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Elliot Smith - Figure 8

By Barry McGuire

Three Stars out of five

For folk crooner/guitarist Elliot Smith, a life of suffering characterized by a deep sense of isolation and a hearty, cynical mentality is the true path to happiness, and Smith can't help but extol this view on his fifth solo album, Figure 8.

Following closely the same mode of thought found on earlier Smith albums like 1994's Roman Candle and XO (1998), Smith taps into the sorrow of his heart and mind. He presents his sad-eyed insight as a perfect blend between acoustic-driven, Beatles-esque melodies and emotional, raw lyrics surrounding tales of loneliness, failure, alcoholism and drug abuse.

For Buddhists, "life is suffering," and Smith knows this all too well.

"Got a foot in the door/God knows what for," Smith croons on "Stupidity Tries." The acoustic ballad "Everything Reminds Me of Her" finds Smith singing in a beautiful, sullen manner about lost love. "Why are you staring out into space crying/Just because you came across it and lost it."

Later on the album, a seething crescendo finds Smith's shaky voice at the brink of collapse, dispelling his inner sadness, "everything means nothing to me." On the mellow "Easy Way Out," Smith mourns the hardships of friendship. "You'll take advantage 'til you think you're being used/'Cos without an enemy your anger gets confused."

Smith's true genius lies in his ability to delve into his sorrow and present it so sincerely without relying on trite phrases and overused metaphors. Figure 8 probes Smith's distressing perceptions of the world and does so in an accessible manner.