Elliott Smith’s Fond Farewell

In the wake of Elliott Smith’s tragic suicide, the singer/songwriter not only left behind many grief-stricken fans, but also an unfinished album. A year later, those fans get From a Basement on the Hill, an effort comprised of Smith’s final recordings. Because he died before the album’s completion, family and friends oversaw the final production and track list. Though unavoidably it may diverge from Smith’s intent for the record, From a Basement still serves as an appropriate finale to a career defined by a sadness so readily accessible to his listeners.From a Basement recalls all the Smith moments you want to hear one last time. Tracks like “Let’s Get Lost” and “A Fond Farewell” reflect the intimacy found on Smith’s 1998 release, XO while the record’s elaborate centerpiece, “King’s Crossing,” taps into the ambitious aspects of 2000’s Figure 8. Throughout are Smith’s fragile vocals expressing his turmoil while channeling his 60’s rock sensibility. Musically, From a Basement is a more buoyant record than might be anticipated. “Memory Lane,” a track where Smith praises isolation as an alternative to “self-hatred, guilt and shame,” plays like an upbeat Django Reinhardt recording. However, if at any moment you forget that Smith killed himself while working on this album, he abruptly reminds you with the title of the aforementioned “A Fond Farewell,” or with lyrics like “I can’t prepare for death anymore than I already have” from “King’s Crossing.” Perhaps it is because his work is characterized by his remarkable ability to articulate his misery that his suicide seemed troublingly expected. And if that’s the case, then From a Basement on the Hill truly is a fond farewell.