Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey is yet another in a too-long list of outstanding musical artists who I somehow just simply missed altogether when they were definitely available to me as a listener and concert-goer. I remember hearing her name a lot, and she was spoken very very highly of by a number of people whose musical tastes were similar to mine. Anyway, even though I can't quite explain how I didn't listen to her 21 years ago when this album was released, I can say after having listened to it that I think it's fantastic work. Compelling, intriguing, very interesting chord progressions and rhythms, and I just dig the overall vibe. Dark without being too self-referential or too harsh. Really solid album.

It starts off innocently, a couple of fairly standard rocky numbers, which had me worrying about lack of diversity. Then we hit the numbers she did with Thom Yorke, which sandwich the genius of "The Whores Hustle..." Now we start hearing the Nick Cave influence. There is light, shade, darkness. She uses that voice to stab you in the heart. When it's over, you feel bereft. Thank God for replay. I knew she was good, but this is the best album I've heard in years.

Enjoyed this one. PJ’s seemingly odd and occultist personality really comes through in her own perception of love.

An exquisite album from an extraordinary artist at the top of her game, PJ Harvey’s song writing and playing hits another level. Beautiful, melodic love songs that rock hard.

Her most accessible album, and quite possibly her masterpiece (it's either this or Rid Of Me). It's as close as mainstream America finally got to embracing Generation X's Joni Mitchell. It might be due to the fact that Polly Jean sounds happy and playful, at least compared to her earlier work. Polly Jean Harvey deserves to have as many albums on this list as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. And this one's my favorite.

Substantive and coherent. Thoughtful and driving. No real huge hits but a certain timelessness -- professionally executed at a very high level. Holds up and will continue to. Thom Yorke's guest appearance tells you all you need to know about the overall quality and band's position at the time.

This is the first artist that I've heard of - This is a solid album and PJ Harvey gets high marks for being influential, but it's not quite a 5 star album for me. Some obvious influences are Patti Smith on "Good Fortune" and Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl on the opening of "This is Love". There's also a great collaboration with Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

Strong female vocals with driving guitars and a punk sensibility. I really like this! Favorite Tracks: Big Exit, A Place Called Home, One Line, Beautiful Feeling, The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore, We Float. Least Favorite Tracks: Horses In My Dreams

In which critic’s darling Polly Jean evokes rather than describes new love darkened by a generalised dread that, if you want to take things too far, kind of adumbrates 9/11 the following year. Twenty years on, it’s a useful reminder of two truths. One, love always wins the day. Two, the West had been demonstrating its skills in geopolitical goat-fuckery for decades, and 9/11 wasn’t the bolt from the blue many like to pretend. Anyway, the album. Again and again, Harvey throws a rope around her unwieldy themes: “I’m immortal when I’m with you, but I want a pistol in my hand”; “Does it have to be a world full of dread? I want to chase you round the table and touch your head”; “I can’t believe the axis turns on suffering when you taste so good”; “This world all gone to war. All I need is you tonight.”; “I draw a line from your heart to mine. A line to keep us safe.” Her themes are distilled to bold and beautiful physical gestures, but they wouldn’t carry half as much heft without the sonics that are the album’s greatest achievement. It’s a sound you feel could sweep across an ocean. That’s no coincidence, as there are more than a few references here to Polly’s separation from her man. If I’m reading it right, he’s in London and she’s in New York (omg, omg, omg: 9/11). The surprisingly sparse arrangements match the economy of her writing, averaging (yep, I’ve done the sum) 4.3 instruments per track. Only the blissful ‘We Float’ gets a big-finish 12! Shit, Polly, quit flexin’. As always, it’s not about how much is there, it’s about what it does. And the standard guitar-bass-drums—sprinkled with harmonium, harpsichord, tambourine, maracas, electric piano, E. bow, bells, and djembe—are deeper than a full orchestra because you can feel the spaces between them. At the dawn of a century (oh god, what am I doing?) defined for many by the alienating effects of globalisation, evoking ’the spaces between’ is pretty damn clairvoyant. And so I thank Polly for reminding me of the lines you can draw across those spaces, from one heart to another. [Vomits]

5/5, this album was fantastic, I was torn between 4/5 for a while but the last couple tracks swayed me. The album does it all and does it well, most tracks felt unique and well produced, the antepenultimate taking you high, followed by the horses taking you low was cool, but coupled with the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ resolution to end the album, truly impressed me. This is a prime example of the necessity of this website

PJ showing the world she can climb the charts keeping her alternative integrity perfectly untouched. Monumental.

The undisputed queen of indie rock pulls out her masterpiece!

Pulsating alternative rock. Even without Thom Yorke's cameos there are shades of Radiohead there. PJ Harvey certainly does concept albums well, these songs are indicative of New York

Unreal, very Patti smith

It's a good album, but not a great one. A lot of the songs sound very similar to one another. Where they vary, the album is a lot more exciting (This is Love, This Mess We're In, Kamikaze). Dry and Rid of Me are far more interesting records.

You know, I didn't hate this album. I didn't love it either. It was just ... okay. I enjoyed listening to it in the background as I got stuff done. There aren't really any standout tracks and, on a whole, the album felt like a bit of a jumbled mess. Maybe it's my lack of connection to the material. The wiki says that this was a bit of a love letter to New York. That city doesn't need a love letter. It needs a tetanus shot and a month in rehab. But it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. It really wasn't. Perfectly adequate. Extremely middling.

Beste plaat van PJ. Zo vaak gedraaid al en blijft elke keer prachtig.

What a great album, the rock the softness in parts, surprise Thom Yorke, I really had a fun time and will be back again.

This was my second PJ Harvey album to listen to on this list, the first, being 'Rid of Me.' I enjoyed this album, albeit not as much as I enjoyed 'Rid of Me.' I thought the vocals here were fantastic, as were the guitars and drums. The songs featuring Thom Yorke were really great too. "Big Exit" and "You Said Something" were my favorite tracks here.

Альбом, уже ставший классикой и обязательным для прослушивания любому любителю рока. Для себя отмечу песни с Томом Йорком из Radiohead. 7 баллов из 10.

Really enjoyed this. More rocky and less experimental than I expected. Such a powerful voice. A few real banging tracks. Liked the Thom Yorke cameos

Great storytelling sick guitar. Loved the little piano/organ situation on a track I can't remember the name of and can always get around a Thom Yorke feature. Kamikaze is my highlight.

Favorite Song(s): This is Love, This Mess We're In This sounds like something my dad would play when I was a kid (in a good way). Weirdly very soothing to me. In addition, her voice sounds a bit like Lana del Rey.

This album sounds so 90s to me. At least it did when it started. As it got closer to the end I was like oh shit, this is where Patti Smith's influence had taken us in the early 2000's. As I was thinking how much she sounded like Patti on the song "This is Love," the very next track was called, "HORSES in My Dreams." Coincidence?! Probably, but damn she was serving my Patti on a few of those songs. Vocally at least. I didn't feel the feverish raw energy that Patti brought me and the songs kind of sounded like the epitome of late 90s/early 2000s alternative. I'm sure at the time it was a head turning sound, plus we were visited by everyones favorite alien, Thom Yorke, on "This Mess We're In," so I'm not going to come down on it too hard.

Sparse, very 2000s. I like Thom Yorke's appearance. I also like this record a ton more than "Let England Shake". A little bit more rock foward, with some slow spots here and there. Favorite tracks: "Big Exit", "One Line", "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore"

I still don't get why she's on here at all let alone multiple times.

As well as introducing me to some new artists, this project has been a welcome reminder of how much I bloody love PJ Harvey. I’ve already given five stars to Dry and Let England Shake, and this isn’t going to break the streak. At the risk of sounding like her mum, it's nice to hear her sounding happy.

I really enjoyed this album. One of my favorites from this this.

I spent the early 00's constantly reading spin telling me to listen to PJ Harvey and I never did. That was my bad. Great record.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea I listened to this a lot when it came out, mainly on the strength of This Mess We’re In, which I loved. It really reminds me of coming home from Japan for Christmas in 2000. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, so I’m glad it came up. Big Exit, is a cracking start, great lyrics, kind of punkish and new wave but accessible. Good Fortune is similar, a bit less aggressive perhaps, but a great song with a great hook and an evocative lyric. A Place Called Home is excellent too, from relatively simple instrumentation and arrangements she manages to make very engaging and interesting songs. One Line has a kinship with those first 3 songs, but again is great, with a vaguely unsettling atmosphere. Beautiful Feeling is fantastic, has a very folky feel, like the Unthanks, with those great backing vocals from Thome Yorke. Superb song. The Whores Hustle and the Hustler’s Whore is the kind of spiritual centre of the album, a great melody with an undeniable edge and a searching, impressionistic lyric sketching loneliness and isolation in a big city. This Mess We’re In, still great, a lovely melody with a sad and resigned feeling and two great vocals from them both. You Said Something is another great melody and hook - again the strummed guitar and minimal instrumentation conjures up an atmospheric and intriguing song. Kamikaze has that aggressive punky edge to it, and nice unhinged-ness suiting the title and coming after two pretty pop melodies This is Love I really remember from when it came out, love the swooping riff and that great tinkly piano. Another great melody and lyric too. Horses in my Dream, feel like the title is nod to Patti Smith, who she obviously shares a commonality with, but it’s a great and haunting low tempo ballad, with an edgy folkiness to it. Her voice sounds great on this one too. We Float is great too, a sense of ending and coming to terms with the end of a relationship, with that hazy drifting chorus with that superb melody. Hidden tracks were such a CD thing, and This Wicked Tongue is a good aggressive and angry song, but feels kind of unnecessary now. Doesn’t detract from the quality of the album at all though. This has reminded me what a great album this is, kind of amazing how engaging and interesting each song is, despite it in the main being relatively simple drums, strummed guitars and bass with minor additional instrumentation (although from my limited understanding there are some interesting chords happening). Like Let England Shake, I can see how she might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and how if you don’t buy into her style you probably wonder what all the fuss is about, but I think she’s fantastic and like Let England Shake this is an easy 5. 📖🌃📖🌊📖 Playlist submission: Still love This Mess We’re In, but I’ll go Beautiful Feeling

My 1001th album, and it’s a cracker, probably my favourite PJ Harvey album, very accessible but also brilliant. Love Thom York appearance on this too.

I was unaware of this terrific album. In my defense, we had two kids under three at the time.

The best album ever made.

Brilliant album

YEAH!! Love PJ love this record! Easy 5/5 for me on this one!

Wow this is fantastic. I knew a few of the songs already but it’s really incredible as a whole. The standouts for me are the songs with Thom.

Two PJ records in one week! I dithered over giving a 5 star rating to Rid Of Me, because I love it but it’s simply not as flawless as this. So I’m essentially saying this would get a 5 plus, if such a thing existed. Every song is great; the beautiful softer moments just as much as the powerful rock tracks. The opening bars make me feel as excited now as they did when I first heard it age 13. Still looking for a karaoke place where I can belt out Good Fortune.

PJ Harvey was not fucking around when she put this album together. A lot of fantastic songs. Excellent stuff! Fave track - the duet with Thom Yorke was great an all, but I have to go with "Good Fortune" overall, but like three quarters of the other tracks come in a close second place!

I love PJ Harvey, and I love this album. One of her best. 5 stars.

Great album, great songwriter. She’s influential as hell, there’s not much more I can say about her

This Mess We're In - awesome Kamikaze - rock & roll The Wicked Tounge - Hidden track but on another spotify session album good stuff

I’m ashamed I hadn’t heard this earlier. What a marvelous album.

I love this album!

AMAZING album that I was unaware was a thing. Added it to my list of go-to albums and could listen to this on repeat with no issues.

8/10 Was not familiar with her game. But I really enjoyed this piece and will be returning again.

Very tempted to give this a 5. This is a New York album — maybe the single quintessential New York album — the way, like, After Hours or Do the Right Thing are New York movies. It also feels like such a landmark turn-of-the-century record (and was, fittingly, released Jan. 1, 2000). This and its predecessor, Is This Desire, probably represent the PJ Harvey sound I best connect to, a midpoint between the earlier grunge sound and the art rock tendencies that later took over her work. Fantastic opening run of tracks, but it's the closing songs that are the true all-timers here. There's Horses In My Dreams, in conversation with Belle & Sebastian's similarly themed closer to If You're Feeling Sinister, and also evocative of Michael Clayton. And then We Float stands as a career high, with such a massive, life-affirming chorus. What a beautiful album!

This was a surprise. I went into it only really knowing PJ Harvey from "Down By The Water," and came out wondering how this album flew under my radar for so long. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is a confident, well-crafted album; it's equal parts gritty and melodic, with a great balance of energy and emotion. It feels like one of those records that grows even more rewarding with each listen.

Absolutely deserving of the Mercury Prize. PJ Harvey’s songwriting is haunting and even Thom Yorke blesses us with his presence. I wonder if she might have released another Mercury Prize winning album precisely a decade later, that we could enjoy later into the journey of this list? Let’s hope.

<3

I feel compelled to listen to this again in the near future while at the same time not thinking it is spectacular.

This album is the most mid album I have gotten so far

Not bad, again not my cup of tea but not too bad.

Enchanting in its melancholy. This one is a callback to early 2000 with their uncertainty and dread. Tom York’s cameo was a surprise but a welcome one.

She’s overrated

I really want to be a PJ Harvey guy, but I'm just not a PJ Harvey guy. A couple of tracks stood out on this to me, but the combo of her vocals + the music just doesn't work for me. I'd do 2.5 stars if I could, but by sticking to my rounding down policy I feel like I'm betraying the music fan I wish I was.

POV: Your friend is driving you around in his mom’s car because his is in the shop. You don’t want to listen to the radio so you decide to rifle through her CD booklet. You pick one at random and pop it in. It’s boring. I like some of the PJ’s songs, but this is peak 2000 Toyota Corolla music imo. I unfortunately only started vibing at the chorus of We Float. However, I will give props for probably inspiring a lot of In Rainbows

I don't think I love this vocal style, or this singer song writing style. I don't feel anything strong on any of these songs. They don't grate or irritate me, but they also don't compel me either. I do like the track with Thom York. Repeats: this mess were in

Two albums by PJ Harvey in one week!?!? Am I being punished for something?

Fucking hell

As much as I try to like PJ Harvey, I always end up getting annoyed with her music.

Lol

masterclass. flawless

9/10

Velvet underground Patti smith Liz Phair Fantastic

Enjoyed

banger fr

This was really very good. I like PJ Harvey a lot. So far I've saved "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore" and "The Mess We're In". I'm on my second listen.

Forgotten what a fantastic emotional album this was

Amazin

## In-Depth Review: *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* by PJ Harvey **PJ Harvey’s fifth studio album, *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* (2000), stands as a pivotal work in her discography, marking a shift toward melodic accessibility, urban storytelling, and lush production. This review examines the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, and offers a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.** --- ## Lyrics **Directness and Urban Focus** Unlike Harvey’s earlier, more metaphor-laden work, the lyrics on *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* are strikingly direct. The album’s title suggests a dichotomy, but the lyrics are overwhelmingly city-centric, often painting vivid portraits of urban life and relationships. The city is rendered as a universal, almost mythic space, with Harvey’s observations rooted in her experiences in New York but never confined to a single locale[1][2]. Songs like “The Whore’s Hustle and the Hustler’s Whore” and “This Mess We’re In” evoke cityscapes and the people who inhabit them, blending personal and collective narratives[1]. **Themes of Love, Freedom, and Contradiction** Love dominates the lyrical landscape, but Harvey’s take is nuanced—oscillating between hope and despair, intimacy and alienation. “Big Exit” opens the album with a sense of euphoria and escape, while “Good Fortune” channels the restless spirit of a modern-day drifter, longing for freedom and improvisation over routine[3]. The lyrics often juxtapose beauty and violence, as in “Kamikaze” and “The Whores Hustle and the Hustler’s Whore,” where the language of the heart collides with the language of survival[3][4]. **Emotional Range and Poetic Economy** Harvey’s lyricism here is economical—no word is wasted. There’s a new immediacy: where previous albums masked meaning in metaphor, *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* lays its themes bare, making the emotional stakes clear and relatable[5]. The album’s closing lines, “But one day/We’ll float/Take life as it comes,” encapsulate its blend of longing and acceptance[4]. --- ## Music **Melodic Sophistication and Accessibility** Musically, the album marks a departure from Harvey’s earlier, rawer sound. The production is cleaner, the arrangements fuller, and the melodies more sophisticated[1][2]. Harvey herself described the album as “very melodic, and much rounder and fuller” than her previous work, aiming for “absolute beauty” and “lush layers of melody”[2]. This results in a set of songs that are both accessible and emotionally resonant, with hooks that linger. **Dynamic Range and Instrumentation** The album moves fluidly between sparse, intimate tracks and expansive, pop-infused structures[6]. Songs like “Good Fortune” and “You Said Something” are buoyant and radio-friendly, while “Kamikaze” and “This Is Love” retain Harvey’s edge, with forceful vocals and driving guitars[1][4]. The band’s interplay is tight, with subtle additions like harpsichord and layered harmonies enriching the soundscape[3]. **Vocal Performance** Harvey’s vocal approach on this album is notable for its restraint and beauty. While her earlier records were marked by theatricality and rawness, here she often opts for a more traditional, melodic delivery[1]. This shift enhances the album’s accessibility but occasionally sacrifices the dramatic intensity that characterized her previous work. Notable exceptions include the snarling delivery on “The Whore’s Hustle and the Hustler’s Whore” and the explosive “Kamikaze”[1]. **Collaborations** A highlight is the collaboration with Thom Yorke of Radiohead, who provides lead vocals on “This Mess We’re In” and backing vocals and keyboards on other tracks. Yorke’s falsetto adds a new dimension, creating a haunting counterpoint to Harvey’s voice and deepening the album’s emotional palette[1][2]. --- ## Production **Polished and Lush** Co-produced by Harvey, Mick Harvey, and Rob Ellis, and mixed by Victor Van Vugt, the album boasts a polished, radio-ready sound without sacrificing depth[2]. The production is rich in reverb and layered instrumentation, giving the songs a sense of space and grandeur. Harvey’s intention was to create something “beautiful, sumptuous, lovely,” a reaction against the darker, more experimental textures of her previous albums[2]. **Clarity and Balance** The mix is balanced, allowing each instrument to breathe. The guitars are crisp, the drums punchy, and the vocals sit prominently in the mix. There’s a clarity that serves the directness of the songwriting, making the album approachable for a broader audience[1][2]. --- ## Themes **Urban Experience and Dislocation** The album’s central theme is the tension between city life and the desire for escape. The city is both a place of connection and alienation, love and violence. Harvey explores the contradictions of modern life—freedom versus routine, beauty versus brutality—through the lens of personal relationships and urban imagery[1][6][5]. **Love and Hope Amidst Corruption** While love is the dominant theme, it’s never uncomplicated. Harvey balances hopefulness with an awareness of society’s corruption and despair[6]. The songs suggest that love and the quest for freedom are what make life’s hardships bearable. **Restlessness and the Search for Meaning** Many tracks evoke a sense of restlessness and longing for something more—whether it’s escape from the city, a deeper connection, or personal transformation. This is reflected both lyrically and musically, with songs that shift between exuberance and introspection[3]. --- ## Influence **Critical and Commercial Impact** *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* was a major critical and commercial success, earning Harvey the 2001 Mercury Prize and platinum certification in the UK and Australia[2]. It spent 17 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and is widely regarded as one of her best works, ranked in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[2]. **Legacy and Place in Harvey’s Catalog** The album represents a turning point for Harvey, demonstrating her ability to craft accessible, emotionally rich music without diluting her artistic voice. It influenced a generation of alternative and indie musicians, showing that it was possible to blend raw authenticity with pop sensibility[6][2]. --- ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Direct, evocative lyricism with universal themes[1][5] | Some loss of the raw theatricality of earlier albums[1] | | Sophisticated, melodic songwriting and arrangements[2] | Traditional vocal approach may disappoint fans of her edgier style[1] | | Lush, polished production enhances accessibility[2] | Occasionally sacrifices intensity for beauty[1][3] | | Emotional range: balances hope, love, and despair[6][4] | Pop-oriented sound may alienate fans of her more experimental work[3] | | Standout collaborations (notably with Thom Yorke)[1][2] | Some critics and Harvey herself see it as a less “true” expression of her artistry[3] | | Lasting influence and critical acclaim[2] | | --- ## Conclusion *Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea* is a masterclass in balancing accessibility with depth. PJ Harvey’s direct lyricism, melodic sophistication, and lush production make it one of the most compelling albums of the early 2000s. While it may lack some of the rawness and experimental edge of her earlier work, its emotional honesty and musical craftsmanship have ensured its enduring influence and status as a high point in Harvey’s career.

I'm a fan of PJ Harvey, generally, but I have such an emotional attachment to this album, it's difficult to rate it objectively. To me this is a soundtrack to an ill-fated love affair, and my associations are more to a single person. It drips with nostalgic ache when I listen to it.

It's the IT Girl's album!

One of the first albums I listened to and the 1001 Albums list made me come back to it. Still feels as fresh and sophisticated as when I discovered it.

I think (unsurprisingly) this woman understands me very deeply. Song one - I want a gun and the world is crazy. Song two - I feel the innocence of a child l and everybody has something good to say. I appreciate well represented mood swings. It’s New York! She’s not going to bed early! She’s capturing moments! She’s feeling everything intensely! Powerful, huge for my culture, utterly utterly stunnin. I will be revisiting this album a lot, I can tell. Thank God I’ve found her before I turn 30 - it’s taken too long already.

I mean, it's Peej so min 4* for that fact alone.

One of the perfect albums.

I think this is still my favorite of hers. Somehow both a perfect time capsule (Thom Yorke!) and really moving.

A more recent sentimental favourite of mine and prob my top PJ Harvey album currently. The personal lyrics of a foreign artist in NYC reflecting on themes of love hit home with the sparse but emotionally potent rock n’ roll. Always brings me fondly back to when I first listened to it just a few years ago in my car eating Popeyes.

Bijzonder, beetje patti smith achtige stem

This Mess We’re In

So underrated

perfektes wunderbares album, liebe es.

A top 5/5 album for me. It's just solid all the way through from Big Exit through This is Love, finally ending with We Float. Gorgeous and so perfectly reminds me of the year 2000. Oh how many times I found myself on a rooftop in Brooklyn. One in the morning. Watching the lights flash in Manhattan.

A personal favorite. A beautiful album end-to-end. A must listening.

Icon

Love PJ Harvey, and this album

One of my 4 favorite PJ albums. What a treasure this woman is love all of this!

one of my favourites

Great album, with a great atmosphere.

Wow what an album. Knew some of the songs already but hadn’t heard the whole album. Class the whole way through

Wow, I really missed it the first go-round on this one! Thoughtful, tough, vulnerable, melodic … will rework to this one!

Such a nice album. Full of emotion. Fist few songs are full of energy and then its more mellow with sparks of energy.

Наконец-то реально интересный альбом. Тут я вот прям с кайфом слушал интересные звуки, музыкальные размеры и так далее, и это все при том, что в базе своей это такой обычный поп-рок. Но в некоторых местах тут интересного, конечно, навертели. Я крайне рекомендую музыкантам и любителям музыки ознакомиться с этим альбомом и почерпнуть как интересные моменты, так и просто кайфануть и порадоваться. Хороший альбом!

YEAAAA pj harvey!!! of course i know her. this was fucking beautiful

this is the shit

She can roar with the best of them, but it’s such a treat to hear her singing. We Float is so pretty. There’s a lot of range on this album.

This is genuinely one of the most engaging albums I've ever heard so yes, I agree this is an album you need to hear before you die. 10/10 Amazing

I had caught PJ Harvey touring this album in Berlin - and it was the first big name I got to watch live - and it was incredible - set in Museuminsel among grand old buildings and Polly Jean playing Good Fortune - it will always be a big part of my life. Listening to this album again welled up those memories as well as made me appreciate objectively what a lovely record this is end to end - moody, melodic and for once I really appreciate Thom Yorke’s contributions. To me this is an awesome record undoubtedly.

Total New York City vibes here. PJ Harvey is one of a kind and delivers another gem on this one.

on one hand, i think anyone can make a PJ Harvey record. this isn't a bad thing; her songs are brutal, visceral, straightforward as a punch to a chin. if you care enough about your art and how you can push it without ever breaking it into unidentifiable bits, like some car speeding down the highway with bits falling off of its chassis, i think you could make something similar to a PJ Harvery record, even something almost as good as "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea". like a vegan hot dog. on the other hand, nobody can make a PJ Harvey record except PJ Harvey. you can try to sing like her, you can thrash on your guitar, you can write your nice little hooks and it'll still be like trying to beat a cheetah in a footrace. you could even do the nice little touch of having the last two tracks of the album be relatively quiet comapred to everything that came before. but it just won't be as good. i'm sorry. every time i familiarize myself with her art further, the more and more sure i am that the whole "she was going to try out to do vocals on the third Slint album!" thing is complete bullshit. Nick Cave, as often as Harvey is compared to him, is still someone i could see being in a band. not so for PJ. so, it's a nine. honestly, if i spend more time with this, it might be a ten. i don't think i have a single track i even dislike here. need to get to know it a bit better, i guess.