Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
ELLIOTT SMITH
Studio Albums: Roman Candle (1994) | Elliott Smith (1995) | Either/Or (1997) | XO (1998) | Figure 8 (2000) | From a Basement on the Hill (2004) | Readers’ Poll Results
Elliott Smith’s self-titled second LP recently received a 25th anniversary expanded special edition. Like too many artists gone too soon, Smith’s catalog has taken on greater meaning to fans and critics alike since his passing in 2003 at the age of 34. Smith released five LPs in his lifetime and one came out just a year after his death in October of 2004, From a Basement on the Hill. There are also two live albums, three compilation records, and a number of singles all released posthumously (in addition to the singles, music videos, split singles, and contributions he made to others’ records all while he was alive). It’s more than safe to say Smith is beloved. More accurately, he is missed.
The five studio albums Smith released during his lifetime now play like one long record. You can hear his sound evolve from the quiet murmur of 1994’s Roman Candle to the rare, loud horn riffs on XO’s “A Question Mark” a few years later, leading up to “Son of Sam,” the first track and second single from 2000’s Figure 8. Tracks on Figure 8 like “Somebody I Used To Know,” “L.A.,” and “Colorbars” have swelling sounds, bigger and sharper than his earlier releases. Smith has been gone nearly 20 years and with more time and each listen to his catalog you can hear him building up to something.
Smith’s discography is memorable because he remains a unique, inspirational voice to artists across generations. When you discover his music, it triggers a burst of emotions that tingles all the way up to your skin. Those goosebumps are hard to forget and resurface every time you hear his songs out in the wild. Even though his music is fragile, it weighs a ton.
Since I played out his records in my senior year of college, they’re hard to return to, not just because they take me back to a previous self, but because it’s all raw emotion. My favorites are the first three, Roman Candle, Elliott Smith, and Either/Or because I want music to plunge my head under cold water.
Sarah’s 3 Favorite Elliott Smith Albums of All Time:
1. Roman Candle (1994)
2. Elliott Smith (1995)
3. Either/Or (1997)
LISTEN & WATCH: