release date: Oct. 24, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,28]
producer: produced by PJ Harvey, Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Big Exit" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 2. "Good Fortune" (4 / 5) - 3. "A Place Called Home" (4 / 5) - 4. "One Line" - 5. "Beautiful Feeling" (4 / 5) - 6. "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore" (4 / 5) (live on BBC) - 7. "This Mess We're In" [feat. Thom Yorke] (5 / 5) - 8. "You Said Something" - 9. "Kamikaze" (4 / 5) - 10. "This Is Love" (4 / 5) - 11. "Horses in My Dreams" - 12. "We Float" (4,5 / 5)
5th studio album by PJ Harvey is just: wonderful! I believe this album finally wore down my cd-player that year. What a brilliant album by lovely Polly Jean. I recall my musical experience as this album was always in / out of the cd-player, and I haven't really repaired the player since 'cause now I just play my cds from a back-up hard-drive and the cd-player collects dust. At first I fell for and adored "The Whores Hustle..." and I heard it over and over again until other songs began to shine, and they just kept coming. In my mind this is her finest album so far, although I don't like it that much anymore - it's simply too familiar. Many consider the slow and romantic To Bring You My Love (1995) as her finest. I just find that too dull and extravagant - too theatrical. I really like her the best when she's more electric as on Rid of Me (1993) or on the garage rock-styled debut Dry (1990). This album really combines her strengths: the narrative lyrics in an alternative rock, singer / songwriter package with both harmony and guitar-based loudness. And although it's worn, it's not worn out, and it will revive of course, only for the time being, I consider it "sleeping". The only negative side to it is that it's a bit too polished and somewhat soaked in a heavy production sound, which may tend to drag the attention tending to emphasize form over matter. Nonetheless, the album is her best effort ever. With the album PJ Harvey was nominated to and won for the first time the Mercury Prize Award for "Best album from the UK and Ireland" in 2001. The album is the 3rd PJ Harvey to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone and NME 4,5 / 5 stars ]
2000 Favourite releases: 1. PJ Harvey Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea - 2. Susana Baca Eco de sombras - 3. Olesen-Olesen Der er brev fra onkel Bob i Amerika
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