Aural Fixations
ELLIOTT SMITH
from a basement on the hill
(Anti-)
When you're writing about an album by a dead artist, it's tempting to read intent in the work that may not really be there. When that artist died by his own hand, as did Elliott Smith, that temptation is quadrupled, as fans look for clues to his state of mind. Plus, Smith's battles with alcohol, depression and heroin have been well-documented, which makes his tunes seem even more like confession. From that perspective, from a basement on the hill, a collection of recordings Smith was working on when he died, seems like a report from a pit of black despair. It's way too easy to hear lyrics like "burning every bridge that I cross" in "Let's Get Lost" or "But it's not worth it to you/'Cause you gotta get high somehow" from "Pretty (Ugly Before)" as part of a resigned state-of-the-union address that offers no hope. Maybe that's true—Smith has been candid before about the influence his personal problems have had on his music. Then again, he wrote songs about smack before he ever tried it, so the line between artistic license and autobiography can be mighty thin where Smith is concerned.
Of course, all this musing on artistic philosophy ignores another important point when considering from a basement on the hill: this isn't the record Smith wanted for release. I don't mean that as a slam to the compilers (credited as "Elliott's family and friends, though his frequent collaborator Rob Schnapf and girlfriend Joanna Bolme were ultimately responsible for the choices made); they did the best they could in fulfilling the wishes of fans who want to hear the new music. But Smith allegedly intended basement to be a double album; the single album selection here indicates that there are a lot of unfinished tracks lying around. Indeed, a couple of the songs included here sound like they needed a bit more tweaking: "Little One" could use one more round of revision and it's hard to say if the wordless vocal harmony exercise "King's Crossing" was really intended to stand as is. Plus the cuts hearken back to the more low- and mid-fi sound of his pre-major label albums, with arrangements focusing squarely on his guitars and scratchy, soulful singing; whether that lack of polish is by design or lack of time is unclear, though I personally suspect the former. At any rate, this album isn't quite what Smith had in mind, but it was put together by people close to him who can make good guesses, so it's as close as we're going to get to the real thing.
All of which doesn't consider the question: is this record any good or not? Fortunately the answer is an unqualified yes. Even with the above caveats, Smith's enormous talent for memorable melodies, yearning lyrics and intimate arrangements shines through. . "A Fond Farewell," "Pretty (Ugly Before)" and the curiously titled "A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to Be Free" reaffirm his pop mastery. The electric arrangements of "Shooting Star," "Coast to Coast" and "Don't Go Down" are reminders that the quiet Smith could rock convincingly when needed. As usual, though, it's the mostly acoustic, nearly solo cuts like "Twilight," "Memory Lane" and the beautifully melancholy "Let's Get Lost" that really command attention. Whether these songs are truly confessional or not, they have the air of a close friend unburdening his soul in the wee hours of the morning over a cup of hot chocolate. Besides, the melodies are ace, and that's always been Smith's emphasis. From a basement on the hill may not be exactly the album Smith intended to make, but it's still a strong record that does his memory proud. Michael Toland [buy it]
