Figure 8 (2000)

Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and the final album released during his lifetime. It was recorded from 1998 to 2000 at numerous studios and released on April 18, 2000, through DreamWorks Records. Preceded by the singles "Happiness" and "Son of Sam", Figure 8 was Smith's second release on a major label.

Background

Figure 8 was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood and Abbey Road Studios in London. Initially titled Place Pigalle after the square in Paris, the title is thought to be taken from a song by Schoolhouse Rock!; Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing. Regarding the album's title, Smith said in a May 11, 2000, article in Boston Herald:

I liked the idea of a self-contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can.

Smith described the songs on the album as "more fragmented and dreamlike". The lyrics contain references to serial killer David Berkowitz, the Hindu deity Shiva, actor Bruno Schleinstein, the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, and the comic book character Sgt. Rock. In interviews Smith asserted that his reference to Berkowitz was intended to be dreamlike or impressionistic. A fan of filmmaker Werner Herzog and Schleinstein, Smith said in an interview with Revolver "How come we have no Bruno S. [in America]? How come he can be a film star in Europe, but over here everybody has to look like they were computer generated?" Smith would again reference Hindu deities at two shows in 2003 when he appeared on stage with the words "Kali - The Destroyer" written on his arm.

Cover photo

The mural wall in Los Angeles that Smith stands in front of in Autumn de Wilde's cover photograph for the album was a local landmark to de Wilde, who grew up in the Sunset Boulevard neighborhood. Since Smith's death, it has become a de facto memorial to him. It is located at 4334 Sunset Boulevard, just east of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It has previously been covered with fan-written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith, and once displayed a stenciled image of Smith to mimic his position on the album cover. It is regularly graffiti-ed over, followed by regular restorations undertaken by fans. In 2017, a section of the wall was removed to facilitate the opening of a business inside the building. Despite this, the portion of the mural shown on the album cover is still largely intact.

Release

The album's first single, "Happiness", was released on February 8, 2000. CMJ New Music Report wrote, "While the tune's production recalls the shimmer of XO, it possesses curiously upbeat energy atypical for Smith". This was followed by the album's second and final single, "Son of Sam", on April 11. A music video was released for "Son of Sam", directed by Autumn de Wilde.

Figure 8 was released on April 18, 2000. It debuted at number 99 on the Billboard 200, selling 19,000 copies, and stayed on the chart for 5 weeks. It was Smith's highest-charting album in the US during his lifetime.

The Japanese release of this album included Smith's cover of the Beatles' song "Because" from the film American Beauty and "Figure 8", an abridged cover of a Schoolhouse Rock! song.

The promotional CD for Figure 8 featured cover artwork by Mike Mills, director of Thumbsucker. Smith contributed songs to the Thumbsucker soundtrack.

As of 2004, it has sold 185,000 copies in United States.

The track "L.A." was included on the soundtrack for the 2009 game Guitar Hero 5.

Critical reception

Figure 8 was met with "universal acclaim" from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Figure 8 has an average score of 81 based on 19 reviews. NME called it "Smith's best effort to date". Spin wrote, "The record is not a disappointment, it's a progression." The A.V. Club wrote, "Figure 8 is even better [than previous records], a strong collection of lush, densely arranged power-pop [...] and inimitably intimate ballads". Pitchfork described the album musically as "muscular chamber-pop". Tiny Mix Tapes stated the album "dabbled in Spiritualized-style neo-psychedelia".