PJ Harvey "The Hope Six Demolition Project" (2016)

The Hope Six Demolition Project
release date: Apr. 15, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Flood, John Parish, PJ Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Community of Hope" - 3. "A Line in the Sand" - 6. "Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" - 7. "The Orange Monkey" - 10. "The Wheel"

9th studio album by PJ Harvey following five full years after the acclaimed Let England Shake (Feb. 2011) is like the predecessor produced in a tight collaboration with John Parish and Flood [Mike Ellis]. On the musicians side it also reflects 'the usual suspects' as Mick Harvey, Mike Ellis and John Parish are among her most frequently used musical partners. And much like her acclaimed 2011 album this is a conceptual album in the sense that the album title refers to the US Hope VI projects where run-down public buildings are being demolished in order to defeat crime and poor social status areas, which has the side-effect that current residents are being chased from 'their' homes.
Musically, it's not far from Let England Shake, although I find that this is less orchestrated and more in sync with her previous works by balancing alt. rock, indie rock with bits of blues rock in her singer / songwriter outing.
Generally, I find this an improvement to her much appraised 2011 album that I didn't embrace as something great, but here I find that she succeeds in combining her past with her more recent works.
[ allmusic.com, 👍NME, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "Let England Shake" (2011)

Let England Shake
release date: Feb. 11, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Flood, Mick Harvey, John Parish, PJ Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Let England Shake" - 2. "The Last Living Rose" - 3. "The Glorious Land" - 4. "The Words That Maketh Murder" - 5. "All and Everyone" - 6. "On Battleship Hill" - 7. "England" - 8. "In the Dark Places" - 9. "Bitter Branches" - 10. "Hanging in the Wire" - 11. "Written on the Forehead" - 12. "The Colour of the Earth"

8th studio album by PJ Harvey released on Island Records (Vagrant in the US) and produced by Flood [Mark Ellis], Mick Harvey, John Parish, and PJ Harvey. The album comes 3½ years after White Chalk (Sep. 2007), and stylistically it doesn't deviate much from that. The 2007 album dealt much about the same old England like this one. Here, the songs are more orchestrated but still with bold and quiet folk and chamber pop.
In the UK the album was met as her finest album to date. Harvey was nominated the Mercury Prize Award in 2011, like she had been on three other occasions before - only, this time she won it, and she is so far the first artist to receive that prize more than just once, as she also won in 2001 for the album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000). Harvey has received a number of other prizes for the album, and it's (perhaps) her best-selling album worldwide, peaking at number #8 on the UK albums chart list and making it to top 10 in various other countries.
Looking at her most recent studio releases it appears that she feels comfortable playing with Mick Harvey and perhaps especially with John Parrish, with whom she released the second collaboration album A Woman a Man Walked By in 2009, and that she has found a more mature role playing more folk-based music with lyrical roots in ancient British literature. Particular in England, critics and people in general, I guess, are happy to have this female exponent of modern art that bonds with the glorious past. And I know from reviews that the album was received in mostly positive terms abroad as well.
In spite of all the acclaim, I just don't find it that rewarding, and perhaps because my musical fascination is very much dependent on the musical output - regardless lyrical strengths. This is sincere and mellow music but it doesn't really touch me. Writing about World War I, and dealing with conflicts as a conceptual element is simply not enough. I find the music repetitious and on a halt without musical progression or originality. Concerning album highlights, I find that a difficult subject 'cause from my perspective, the album is without obvious highs. The whole album is like one long take. The storytelling is initiated, prolonged, extended and finished without much fuss. Yes, there are obvious epic elements, but this is not a novel. I'm sorry, Polly Jean, and you're still fabulous. A bit undeservedly, the album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "White Chalk" (2007)

White Chalk
release date: Sep. 24, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Flood, John Parish, PJ Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

7th studio album by PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by Flood [Mark Ellis], John Parish, and PJ Harvey. It's been 3 ½ years since the previous studio album Uh Huh Her (2004) and this time she has turned to a new style of folk-oriented chamber pop, and gone is her 'usual' sticker of alt. rock.
The album was well-received by critics mostly everywhere, and the album generally sold well. I just don't like it all that much - and never did. Maybe one day I'll understand why people call it great. Heather Phares at allmusic.com writes: "When she's at the peak of her powers, as she is on this frightening yet fearless album, the world she creates is impossible to forget, or shake off easily. 'White Chalk can make you shiver on a sunny day." Bob Sheffield writes for Rolling Stone and he states: "The songs aren't knockouts, avoiding the big choruses she does so well. But they have a cold pastoral kind of chill, as Harvey howls about being possessed by demon lovers and ghosts in "The Devil" and "The Piano." Well, I simply do not agree, Bob. Although, intimate, I find it long and tedious, and I don't consider this at her peaks, but yes Bob, the songs aren't knockouts, I concede on that, but having to scratch for poetic and historical bonds in English soil is not enough to make it great. She could've released the songs in a booklet 'cause the music is left without personal intensity or involvement, as I see it. Buy hey, it's PJ Harvey isn't! I find it better than a lot out there, and it's no near a mediocre album, but it may just be her least favourable studio album.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "The Peel Sessions: 1991-2004" (2006)

The Peel Sessions: 1991-2004 (compilation)
release date: Oct. 23, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

A compilation album containing tracks from five John Peel sessions at BBC, released through Island Records and produced by Mike Robinson, Alison Howe, Simon Askew, and Andy Rogers. Well, some Peel sessions are truly original versions of well-known artists' work, but the majority of these recordings are really not all that different from Harvey's own album versions, so in that way this it "just another compilation" of fine tracks, and is more of a collector's item. And being rather familiar with 8 of the album's 12 tracks, I really prefer the studio album versions. The production sound here is really not that great. Sometimes you need the scraped down versions of things making it more authentic, I guess, but here that strategy don't work that well. Some Harvey's best early songs all have a certain balance of fierce energy and bedroom rehearsal recording sound that just fits so well, but in these recordings that balance is lost. Everything comes out as mere demo-recordings she did much better on her own, eg. on her 4 Track Demos album.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut 4 / 5, Mojo 2 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "Uh Huh Her" (2004)

Uh Huh Her
release date: May 31, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: PJ Harvey
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Life and Death of Mr Badmouth" - 2. "Shame" - 3. "Who the Fuck" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 4. "Pocket Knife" - 5. "The Letter" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 9. "You Come Through" - 10. "It's You" (live) - 14. "The Darker Days of Me and Him" (4 / 5)

6th studio album by PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by Harvey herself. The album is a return to what she found a strength on 4-Track Demos (1993), which basically was herself playing, singing and producing. From various interviews and articles it seems like she felt trapped in the studio sessions prior to this. The albums To Bring You My Love (1995), Is This Desire? (1998), and Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000) had been difficult and hard work with many people involved in the finalising process - not just several producers but also engineers and studio musicians, so she wanted more control of her music, and this is almost done like her demo album with herself playing all instruments apart from drums, which were added and played by Rob Ellis after her own recordings like were some backing vocals. In this way, it's like a produced version of her own demo takes.
At first, I found it a strange and lesser release, but it's actually more than just fine. I understand this progress as I also feel that her 2000 album was slightly overproduced for her style and it didn't focus on her musical strengths but in a sense amplified and extended her natural soundscape beyond necessary. The album comes out like a more straight, simple, raw, but also an open and "tender" work compared to her most raw and simple album releases Dry (1992) and 4-Track Demos (1993).
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

BEST OF 2000:PJ Harvey "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" (2000)

Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
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

Show lyrics <- click...

~ ~ ~
"This Mess We're In"

"Can you hear them?
The helicopters?
I'm in New York
No need for words now
We sit in silence
You look me
In the eye directly
You met me
I think it's Wednesday
The evening
The mess we're in and
The city sun sets over me

Night and day
I dream of
Making-love
To you now baby
Love-making
On-screen
Impossible dream
And I have seen
The sunrise
Over the river
The freeway
Reminding
Of this mess we're in and
The city sun sets over me

What were you wanting?
I just want to say
Don't ever change now baby
And thank you
I don't think we will meet again
And you must leave now
Before the sunrise
Above skyscrapers
The sin and
This mess we're in and
The city sun sets over me"

~ ~ ~

PJ Harvey "Is This Desire?" (1998)

Is This Desire?
release date: Sep. 29, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Flood, Polly Jean Harvey and Head
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Angelene" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Sky Lit Up" (live) - 3. "The Wind" (live on Later) - 4. "My Beautiful Leah" - 5. "A Perfect Day Elise" - 8. "The Garden" (4 / 5) - 12. "Is This Desire?" (4 / 5)

4th studio album by PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by by Flood [Mark Ellis], Head [Howard Bullivant], and PJ Harvey. This was the first album I bought with PJ Harvey, although, not the first I listened to. At the time I found it interesting, yet not as good as I think of it nowadays. My knowledge of her music was limited but I really enjoyed her first albums better, so I soon purchased Rid of Me and Dry (1992). It's clear that she has come a way since her blasting and raw first releases, and that's also what makes this a really fine album. I think, that it combines her previous and somewhat overrated [!] but (still) critically acclaimed album To Bring You My Love (1995) and the debut Dry, but also brings her music into a new phase of alt. rock singer / songwriter music with inspiration from trip-hop ("The Wind") and electronic ("No Girl So Sweet") without actually attributing those styles to the album as such. Thanks to the producer panel with different approaches and her studio musicians, she threads new territory with more complex music that really comes into place on the following album. A track like "The Garden" is stylistically as taken from her brilliant 2000 release Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "To Bring You My Love" (1995)

To Bring You My Love
release date: Feb. 28, 1995
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

Track highlights: 1. "To Bring You My Love" - 4. "C'mon Billy" (4 / 5) - 7. "Down by the Water" (4 / 5) - 9. "Send His Love to Me"

3rd studio album b PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by Flood, John Parish, and PJ Harvey. The album introduces a change of style from her previous albums. Personally, she had met a tremendous amount of artistic and financial success, which may be the reason for her choice to take some time off when she practically didn't perform live more than once in '94. She turns to new musical partnerships when working on this album, which has a more American sound and a blues-oriented style influenced by and with references to Captain Beefheart. I really enjoy the Captain, but do not enjoy the combo of Harvey's blues rock, and in the end I kinda dislike the result.
The album, however, may be seen as her international biggest breakthrough to stardom, and almost everywhere it was met with appraisal. The single tracks are not bad or unoriginal - I just don't like the dark, sinister tone and the heavy blues rock element. A few great tracks stand out like "C'mon Billy", and "Down by the Water" both of which are more like the music on her debut Dry (1992) and her successive album Is This Desire? (1998). With this Harvey experienced for the second time a nomination to the Mercury Prize Award in 1995, which was handed to Portishead for the album Dummy.
Although, I'm not overwhelmed by the result, the album is no near a bad one.
[ almusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "4 Track Demos" (1993)

4-Track Demos
release date: Oct. 19, 1993
format: cd / vinyl (2020 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: PJ Harvey
label Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Rid of Me" - 2. "Legs" - 3. "Reeling" - 5. "Hook" - 6. "50 Ft. Queenie" - 9. "Hardly Wait" - 10. "Rub 'Til It Bleeds" - 13. "Yuri-G"

3rd full album by PJ Harvey released 5 months after her successful follow-up studio album Rid of Me (May '93) is released through Island Records and produced by PJ Harvey. The album features 14 tracks of Harvey's own lo-fi '4-Track Demo' recordings made in her home from 1991 to '92, eight of which had their full studio versions on Rid of Me, whereas the rest remain otherwise unreleased.
The album is a fine document of Harvey's own musical skills and her taste for the raw and unpolished style.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "Rid of Me" (1993)

Rid of Me
release date: May 4, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,04]
producer: Steve Albini
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Rid of Me" - 2. "Missed" - 5. "Hook" - 7. "Highway '61 Revisited" - 8. "50ft Queenie" - 9. "Yuri-G" - 10. "Man-Size" - 12. "Me-Jane"

2nd studio album release by PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by Steve Albini. One year earlier the debut album from '92 put her on everyone's lips, but with this album she reached her highest position on the album chart list in the UK, and although, she now had a famous American producer behind the album, it didn't get much attention in the US. The style is pretty much the same as her debut album, only, this one has a more heavy alt. rock production on top, which makes it slightly louder, more electrifying, but not angrier than Dry.
Together with her debut and her 2000 album, I think, this is one of her 3 best albums ever. She was nominated (for the first time) to the Mercury Prize Award in 1993, which was handed to Suede for their homonymous debut album. This is the second consecutive album by PJ Harvey to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

PJ Harvey "Dry" (1992)

Dry [debut]
release date: Mar. 30, 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Head, Rob Ellis, PJ Harvey
label: Island Records  - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Oh My Lover" (4 / 5) - 2. "O Stella" (4 / 5) - 3. "Dress" (live on Later) - 4. "Victory" (4 / 5) - 5. "Happy and Bleeding" - 6. "Sheela-Na-Gig" (4 / 5) (live) - 7. "Hair" - 8. "Joe" - 9. "Plants and Rags" - 10. "Fountain" - 11. "Water" (4,5 / 5)

Studio debut album by Polly Jean Harvey originally released on the independent label Too Pure and produced by Head (Mark Vernon), Rob Ellis, and PJ Harvey.
It's a strong and highly original document of Polly Jean's musical strengths into alt. rock with strong bonds to particular American proto-punk rocker Patti Smith. The album went as high as #11 on the national album chart list, and it rocketed an only 22 year-old Polly Jean Harvey way up as a new shining star of alt. rock in Britain. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, NME 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]