Album Rating: 4.5

Only know 2 Smith albums and I think I'm firmly XO > Either/Or at this point



XO is almost a 5

Album Rating: 4.5

the dominant discourse on Elliott Smith has been since XO came out that he took a step down. check like, pitchfork ratings/reviews for example. Or just talk to some olds who were listening to him in the 90s.



I don't fully agree. but obviously XO, and especially Figure 8, are a lot more accessible. A little less "raw", musically anyway. Lyrics are still heartbreaking.



fwiw Figure 8 is my #2 Elliott Smith album after Either/Or. But his discography is basically perfect to me so idk. I do understand when ppl think XO etc. is a step down.

Album Rating: 4.5

wait lmao pitchfork gave this a 9.5



but then they gave figure 8 a 6.9



regardless, I have heard many people say that the first three are on a tier alone

Album Rating: 5.0

X/O is him ‘doing a Beatles’ but it just rules, song writing is unreal. Also his most varied…well, that or Basement

Album Rating: 4.0

Yep it's a pleasure listening to all the fancy instrumentation and arrangements he was able to conjure from XO.

It's not just that though the chord progressions also get more intricate. To me his latter period beats the early one as a whole but I do love Either/Or too. Don't care much for the other ones.

Although Basement is basically his Dog/Tripod (alice in chains) record and hard to stomach, quite noisy and grating, but ultimately rewarding. Also has one of his best fingerpicking pieces in Memory Lane.



And yes as mentioned, New Moon has a few top shelf tracks definitely worth a listen.

Album Rating: 5.0

Memory Lane is one of his best agreed, definite 5 star song, grim as hell lyrics

Album Rating: 4.0

Coast to coast never fails to make me feel absolutely terrible



RIP

Album Rating: 4.0

Listening to Coast To Coast for the first time while also stoned fucked me up forreal