This is
the PJ Harvey album I know best, and I listened to it a lot when I was in my late
teens. A lot. But I probably hadn't heard it in its entirety for about ten
years, so playing it again was like putting on some
once-discarded-now-refound-jeans that fit surprisingly well, and remind you of a simpler time, that didn't seem simple at the time.
This
album was Harvey's breakthrough to the bigtime, and won the Mercury Music Prize
in 2001. Her fifth record, it was a much more consistent record than her earlier
work, and whilst it may have lost some of the vitriol, it showed greater
consistency. The songs are primarily written about New York, although some hint
back to her time in the UK. The story-telling is compelling, and the variety of
tracks is impressive, showing the many facets of Harvey's song-writing. Many
have labelled it her finest album; no mean feat given the strength of Let
England Shake, which also features in the 1001 list.
Big Exit
is a bold brash opener that is pretty confrontational, and the guitar-organ
combination is pretty compelling. It's a dark and foreboding intro to an album
that seems to explore life in all its forms. Good Fortune is one of the
stronger albums lyrically, with some powerful imagery surrounding escaping ones
own fortune. A Place called Home is a full bodied song that reveals different
elements each time you hear it. From the light acoustic guitar, via the strings
and stereo panning percussion to the organ, it just doesn't let up. Beautiful
Feeling is a bit too slow for me, although Harvey's voice is beautifully
haunting. The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore is not only one of the great
song titles of the 21st Century, but again it shows the depth and variety of
instrumentation that Harvey confidently employs. Whilst it is the guitar and
vocals that drive the song, and I'd be interested to hear an acoustic version,
I love the onslaught of noise. This Mess We're In is a stunning duet with Thom
Yorke that I had previously overlooked off this album. It is utterly beautiful,
and highly appropriate looking at the current global political picture.
Kamikaze is a fantastically angry song, with an achingly good guitar sound,
which neatly flows into This Is Love, featuring the killer couplet "I
can't believe life's so complex/ when I just want to sit here and watch you
undress". The combination of crystal clear guitar overlaying a grungy,
fuzzy axe (is there another synonym for guitar?) works an absolute treat, and Harvey's voice seems to oscillate
between these two tones. Horses in my Dreams has moments of stunning clarity,
but feels a bit listless the rest of the time, where the insistent snare drives
We Float into being more than just another slow number. This Wicked Tongue is
the classic late-'90s/early-'00s hidden track, that makes me nostalgic for the
time, mainly for the fond memories of deleting 6 minutes of silence
when copying albums onto my minidisc. Artistic integrity be damned - there were
only so many minutes in the day, and I wasn't going to waste them waiting for
your studio offcuts, especially when those offcuts were actually rather tasty.
You know
it's a great album when songs as strong as One Line barely register. Whilst I
don't feel like I loved it more at the end of the week than at the start, I
certainly appreciated parts of it I may once have overlooked. The variety of
the songs is genuinely staggering, and the originality is what gives the album
such depth. I can imagine ten different people comfortably picking out ten
different favourite songs, and whilst I may find some songs too pedestrian, I
still get that they're very good. So, a very good album, that I may have felt
even better about had it been my first introduction.
Chloe's
album rating: 9
Chloe's
favourite track: 2. Good Fortune
Olly's
album rating: 8
Olly's
favourite track: 7. This Mess We're In
Our next
record is 792. Exit Planet Dust by the Chemical Brothers; I suspect this one
will be listened to at a high volume.
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