Somebody Likes It

It's difficult to gaze back upon Elliot Smith's career and not see all of it, even the highlights, through a lens tinted with melancholy. Such may be the way that it goes with turbulent exits from this mortal coil, but Smith always let rays of sunshine filter through his musical tumult, and so goes From A Basement On The Hill, one of those great album titles that none of us can quite recall correctly, exactly. Smith's hallmarks are all present, and though the effort isn't quite as sublime as Either/Or (or even Figure 8), there's enough substance for listeners to lament, still, his absence, from the Beatles-infused winks to Nick Drake inspired turns and beyond. 2003 seems like a long time ago, until it doesn't. Elliot Smith - From A Basement On The Hill A Few Minutes With [**Ariel Pink** - Put Your Number In My Phone][2] A Current Affair [**Devin Dawson** - Asking For a Friend][3]