside anything you'd hear in a MTV rock music video or on maybe even pop radio. Comparatively, "Easy Way Out" is quieter and while the melody works, it is a low point on the album.
#Elliott smith either or lyrics genius full#
"Stupidity Tries" is one of my favorites from this album, as it builds to an exhilarating and epic climax full of violins, drums, and a guitar-driven rhythm that I want to replay, and relive, again and again. The delightfulness continues with "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)," in which Smith, the masterful multi-instrumentalist he was, sports a wonderful and upbeat piano melody. The album picks up the pace afterwards, with the delightful and incredibly catchy pop song "L.A" that is another tune that presses you to sing along. What follows is a piano-centric "Everything Means Nothing To Me," which brings home again, perhaps in too overwrought a fashion, his personal demons.
Whether Smith wrote this about a real person or if he was referencing heroine, as is often speculated in many of his songs due to his battles with it, is unclear, but it is certainly one of many examples of Smith revealing his heavy emotional burdens quite openly. What follows returns us again to Smith's quieter, expert stylings on the acoustic guitar in "Everything Reminds Me of Her." It is an incredibly sad song about losing a loved one in one way or another. It is one of the best songs on the album. "Junk Bond Trader" follows as an intense rocker the conjures up an image of a decrepit life full of people cashing in on the misfortune of others and "trying to sell a sucker a style." The song's lyrics and rich instrumentation are so engrossing they truly have to be heard to be understood. Maybe it's just me, but when I heard that I just had to lean back and think "music is amazing." Another beautiful tune, I kept replaying it the after I first heard it because the guitar part starting at 1:08 struck me as so musically appealing and satisfying. Next in line is the more familiar multi-layered vocals and acoustic guitar with "Somebody That I Used to Know," which, as the title cleverly implies, is about defiantly moving past someone close to you that has changed for the worse so that you essentially don't know them anymore. It is one of his best known for those outside the Smith fanbase, and although it lacks the quite, personal sentiments of much of his earlier work that Smith fans seem to adore most, it is a beautiful song with a melody you'll find hard to stop singing. We begin with "Son of Sam," which is basically Smith's most textbook pop rock song in his catalog. That said, there are few albums by any band in any genre that I have enjoyed more than Elliott Smith's Figure 8, which surely deserves a 5 "classic" rating in my book. I believe I am very analytical with my music and the top ratings will be special cases. However, I do not intend to drool over bands I adore with 5 star ratings while bashing the rest. Among my favorites of his albums is Figure 8, where both aspects of his music are in strong balance.Īt the time of my writing, I am a new reviewer.
His music has the melodies and instrumentation reminiscent of The Beatles with lyrics and attitude that cuts through you with incredible emotional veracity. My glorious journey through the world of Elliott Smith began here, when a friend of mine sent me "Junk Bond Trader." Slowly I'd hear more and more, out of album order, but each song was just as infectious and mesmerizing as the last. Review Summary: Elliott Smith's instrumental and lyrical genius shines on what is probably his most mainstream release.
0 kommentar(er)
