Figure 8 (album)

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Figure 8
A man (Elliott Smith), rendered in black-and-white, stands in front of a wall with a white background and four big swirly lines of paint forming an 'S' shape behind him; the first two are black, the third is red, and the last is black. "Elliott Smith ••" and "Figure 8" are written in white text on the swirls to the left and right sides of the man, respectively.
Studio album by Elliott Smith
Released April 18, 2000 (2000-04-18)
Recorded 1999–2000
Genre
Length 52:06
Label DreamWorks
Producer
Elliott Smith chronology
XO
(1998)XO1998		 Figure 8
(2000)		 From a Basement on the Hill
(2004)From a Basement on the Hill2004
Singles from Figure 8
  1. "Happiness"
    Released: February 8, 2000
  2. "Son of Sam"
    Released: April 11, 2000

Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and the final album he completed before his death. It was recorded from 1999 to 2000 at numerous studios and released on April 18, 2000 through DreamWorks Records. Preceded by the singles "Happiness" and "Son of Sam", Figure 8 was Smith's second release on a major label.

Background

Figure 8 was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood and Abbey Road Studios in London.[1]

The title is thought to be taken from a song by Schoolhouse Rock!;[2] Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing. Regarding the album's title, Smith said this in a May 11, 2000 article in Boston Herald:

I liked the idea of a self-contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can.[3]

Smith described the songs on the album as "more fragmented and dreamlike".[4]

Cover photo

The Figure 8 wall on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles

The wall Smith stands in front of in Autumn de Wilde's photograph on the cover of the album exists in Los Angeles, and since his death it has become a memorial to him. It is located at 4334 W. Sunset Boulevard, which is a store by the name of Solutions Audio-Video Repair, just east of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It has at some stages been covered with written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith, as well as displaying a stencil of Smith in order to mimic the photo on the album cover.[5] It is regularly graffiti-ed over, followed by regular restorations from fans.[6]

Release

The album's first single, "Happiness", was released on February 8, 2000. CMJ New Music Report wrote, "While the tune's production recalls the shimmer of XO, it possesses curiously upbeat energy atypical for Smith".[7] This was followed by the album's second and final single, "Son of Sam", on April 11. A music video was released for "Son of Sam", directed by Autumn de Wilde.[8]

Figure 8 was released on April 18.[9] It peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200.[10]

The Japanese release of this album included Smith's cover of The Beatles' song "Because" from the movie American Beauty and "Figure 8", an abridged cover of a Schoolhouse Rock! song.[11]

The promotional CD for Figure 8 featured cover artwork by Mike Mills, director of Thumbsucker.[12] Smith contributed songs to the Thumbsucker soundtrack.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 81/100[13]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[14]
The A.V. Club favorable[15]
Entertainment Weekly B–[16]
Mojo 4.5/5 stars[13]
NME 8/10[17]
Pitchfork 6.9/10[18]
Q 4/5 stars[13]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[19]
Trouser Press favorable[20]

Figure 8 was well-received by critics. NME called it "Smith's best effort to date".[17] Spin wrote, "The record is not a disappointment, it's a progression."[13] The A.V. Club wrote, "Figure 8 is even better [than previous records], a strong collection of lush, densely arranged power-pop [...] and inimitably intimate ballads".[15]

AllMusic was more critical, writing, "Even if it is a very impressive statement overall, Figure 8 isn't quite the masterpiece it wants to be".[14] Pitchfork, too, opined, "Figure 8, ultimately, isn't as good a record as XO or Either/Or, though the man's not out of the picture yet."[18] Trouser Press called it "a record that feels very different from its predecessors", describing its style as "brisk and busy, up front and confident, upbeat. While nothing here fails the consistent artistry of his work, neither does any of it make the direct connection to a soul and heart."[20]

Legacy

In 2009, Pitchfork placed Figure 8 at number 190 on its list of the 200 greatest albums of the 2000s, noting, "Not quite as intimate as his earliest records and not quite brash and bombastic like its immediate predecessor, Figure 8 marks a subtle refinement of Smith's songwriting skills" and calling it "one of Smith's most accessible and enjoyable records".[21] Rolling Stone placed it at number 42 on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade, calling it Smith's "haunted high-water mark".[22]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Elliott Smith. 

No. Title Length
1. "Son of Sam"   3:04
2. "Somebody That I Used to Know"   2:09
3. "Junk Bond Trader"   3:49
4. "Everything Reminds Me of Her"   2:37
5. "Everything Means Nothing to Me"   2:24
6. "L.A."   3:14
7. "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)"/"The Roost"   4:32
8. "Stupidity Tries"   4:23
9. "Easy Way Out"   2:44
10. "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud"   3:25
11. "Color Bars"   2:19
12. "Happiness"/"The Gondola Man"   5:04
13. "Pretty Mary K"   2:36
14. "I Better Be Quiet Now"   3:35
15. "Can't Make a Sound"   4:18
16. "Bye"   1:53

Charts

Album charts
Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 45[23]
UK Albums Chart 37[24]
US Billboard 200 99[10]
Single charts
Year Song Peak positions
UK
2000 "Son of Sam" 55[24]

Personnel

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  • Elliott Smith – guitar, vocals, piano, bass, drums, organ, chamberlin, percussion, string arrangement, production
Additional personnel
  • Sam Coomes – bass guitar ("Everything Means Nothing to Me", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Stupidity Tries", "Pretty Mary K")
  • Pete Thomas – drums ("Junk Bond Trader", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?", "Can't Make a Sound")
  • Joey Waronker – drums ("Stupidity Tries")
  • Jon Brion – backing vocals ("Happiness"/"The Gondola Man")
  • Suzie Katayama – string conduction and orchestration ("Junk Bond Trader", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Color Bars", "Can't Make a Sound")
  • Matt Dunkley – string conduction and orchestration ("Stupidity Tries")
Technical
  • Rob Schnapf – production
  • Tom Rothrock – production
  • Don C. Tyler – mastering
  • Paul Hicks – engineering assistance (Abbey Road Studios)
  • Charlie Paakkari – engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
  • Dann Thompson – engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
  • Jimmy Hoyson – engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
  • Steve Genewick – engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
  • Richard Baron – engineering assistance (Sonora Studios)
  • Geoff Walcha – engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
  • Monique Mizrahi – engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
  • Autumn DeWilde – sleeve art direction, design and photography
  • Dale Smith – sleeve art direction and design

Further reading

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References

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  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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