Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Elliott SmithEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Music Label: Anti
Soundtracks:
- Coast to Coast
- Let's Get Lost
- Pretty (Ugly Before)
- Don't Go Down
- Strung Out Again
- Fond Farewell
- King's Crossing
- Ostriches & Chirping
- Twilight
- A Passing Feeling
- Last Hour
- Shooting Star
- Memory Lane
- Little One
- A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free
Free Music Notes for From a Basement on the Hill
Free Music Review: Quintessential
Hit: 5 Stars
Originally envisioned as Elliott's interpretation of the Beatles' White Album, From A Basement On the Hill transformed into (what I believe to be) Elliott's defining work. An unfortunately unfinished symphony, it still manages to become a quintessential piece of music history.
For some time, Elliott dealt with the insecurities that accompany most musicians pouring themselves into their work: criticism, soaring popularity, Kurt Cobain syndrome - all were factors of Elliott's uncomfortable presence in the spotlight. Throughout his early career, he implicitly stated that his songs were not diary entries. As if to prove his point, his songs became increasingly more enigmatic, throughout XO and Figure 8.
Basement is Elliott's real inner workings. The album illustrates something new for Elliott, acceptance. He had begun to admit that his sensitivity to friends / relationships was something he would have to learn to deal with. This new narrative is illustrated in songs like A Passing Feeling, Let's Get Lost, and Twilight, songs filled with a sense of letting go - similar to Harrison's All Things Must Pass. Other songs range from criticism of the music industry and Elliott's roles therein ("King's Crossing" / "Strung Out Again") to social commentary ("A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to Be Free" "The Last Hour"). The former, as the last track on the album, punctuates the albums statement poignantly.
Like Roman Candle, I don't feel that Elliott had anyone audience in mind when he was creating the album, only a goal: to prove to himself that he could survive.
Throughout much of the recording process, Elliott was delving deeper and deeper into ways he could reach into his darkness. He would spend 3-5 days at a time recording each song from start to finish, without a break. It was his way of pushing pasts barriers, digging even deeper than he had ever gone. I believe he was motivated to do so because he believed it was the only way he could survive. For the year prior to the recording of this album, Elliott became increasingly depressive, drugged, medicated, and isolated. He came to the realization that he had to stop using drugs as a way of dealing with his past, and I believe this album was some of the motivation to heal. Although his abuse continued, and even worsened throughout the recording process, by the end of it - he was clean.
But aside from the amazing emotional depth, the album was technically inspired as well. Many of the tracks were recorded in the vein of Sgt. Pepper, rock's holy grail of avante garde production. Originally produced and mixed by Elliott and David McConnell, they had intentionally approached the album with an all at once historic and new age feel. Bouncing tracks down from 8 to 1, the sounds became fuller, thicker, more condensed. Elliott and David detuned guitars, ran vocals through amps to mics (ala Tomorrow Never Knows), resulting in what I would consider a sorely underappreciated sound. Elliott was determined to create something that hadn't been heard in decades, he wanted every sound to be unique to the album. He was so determined in fact, that he attempted to erase the masters on several occasions - in order to insure that no one could ever stray from the mixes he had birthed. Specifically to avoid any pitch correction via Pro Tools.
Although the album was eventually finished by long time collaborator Rob Schnapf (whose production Elliott had described as "too clean"), the album maintains a density that amazes the most hard to please ears. It is all at once warm, and desolate - fuller, richer.
In the end, the album still feels like a prelude to what was envisioned. The official release ended with just fifteen tracks, a far cry from Elliott's original count of 30. My hope is that somewhere down the road, the family and Interscope will agree to release Basement as it was intended, with the previously cut Stickman, True Love Is A Rose, From A Poison Well, Let's Turn the Record Over, Abused, Almost Over, Suicide Machine, and the other - as these songs only further elaborate the amazing story that is Basement.
Until then, we're left with what will unfortunately be remembered as an incredible artist's last album. I think it's important to mention that in the end, Basement did end up helping Elliott. By the time the album was near completion, he had been clean for some time. He was planning benefit concerts for Clean Needle, and intended for most of the profits from Basement to go towards the Elliott Smith Foundation, established to provide aid to abused children. I think Elliott's death will forever overshadow what a beautiful, honest, innovative, cathartic, and important album Basement truly is. But my hope is that it will only grow to be more appreciated...
From a Basement on the Hill Poster
Elliott Smith has been a patron saint of the indie scene since his days helming Portland heroes Heatmiser. As a solo artist, his fondness for Beatlesque melody led to some of the most beautifully orchestrated pop of the last decade. This is his final recording, which found him returning to an edgier, guitar-driven sound, alongside his trademark heart-rending balladry.MUZE Notes: Elliott Smith's death in 2003 left a cavernous hole in the world of popular music. Tender, intimate, and painfully honest, the songs in Smith's catalogue capture the fragility of human existence with rare, breathtaking beauty. On his first posthumous release, Smith reaffirms his status as an extraordinarily gifted artist, giving fans yet another reason to mourn his tragic loss. Conceived as an ambitious double album, FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL was ultimately narrowed down to 15 tracks by Smith's close friends, producer Rob Schnapf (Beck's MELLOW GOLD, Smith's X/O) and musician Joanna Bolme (the Minders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks). The result is a heartbreaking collection of songs that plays like a retrospective of Smith's entire career. "Strung Out Again" reflects the early edge of ROMAN CANDLE; "Last Hour" recalls the bittersweet melodies of ELLIOTT SMITH; "A Fond Farewell" is a sad anthem in the tradition of EITHER/OR; "Shooting Star" employs the more polished sound of ! X/O; and "Don't Go Down" is an extension of the more electrified FIGURE 8. Of course, the most haunting aspect of FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL is the lyrical content, which is impossible to hear without placing it in the context of Smith's untimely passing.
Posthumous releases fall into two categories: those which the artist was working on at the time of their death, and those which are gathered from every nook and cranny to keep fans enthused and cash registers ringing. Elliott Smith's from a basement on the hill is of the former variety. It was close to completion at the time of his untimely death. Over the course of the set's 15 songs, Smith's powerful songwriting and production skills are shown in their full breadth. From thickly interlocked chordal guitar riffs ("Coast to Coast") to shimmering melancholia ("A Fond Farewell"), the songs are each brought to their own particular focus by whatever means were most appropriate. There are lush background vocals, keyboard washes, pounding rhythms, and heart rending balladry. This disc is a sad goodbye to richly emotive artist. --David Greenberger
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