Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
Vagrant Records
8/10
PJ Harvey released Let England Shake, her latest in a long line of records. Admittedly, this is my introduction to PJ. Yes I know, I’m a bad person. I was impressed to say the least. Her otherworldly croon recalled a tighter Blonde Redhead. Blonde Redhead, but not PJ? What a n00b. Yeah, I KNOW. I KNOW okay? Her earnest songwriting and interesting melodies won my heart. And she’s forty? I said a gat damn. Not as much of a drastic change in sound as her previous records, PJ still succeeds in making a solid album.
Still predominantly guitar-based indie songwriting with various keyboards laced throughout, she stays more or less true to her sound. She does have a weird urge to put strange things in the background of her songs. These usually have to do with the content of the songs, but they are strange nonetheless. Such as in “This Glorious Land”, there is a trumpet line completely out of time and placed rather randomly, with the listener almost expecting a “CHARGE!” at the end.
These things far from ruin the songs for me, but I did find it interesting. The theme of this album is interesting as well, with the lyrics being themed around England and the rest of the western world being founded on violence. At times, the lyrics seem rather forced, with the words kind of being shoved into phrases, but Harvey seems to find a way to make it work. My favorites off this record were the opener and title track, “Let England Shake”, with the toy piano-ish riff immediately catching my attention.
“The Words That Maketh Murder” was also a favorite. Yeah, I’m a sucker for cheesy chants. “On Battleship Hill,” has PJ just letting that wail go with magnificent results. I did feel like the album kind of lost its kick halfway through, but the second half isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as the first half, in my opinion. All things considered, I don’t expect PJ to stop making records any time soon.
-Dan Gee