Elliott Smith "Figure 8" (2000)
The inclusion of some of Smith's songs in the soundtrack for "Good Will Hunting" (which garnered an Oscar nomination for best original song) raised his profile. He was signed to Dreamworks records, which meant his days of recording his albums at his and other people's houses was numbered.
This album was recorded at professional studios including Abbey Road... which seems apt as Smith's increased budget and big label direction allowed him to make a Beatles-esque baroque pop album.
The stripped down sound of "Either/Or" gives way to a lush layered approach. Opener "Son of Sam" features some backing vocals that wouldn't be out of place on a mid-60s era Beatles album. "Pretty Mary Kay" has a certain Lennon (via Pink Floyd) vibe to it.
Strings, layered vocals and bouncy Ringo-styled drums abound. But while the Beatles' songs were generally uplifting, hopeful, love-focussed; Elliott had struggled with addiction and heartbreak and his songs funnelled that pop sound through a more nihilistic filter. Not a million miles from the lovely, yet oddly sinister sound of the band Mini Mansions nearly a decade later.
Probably a track or so too long, but with a sound this lush and interesting, I'll let him away with it.
