From A Basement On The Hill [Digipak]

Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 - "[He] was great....Here are 15 more reasons not to forget Elliott Smith's harrowing sadness - and his singular musical intelligence." Rolling Stone - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "This is an album about the seductions of oblivion...Smith teases extraordinary wit and warmth from songs that float lazily toward happiness." Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 - "As ever, his chord changes and arrangements betray an inventiveness seemingly borne of brilliant instinct." Spin - "Smith's intentions cry out from the album's every discordant corner - he clearly wanted to test himself, to unhinge parts of his sound....In the music, in these songs, the guy's still with us." - Grade: A- Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "[A] gripping trip to oblivion, sparkling with barbed wit and elegantly tangled guitars." Uncut - Ranked #8 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "[T]he songs are variously full of hope, frustration and weary resignation..." Alternative Press - 5 out of 5 - "[E]very track on BASEMENT is a highlight." Entertainment Weekly - "The record is strong and radiant..." - Grade: A- Spin - Ranked #6 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year" - "BASEMENT feels monumentally final..." Pitchfork - "[I]t's the most complete document we have of the music he was hearing in his head those final years." NME (23/10/04, p.47) - 9 (out of 10) - "...a magnificent album..."

Final studio album from Nebraska born singer-songwriter who sadly died in October 2003 at the age of 34. He worked on this follow up to 2000's lushly produced, Beatlesque 'Figure 8' for the best part of two years. A number of these tracks feature guest backing vocals from Smith's former Heatmiser collaborator, Sam Coomes.|

ちょうど1年前、あまりに唐突な死を迎えたエリオット・スミス。本作は彼が生前録り貯めていた34曲のなかから、プロデューサーのロブ・シュナッフと元恋人のジョアンナ・ボルムが15曲を選び、ミックスを施した〈ラスト・アルバム〉。彼のためらうような、それでいてふり絞るような歌声が、ここにもしっかりと息づいている。そして、悪い予感のカケラもない美しい旋律。これは遺言ではなく、遅れて届いた手紙なのだ。
bounce (C)村尾 泰郎