For an album that Elliott Smith was working on at the time ofhis death, "From a Basement on the Hill" is surprisingly beautiful,complex and, at times, even vigorous.
Rest assured that this is not one of those cases where therecord company throws together bits and pieces from old recordingsand previously unreleased material to cash in on the passing of anartist. These are his last efforts, which seem to gain a poignantcoherence even though he was an artist who had previously been sosuccessful at distorting and muffling strong emotion.
To be sure, the feelings have stayed the same. The searingisolation, bitter melancholy and weary resignation still resoundfrom heart-rending balladry and heavily orchestrated indie-rockarrangements.
Smith has always achieved emotional effect by combining scathingor gut-wrenchingly sad lyrics with warm, beautiful melodies. In thepotently-titled "A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity To BeFree," Smith's silken voice sounds strangely placid, floating overhis strumming as he sings, "You disappoint me / You people rakingin on the world / The Devil's script sells you the heart of ablackbird."
Smith's disillusion with the ways of the world has always been afocal point, and he sings from the point of view of an outsider."The game looks easy / That's why it sells," he remarks in "King'sCrossing." He appears as a poet commenting on the follies ofothers, on the despicable things he sees around him.
Smith himself described his music as "impressionistic" andrejected the classification of his work as "folk," saying that folkmusic was too defined, too carefully crafted to put forward amessage or moral. Indeed, while an artist like Dylan seems much incontrol behind the tongue-in-cheek humor of his lyrics, Smith onlyreflects and projects the moments that seem to overwhelm him.
He describes one character going uptown "To f**k some trophy boythat you found tonight at the bar" and expresses equal disgusttowards another: "I don't care if I f**k up / I'm going on a datewith a rich wife baby / Ain't life great." Yet it's often hard totell whether he's singing about others or himself, as there's nolack of self-loathing in his lyrics.
He wearily chides himself for his alienation and lack of purposein "Memory Lane," singing "I do what people say and lie in bed allday" and regretfully accepts being "strung out again" in theappropriately titled, "Strung Out Again."
Smith had a long struggle with drugs and depression. Although hetold interviewers that the drug theme in his music was more oftenused to depict dependence and emptiness in general, he alsomentioned that most of the people in his life were depressed oraddicts. At times he seems resigned to this fact, but "Down Again"is touchingly dedicated to a friend, to whom he pleads "Don't godown / Stay with me / Baby stay." Sadly, friends told the pressafter his death that working on this album seemed to be helping himthrough a bout of extreme depression.
Musically at least, the album makes progress. Smith was a hugeBeatles fan and while previous albums like "XO" and "Either/Or"were certainly Beatlesque, "From a Basement" particularly recallsthe White Album in managing to combine melody and poetryminimalistically. The lullaby "Little One" resembles the Beatles'"Good Night" and Smith's fondness for combining upbeat, catchystrumming with haunting character sketches does not stray far fromclassics like "Eleanor Rigby." Even the background audio clips thatplay at the end of the opening track resemble the street preachersof "Revolution no. 9."
The tracks range from quieter acoustic ballads like "Let's GetLost" to fuller, louder rock pieces complete with clashing symbols,background vocals and hammering piano chords. The best tracks onthe album are those in which Smith translates his frustration intofull-blown musical brilliance, like in the opening track "Coast toCoast."
With these songs, it's easy to see how he's influenced an indiescene that includes Nick Drake, Badly Drawn Boy, The Shins andBright Eyes. And don't forget that "Miss Misery" from the Good WillHunting soundtrack was nominated for an Oscar.
The posthumous release of "From a Basement" will surely instillfans with much regret that, despite the many signs of energy andprogress to be found in the album, it will be his last contributionto the indie-pop scene that he helped to create.
