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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Figure 8
by Elliott Smith


9.7

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

LABEL:	DreamWorks
RELEASE DATE:	18 April 2000
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	rock, alternative, indie

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Checkout.com

It's a sweeping, gorgeous masterwork that draws upon a collage of pop flavors from the last four decades, brightly burning the eternal singer/songwriter flame and touching down for a couple of power pop punches.

Ink Blot Magazine

A dreamy, layered work that merely ups the rock ante of his perfectly balanced 1998 release, XO -- an exquisite union of wistful acoustic stylings and polished pop.

Mojo

This relentlessly engaging album hangs together even better than its illustrious predecessor.

Wall of Sound

Smith has shifted his focus away from crafting the perfect pop epic; though this description fits several of the new tracks ("Son of Sam," "Junk Bond Trader"), there are just as many melodic fragments or simply structured ballads ("Everything Reminds Me of Her," "Somebody That I Used to Know").

Spin Cycle

Smith's talent lays in his ability, like Tom Waits, to create a surreal landscape populated by crafty guitar and piano work and a haunting, layered voice that climbs cheek to cheek with his instruments to create something unheard of today.

New Musical Express

An album awash with pretty ambiguities and difficult twists.

CDNow

There are no real surprises on Figure 8, just the same gorgeous, soft vocals and acoustic guitar heard on his previous releases...

All Music Guide

Even if it is a very impressive statement overall, Figure 8 isn't quite the masterpiece it wants to be -- there's something about the pacing that just makes the record feel long...

The Onion (A.V. Club)

A strong collection of lush, densely arranged power-pop and inimitably intimate ballads?

MTV.com

Smith retains the Lennon-esque simplicity and quirky lyrical phrasing that earned him critical praise in the past even as he digs deeper into his psyche and attempts to work through an off-kilter world.

Sonicnet

Call it thinking-man's pop from a reluctant star, but Figure 8 is a "grower." However weird it may sound initially, it merits repeated listenings.

Spin

The record is not a disappointment, it's a progression.

Q Magazine

Most riveting are the ballads, where he conveys a devastating truth with conversational ease.

Trouser Press

While nothing here fails the consistent artistry of his work, neither does any of it make the direct connection to a soul and heart.

Rolling Stone

For all their harmonic convolutions and tucked-away chorales, the arrangements exude modesty, without the arena-size inflation of Beatle-fan bands like Oasis...

HOB.com

Smith makes a valiant effort to match the austere beauty of XO... Still, he falls short on the most important element of his songs, the vocal melodies.

Pitchfork

But while Elliott Smith includes some of his least inspired music of all time on Figure 8, he also surprisingly pulls out some of his best to date.

Entertainment Weekly

His music has always straddled the line between fragility and triviality, and too much of ''Figure 8'' falls on the wrong side of that divide.

New York Magazine

Smith is capable of subtle introspection, but too many of his new songs sound like the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary.

The average user rating for this album is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

chris h gave it a10:
Great tunes. Great voice.

Sara H gave it a9:
i agree, elliott's work is great the first listen, and it grows on you more and more every time you listen to it. figure 8 is no exception, its up there with my favorites, right behind XO.he was truely an amazing artist.

Andy gave it an8:
THis is a great album.

borgy gave it a10:
Fantastic.

Mick S gave it a10:
As one of the reviews said, this one is a grower. The first time it starts out ok, then every time you listen, something new pops up that you hadn't noticed before. I feel like that happens with all his albums, but with Figure 8 it has been especially true. It has slowly grown into possibly my favorite Elliott Smith album.

Paul gave it a10:
It's difficult to give a CD (or movie, or book...) a 10 on metacritic, because a 10 implies perfection, but I LOVE this album. I LOVE IT! I've had this album for over a year now and I've been listening to it constantly since. This album was my first E. Smith album and it encouraged me to get all his other stuff. I can listen to this whole album and not want to skip a single song. Highlights include the whole album, but the cream of the crop include Son of Sam, Junk Bond Trader, LA, Easy Way Out, Happiness, Pretty Mary K, Can't Make a Sound... Do yourself a favor and GET THIS ALBUM!

bud s gave it a10:
One of the greatest albums ever released.

Figure 8 by Elliott Smith

Figure 8
by Elliott Smith