Elliott Smith: from a Basement on the Hill

Interview, Nov, 2004 by Ray Rogers

ELLIOTT SMITH From a Basement on the Hill (Anti-)

Like most posthumous releases, this last outing from singer-songwriter Smith, which he was in the midst of recording when he died late last year from an apparently self-inflicted stab wound, feels not quite formed. Unrefined by Smith, the album's pacing is slow and at times downright sludgy. There are, however, moments of brilliance: The intimate "Twilight," with its sad symphony of cicadas, is unnervingly beautiful. And when Smith sings about a "fond farewell to a friend who couldn't get things right" on "Fond Farewell," the heartbreak in his voice makes the loss seem all the more devastating. Ray Rogers