hey listen

Listen up ; For future reference, let this be known as 'the greatest album ever created, at least to Abby Jitendra from the week beginning 5/1/09' . Here is how Popjustice.com would illustrate this fact;

1. Roman Candle - 'I'm a roman candle, my head is full of flames.' Is it cool that I used this in my english coursework? Is it cool that when I got bored in my functional maths (baby maths) GCSE, I filled in one of the questions with the lyrics to 'The Past Is A Grotesque Animal' and that the examiner must've had a strange half-hour of googling the words 'NONE OF OUR SECRETS ARE PHYSICAL' ? No, and seriously, no. Let's move on.

2. Condor Ave. - Elliott's voice sounds really brilliant in this, also his wierd pseudo-Southern twang makes it even more 'endearing' and good. 'What a shitty thing to say, did you really mean it?' Also, 'little whispered smoke signs you'll never get'. Amazing, beautiful, truly brilliant. This would be the best song on any album but on Roman Candle it's maybe like the 3rd.

3. No Name #1 - Beautiful. Also, depressing. 'Leave alone, cause you know you don't belong here' isn't making anyone feel cheery about losing their job/wife/purse. 'I hate to walk behind other people's ambition' is such a good lyric. Conversely, this post is so badly-written but I will continue.

4. No Name #2 - Harmonica? Harmonica. Elliott Smith is brilliant at melodies (see: 'Happiness' 'Angeles' 'Rose Parade' 'L.A.' 'His Entire Discography'). This is not his best song but it is still 8/10. Take that, 'Animal' 'Collective' (sorry Phil I do like them really).

5. No Name #3 - Literally amazing, literally. The lyrics are far more sparse and detached that Smith's usual style, without the sort of 'confessional' wordplay quality that he and other folky types capitalise on but retaining reams of depth 'n' meaning and other good things. He is what you call 'a good songwriter' which the Ting Tings are not.

WARNING : The last four songs are the best.

6. Drive All Over Town - 'It's okay I knew exactly what you meant, when you said you were an accident.' This is such a good song. Elliott's voice sounds incredible in this, too.

7. No Name #4- The 'happiest' song on the album, in terms of Tone Of Music-type things, even though there are heavy hints about, like, Domestic Violence in the beggining. The song reflects a lot of Elliott's later work - melody-driven wordy not-very-pop songs. I would quote this whole damn song but you don't have the time and I don't have the space.

8. Last Call (is the best song on the album) - Should I be a dick and label this song the 'turning point'? This is a 'turning point' - this is like where Debut Album Elliott Smith and Figure 8 Elliott Smith meet and shake hands and go for coffee and then decide to start making music together. And that is 'Last Call'. It's one of the best songs ever recorded. 'You're a crisis, you're an icicle, you're a tongueless talker, you don't care what you say'. 10/10.

9. Kiwi Maddog 20/20 - 'Subtle...yet evocative'. 'Multilayered'. 'The most intense piece of guitar wizardry ever made'. All these statements apply. This is a truly stunning composition. I wish Elliott Smith was not dead ):

In 2006 I went to Smith's home town, L.A. (though not because he used to live there) and the whole time I listened to nothing but Elliott Smith and it was 'haunting' and decaying and skewed and magic and since then I have been enchanted by him. And that is why I like, and will probably always like, Elliott Smith. End of rubbish, gushing blog post.