PJ Harvey

[Embach 42,433]

 

I'm shocked that this queen didn't have a thread here 

 

Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969), known professionally as PJ Harvey, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actress, poet and visual artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitsrist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.

[Embach 42,433]

GO STREAM HER NEW ALBUM NOW! 

[rightofjupiter 16,594]

haven't super vibed with her albums since let england shake (which is magnificent) but will love her forever, dry, rid of me, to bring you my love, is this desire, white chalk and let england shake are perfect flawless no-notes albums.

[domandapiano 12,099]

We love to throw the word *witchy* around here like there’s no tomorrow but I feel like “I inside the old year dying” is actually a nouveau witch classic. 
 

also stories from the city stories from the sea is my fav of hers 

[viktoria 3,176]

why didn't she have a thread wtf..... anyways her new album is really good.

is this desire is her best album followed very closely by to bring you my love. 

[bluechemtrails 26,745]

Her first album came out more than 30 years ago and she has still the best critics. She's truly one of the best female singer-songwriters of our time!

[AOK 1,160]

I discovered her by listening to Hope Six Demolition Project. Ministry of Defence is my favourite of hers.

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

I love PJ Harvey! Every single album is outstanding (including the new one, which is thematic masterpiece), but her first five albums in particular are perfect no-skip plays. She's one of my all-time favourite artists. I'm seeing her live later this year for the first time, and I'm so excited!  

[Embach 42,433]

little fish, big fish, swimming in the water

come back here, man, gimme my daughter

[Lux Eterna 623]

Nobody talking about her? 

 

THIS IS ROCK MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Embach 42,433]

This song just hits 

 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

This topic deserves more love 

 

Today my song choice to obsess over is White Chalk. As someone who also grew up in South West U.K., I really relate to her later work which really delves into the Dorset dialect and landscape. Especially the line and the way she delivers it, 

"And I know, 

These white chalk hills will rot my bones." 

 

And then the final lines, 

 

"Dorset's cliffs meet at the sea
Where I walked our unborn child in me
White chalk gorse-scattered land

Scratch my palms
There's blood on my hands." 

 

Shivers. It's so emotional. This was the encore when I saw her live and I felt the tears welling in my eyes. The live version is a bit gentler and stripped back, so her voice really hits. I'd really love to see PJ perform in the Minack Theatre in Cornwall (look it up!) 
 

[Embach 42,433]

5 minutes ago, The Sun Also Rises said:

This topic deserves more love 

 

Today my song choice to obsess over is White Chalk. As someone who also grew up in South West U.K., I really relate to her later work which really delves into the Dorset dialect and landscape. Especially the line and the way she delivers it, 

"And I know, 

These white chalk hills will rot my bones." 

 

And then the final lines, 

 

"Dorset's cliffs meet at the sea
Where I walked our unborn child in me
White chalk gorse-scattered land

Scratch my palms
There's blood on my hands." 

 

Shivers. It's so emotional. This was the encore when I saw her live and I felt the tears welling in my eyes. The live version is a bit gentler and stripped back, so her voice really hits. I'd really love to see PJ perform in the Minack Theatre in Cornwall (look it up!) 
 

White Chalk is so overlooked, one of her best albums! In my top 5 albums of hers for sure! 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

Also, can we mention how atmospheric her soundscapes always are! 

 

In my (humble) opinion, Is This Desire? and Stories From the City, Stories from the Sea are her two most atmospheric albums. 

 

Like these two personal vastly underrated gems from Is This Desire? (MASTERPIECE album!) 

 

 

 

And of course, the absolute BEAUTY that is PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke on this Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea track. 
God, I love how she combines her heavenly speaking voice in that West Country accent with her high singing ... 
 

 

Then, the more rock-esque landscapes of Rid of Me, Dry, Uh Huh Her, and To Bring You My Love ... 

 

I adore the grungy sound of Rid of Me with Albini's production (Also MASTERPIECE album!)
Nirvana who? (Just kidding, but not really) 
Couldn't pick any favourites, each track is as great as the rest. 

 

 

Then, the absolute psychedelic rock ecstasy of To Bring You My Love, which somehow manages to perfectly tow the line of creepy and sexy (this album really solidified my crush) 

 

 

And of course, Dry! Dry was the first PJ Harvey album and still a top 5 favourite album! This was the first PJ song I ever heard ... oh my god, I was instantly put into a trance. Specifically by her live performance ... PJ Harvey on stage with a guitar  and that riff! Heaven on Earth 

 

 Her voice on this Uh Huh Her track! And that stripped down rock sound with the simple bass line?! 
 

 

Not even going to get into the delicate vulnerability of White Chalk, the tenderness I Inside the Old Year Dying (even the title is poetry), the folky protest-album Let England Shake, the anthems of  The Hope Six Demolition Project (not a fave but still amazing) ... there's so much to delve into here 

25 minutes ago, Embach said:

White Chalk is so overlooked, one of her best albums! In my top 5 albums of hers for sure! 

 

I would love an album ranking list from you! I'm so happy to have at one die-hard PJ Harvey fan with me here 

[Embach 42,433]

28 minutes ago, The Sun Also Rises said:

Also, can we mention how atmospheric her soundscapes always are! 

 

In my (humble) opinion, Is This Desire? and Stories From the City, Stories from the Sea are her two most atmospheric albums. 

 

Like these two personal vastly underrated gems from Is This Desire? (MASTERPIECE album!) 

 

 

 

And of course, the absolute BEAUTY that is PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke on this Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea track. 
God, I love how she combines her heavenly speaking voice in that West Country accent with her high singing ... 
 

 

Then, the more rock-esque landscapes of Rid of Me, Dry, Uh Huh Her, and To Bring You My Love ... 

 

I adore the grungy sound of Rid of Me with Albini's production (Also MASTERPIECE album!)
Nirvana who? (Just kidding, but not really) 
Couldn't pick any favourites, each track is as great as the rest. 

 

 

Then, the absolute psychedelic rock ecstasy of To Bring You My Love, which somehow manages to perfectly tow the line of creepy and sexy (this album really solidified my crush) 

 

 

And of course, Dry! Dry was the first PJ Harvey album and still a top 5 favourite album! This was the first PJ song I ever heard ... oh my god, I was instantly put into a trance. Specifically by her live performance ... PJ Harvey on stage with a guitar  and that riff! Heaven on Earth 

 

 Her voice on this Uh Huh Her track! And that stripped down rock sound with the simple bass line?! 
 

 

Not even going to get into the delicate vulnerability of White Chalk, the tenderness I Inside the Old Year Dying (even the title is poetry), the folky protest-album Let England Shake, the anthems of  The Hope Six Demolition Project (not a fave but still amazing) ... there's so much to delve into here 

 

I would love an album ranking list from you! I'm so happy to have at one die-hard PJ Harvey fan with me here 

I'm super glad that I'm not the only PJ Harvey stan here! And I loved your opinion on those albums and tracks, they're all so masterfully done and they're also very timeless.

 

I'm only sure about my top 5 but not so sure about the other rankings:

1. Stories From The City

2. Is This Desire

3. To Bring You My Love (the first album of hers I listened to, I think while Stories is my all-time favorite, I have more personal connection to To Bring You My Love)

4. I Inside The Old Year Dying

5. White Chalk/Uh Huh Her

 

My favorite songs of hers are probably Catherine, The Wind, This Mess We're In, Down By The Water, To Bring You My Love and C'mon Billy.

 

She's one of the best rock musicians in the world. It's a crime that she doesn't have a Grammy...

[honeyslow 5,931]

28 minutes ago, Embach said:

She's one of the best rock musicians in the world. It's a crime that she doesn't have a Grammy...

 

If Lana doesn't take best alternative album I definitely want it to go to her.

 

I must say I hadn't heard anything from her before but I recently listened to "I Inside The Old Year Dying" after seeing it on so many year-end lists and I have to say I really really enjoyed the album. I understand it's quite different from her past work but I'm still excited to check out more of her back catalogue. 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

36 minutes ago, Embach said:

I'm super glad that I'm not the only PJ Harvey stan here! And I loved your opinion on those albums and tracks, they're all so masterfully done and they're also very timeless.

 

I'm only sure about my top 5 but not so sure about the other rankings:

1. Stories From The City

2. Is This Desire

3. To Bring You My Love (the first album of hers I listened to, I think while Stories is my all-time favorite, I have more personal connection to To Bring You My Love)

4. I Inside The Old Year Dying

5. White Chalk/Uh Huh Her

 

My favorite songs of hers are probably Catherine, The Wind, This Mess We're In, Down By The Water, To Bring You My Love and C'mon Billy.

 

She's one of the best rock musicians in the world. It's a crime that she doesn't have a Grammy...

 

Omg you have immaculate taste 

Catherine is one of all-time favorites, it really encapsulates the moody atmosphere of Is This Desire? And the storytelling of her lyrics  

 

I won't rank I Inside The Old Year Dying because I don't think I've had enough time to sit with it compared to her previous work yet. But it's on my top albums of this year list! My top five is probably: 

1. Is This Desire? 
2. Stories From The City, Stories from the Sea
(The two top flip-flop places)

3. Rid of Me 

4. To Bring You My Love 

5. White Chalk 

 

That was harddddd. 

 

I can't believe she doesn't have a Grammy either, but at least she's the only artist with two Mercury Prize wins. If Lana wins AOTY at the Grammys I would really hope for PJ to win AAOTY, but I don't think it will happen 

 

 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

10 minutes ago, honeyslow said:

 

If Lana doesn't take best alternative album I definitely want it to go to her.

 

I must say I hadn't heard anything from her before but I recently listened to "I Inside The Old Year Dying" after seeing it on so many year-end lists and I have to say I really really enjoyed the album. I understand it's quite different from her past work but I'm still excited to check out more of her back catalogue. 

 

I heard the album live this year (as well as a few of her older hits), and it's so good live. Some of the songs I didn't connect with on a first album listen, but really came into their own in the live setting. I absolutely adore that she's using Dorset dialect (as someone who is very sad about my regional language dying ) and it's such a gorgeous gorgeous sound. I really appreciate that she's constantly evolving as an artist while maintaining what makes her unique. I'd definitely recommend checking out her older albums too, there's so much to explore and they are all so different. 

 

I also would love for PJ to win the AAOTY if Lana doesn't (really wish Lana would get a clean sweep) as it's clearly the best of the bunch, but PJ has had 7 previous nominations and not won a single Grammy, plus this is the only category it was nominated for, so I'm really not holding out hope. 

 

44 minutes ago, Embach said:

I'm super glad that I'm not the only PJ Harvey stan here! And I loved your opinion on those albums and tracks, they're all so masterfully done and they're also very timeless.

 

I'm only sure about my top 5 but not so sure about the other rankings:

1. Stories From The City

2. Is This Desire

3. To Bring You My Love (the first album of hers I listened to, I think while Stories is my all-time favorite, I have more personal connection to To Bring You My Love)

4. I Inside The Old Year Dying

5. White Chalk/Uh Huh Her

 

My favorite songs of hers are probably Catherine, The Wind, This Mess We're In, Down By The Water, To Bring You My Love and C'mon Billy.

 

She's one of the best rock musicians in the world. It's a crime that she doesn't have a Grammy...

 

I forgot to mention, have you read Orlam? 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

PJ Harvey live at L'Olympia! 

 

The same setlist I saw in the U.K. just a few days before in a similar venue! The staging and lights were gorgeous and so was her dress! Not to mention her singing, obviously! For everyone who didn't get to see the tour this year or won't make it to the festivals next year this would be a great one to watch! 

 

 

[The Sun Also Rises 5,570]

Also, I have no shame in posting so much in this thread one after the other ... 

 

Because this is so cool - all her band members did a doodle on her concert dress, based on one of the songs she sang on the tour. One for each city! 

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/876164223825162

 

From the post: 

 

"Todd Lynn, long-time friend of and designer for PJ Harvey, discusses the dress he made for the tour. A spare dress was set aside for the band members, with the suggestion that they draw something related to the record, the tour, and / or the city hosting that night's performance.

"During the tour, Polly wanted to capture every place the band performed - every city was an event to be celebrated, and every place would have a visual record. The dress will continue to be drawn on by Polly, John, Jean-Marc, James and Giovanni in each city where they play. It will gradually turn from white to black! First worn in Oslo; where it appears next is anyone's guess.""