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

Splendid

It's simply wonderful -- bristling with pop masterpieces large and small, and reassuringly unburdened by Smith's deep-seated malaise.

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100

The Guardian

You are drawn to the conclusion that these songs would be remarkable regardless of the circumstances in which they were written.

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100

Alternative Press

Every track on Basement is a highlight. [Nov 2004, p.150]

100

Tiny Mix Tapes

If you're not moved in some way, you don't move.

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100

Los Angeles Times

Freed from the more formal sound and circumstances of his previous work, Smith indulged without being indulgent, and the revelation here is the exuberant, instinctive, playful and daring sonic pilot who was hidden inside the meticulous craftsman of such albums as "XO" and "Figure 8." [10 Oct 2004]

100

E! Online

Exquisite, angry, sad and personal, basement is a beautiful swan song of one of this generation's best.

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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. [Nov 2004, p.105]

Filter

Large and epic, but tense and claustrophobic as well, and gratefully, it's as close to Elliott as we've ever been. [#12, p.92]

Entertainment Weekly

The record is strong and radiant, if not always upbeat.... One of the best he ever made. [22 Oct 2004, p.92]

PopMatters

Review #1: A decisive triumph, and probably a personal best for Smith [score=90]; Review #2: May be Smith's finest. [score=90]

All Music Guide

While it's likely that From a Basement is cleaner than what Smith... intended, it is much sparer than Figure 8, and it feels at once more adventurous, confident, and warmer than its predecessor.

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Delusions of Adequacy

A far better album than it has any right to be.

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New Musical Express

While this is clearly not the record Smith intended to make, it's still an immensely gripping and cohesive piece of work. [23 Oct 2004, p.47]

Planet

Marks the crown atop Elliott's other five albums: a unique gift from a huge-hearted musician. [#8, p.79]

Under The Radar

There is a certain confidence inherent in these tracks, as if Smith had finally proven to himself that he didn't need to try to outdo The Beatles in his arrangements. [#7]

Stylus Magazine

From a Basement on the Hill is a far better album than it has any right to be, with its bizarre sequencing and improbable ambitions.

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Playlouder

An unfinished album, and also a beautifully accomplished one.

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cokemachineglow

The album is, in short, phenomenal. It certainly doesn’t match the beauty and heartbreak of Either/Or (1997), but it manages to recapture the spirit of that record while properly articulating the orchestration that Elliott had been working with for Figure 8 and XO (1998).

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Billboard

Smith bundles subtlety and ferocity to create one of his heart-aching best.

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Uncut

From A Basement... returns us to the more unfiltered, denuded sound of his earlier [albums]. [Nov 2004, p.106]

Blender

His bleakness was never this naked or all-consuming. [Nov 2004, p.143]

Q Magazine

This is largely intense, liberated stuff. [Nov 2004, p.111]

Dusted Magazine

On the whole Basement is noisy and rough, and often sounds more like the best record Heatmiser never made than the next Elliott Smith album.

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Mojo

As ever, his chord changes and arrangements betray an inventiveness seemingly borne of brilliant instinct. [Nov 2004, p.92]

Launch.com

One of his best.

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The New York Times

The low-fi yet meticulous arrangements only add to the sense of isolation and the poignancy of the songs. [18 Oct 2004]

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Drowned In Sound

The most fitting of testaments -- a flawed, courageous, beautiful and intimately human portrait of the self.

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Austin Chronicle

More structured and electric than Either/Or, but without the overproduction of Figure 8, Basement is the next logical step.

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ShakingThrough.net

Hill feels more like a retrospective than a steady gallop toward the next stage in Smith's artistic advancement.

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Pitchfork

The most disheartening thing about From a Basement on the Hill is its plainness-- it's neither a perfect record (and not one of Smith's best) nor the kind of colossal disaster that could be angrily pinned on money-hungry handlers and desperate fans.

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No Ripcord

The good news is that there is no real filler on the album, but this uniformity of quality equates to an album where every song is good, but where few are really great.

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Dot Music

A fine collection of songs from an immensely talented, tragically lost soul.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Slightly overlong and sometimes stitched-together, From A Basement On The Hill sags in spots.... Yet in the end, the album still earns its place--not at the top, and unfortunately as a bookend--in a jarringly important body of work.

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Paste Magazine

A fitting farewell to a distinctive voice silenced too early.

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Rolling Stone

This is an album about the seductions of oblivion, and a few of the more densely arranged songs mimic the characters in the lyrics, stumbling around without quite connecting.

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Almost Cool

While it makes a lot of musical leaps (it's probably the most "experimental" work he's done), not all of them work, but there are still some great moments for fans of his work here.

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Neumu.net

This final record is neither focused nor infallible, instead a rarer glimpse at a man whose creative doorways, once the source of so much hope and inspiration, had become outnumbered by his demons.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 74 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Connor O gave it a10:
This completely blew my mind when I heard it for the first time. Incredibly moving music from the incredible Elliott Smith.

Tom P gave it an8:
So...it's pretty good. Let's just not get too excited.

Connor O gave it a10:
Amazing album. It's what inspired me to start playing guitar. Elliott Smith is great.

fionn k gave it a10:
He is truly timeless and had the most honest voice this blends the best bits of all the other albums some songs have the strip back sond of either/or and some have the musical wizardry of xo god only knows how it would have ended up like but I'm happy we got to hear this.

Myron C gave it a10:
Over time it just gets more poignannt and transcendent. Although I would have gone for a 9.7 if the option were possible.

Wes C gave it a10:
It's got an 88/100, countless plaudits and its still sorely underrated. Can't be recommended more to Smith fans: it's absolutely essential.

David W gave it a10:
Hard to imagine a better album from start to finish. Truly the greatest songwriter since Dylan and the Beatles.

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From A Basement On The Hill

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