Leave it to Elliot Smith to put out a good album and have it actually be disappointing.

XO, his last major climb atop Mount Brilliance, was nothing short of transcendent folk-pop, one unbelievably wonderful song after another. Figure 8, though having more highlights than a raver's hairdo, just doesn't match up.

Its focus, like the hard buildup of guitar and drums in Stupidity Tries or the fine lyrics on Someone That I Used to Know, are more rare than on the previous bests of Smith. Still, let's not live in the past like some fading rock writer from small-town Saskatchewan.

Everything Means Nothing to Me, having scant more words than those in its title, is darn haunting. Wouldn't Mama Be Proud is a neat tune about materialism, and it shows ol' Elliot's natural talent off. Comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel or even the original Fab Four (not the Spice Girls, fool) still have some ground on Figure 8, which, incidentally, moves in tone kind of like a figure eight. Up, down, around and so on, back to up again.

The best song on the album, and I'll arm-wrestle anyone to the death who disagrees, is Color Bars. At once familiar and new, Smith appears to be surfing his wave of piano, plus he makes fun of TV, which is noble to crazed technophobes such as myself.

Well, anyway, you get the idea. It takes about five listens, seriously, for this record's own private brilliance to shine, whereas XO was instantly blinding.

There's enough here to warrant a listen, anyway.

Just don't live for it. Reminds me of the latest Eels album in that way.

Saturday, April 29, 2000

Not-so-good Figure 8