Elliott Smith
From a Basement on a Hill
Anti
2004

Listening to Elliott Smith's posthumously-released From a Basement on a Hill is like reading a great book you can't put down. There are no boring parts and you don't want it to ever end. Every song on this album has a beautiful melody and harmony and is instantly memorable.

Basement is the record Smith was working on when he committed suicide in 2003. Ironically, it is also the happiest-sounding album of his career. The lyrics are indeed incessantly depressing, but Basement shines due to Smith's masterful ability to match cheerful melodies with melancholic lyrics. 

"Twilight," for example, starts off "I haven't laughed this hard in a long time/better stop now before I start crying," which Smith complements with an irrestistibly sweet, singalong melody.