Login for Favorites
EDIT INFOPj Harvey - Let England Shake
Tweet
Album Details
- Artist: Pj Harvey
- Album: Let England Shake
- Label: Vagrant
- Year of Release: 2011
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: tosnob on 2011-03-18
RecommendI have to admit to being disappointed by the last couple of albums from PJ Harvey. 2007's White Chalk was too subdued and monotonous for my liking. I had the exact opposite problem with 2004's Uh Huh Her, a record that I found too unfocused and raw. Thankfully, the forthcoming Let England Shake (out February 15th) has neither of these issues.
Let England Shake is Harvey's most varied and dynamic album in quite some time. She gives us a shadowy yet jaunty trip on the album's opening title track. "Hanging In the Wire" is a simple, lovely piano ballad while "Bitter Branches" builds into a frenzy ever so slowly.
Harvey gives us a sultry low end on "In Dark Places". "The Glorious Land" is taut with intensity, but it never becomes smothering. There's an ominous energetic ebb and flow to "The Words That Maketh Murder", a song with a vibe that could easily fit in a show like The Black Rider.
A handful of songs simple don't work for me. Both "All and Everyone" and "On Battleship Hill" aim to be haunting, but lack interest overall. Conversely, "England" is a scattergun mess, involving multiple layers of arrangements that fail to work with one another.
It all culminates with "Written On the Forehead". Dark lyrics are backed by a World music arrangement, creating Harvey's first true masterpiece in the better part of a decade.
Only time will tell if Let England Shake has the staying power of Rid Of Me or Stories From The City, Stories From the Sea, but the first several times through definitely have one leaning heavily in that direction.
User Reviews and Comments
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsTell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
Reviews have to be over 100 words, shorter ones are classed as comments.
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsReview:
on 2011-11-21 CharlesMartel Said:
Polly makes a good comeback with this album from a period when her creativity perhaps was a little under the weather. The album itself has a sort of prophetic feel to it, perhaps because as everyone knows, when the Tories get back into power, everything starts to go down the pan. Harvey sets out a series of songs which, on first listen, would give you the impression that she hated England and the English. In fact she hates those things about England and the English which seem to come to the fore when the Tories start to run the Government. Yes, this an album redolent of images of the disagreeable aspects of English history, war, conquest, colonialism, and the prominence which these are given under the rule of a party who either still think or would love to believe that Britainnia rules the waves.
Once you get over her rather annoying nasal whining way of singing, the album is not at all bad. It is certainly a step away from her usual sort of sound, and has a much more psychedelic pop influence. However, this album is not one to be listened to once and then put away. This requires several listenes before it begins to unfold before you and grow on you. First impressions are not going to be lasting ones here.
The album begins better than it ends, and it deflintely does drag a bit in the middle. " The Words that Maketh Murder " is probably the best track, as it is one which conveys with it all the disgust and anger that one could begin to bring to the fore on an album such as this. "The Last Living Rose" runs it a close second, but in truth you can only go so far with the theme Harvey has adopted for this album before it begins to drag.
I suppose that "Let England Shake" is one of those albums which you will either grow to love or hate. It has its good moments and its below-par ones, and it always seeks to challenge you, and push you out of our comfort zone. But if you are looking for the defining statement on the pitiful relic that England has become, little more than the 51st state of the Union, then I doubt you will find it here. It tries hard but in the end it just doesn't quite make it.
Rating: 6/10
on 2011-09-08 hstisgod Said:
Absolutely, this is one of the finest buzzes on the interwebs right!
Not Rated
on 2011-09-08 dscanland Said:
Seems I'm not alone in my thinking that this was a comeback album for PJ Harvey. Just this week she won the Mercury Prize for Let England Shake. That marks the first time the same artist has won two Mercury Prizes. Congrats Polly!
Not Rated
on 2011-03-21 dscanland Said:
I'm right alongside Peter on this review. This is PJ's return to form. So much better than the last couple albums.
Not Rated
