Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Trop bien, je connaissais de nom mais j'avais jamais écouté d'album (je crois ?) Une vibe carrément The Do j'ai trouvé, ça change en restant ma came
Wowzers, what a fantastic album. Another one where I questioned why I hadn’t listened to it before. It was a great listen all the way through with the songs connecting well. By the second or third listen I was engaged with it. I also noticed each song had its own video and after seeing these out it added another level of imagery wishing only added to the overall album experience. This one will be firmly on my playlist from now on.
A brilliant example of a postmodern approach to indie rock, as well as a treasure trove of profound lyrics about death, war and destruction #99 in my all-time chart
i was riding a bus, listening to The Glorious Land when the sun came out and i felt it i enjoyed every minute of this
love how experimental this is. feels like you can hear her songwriting process
I didn’t really feel this record when it first came out, which was the case for pretty much all of her work after “Stories From The City…” but I got more out of it this listen. There’s a lot of beauty and depth to it, and I’m sure I’ll find even more on subsequent listens. I still feel like some tracks end abruptly when they could have gone somewhere interesting, but maybe that’s the point. Definitely need to spend some time with the lyrics to get the full context.
Min etta på årsbästalistan 2011. Har i ärlighetens namn inte lyssnat på PJ så mycket varken före eller efter. Här tar på sig uppgiften att göra ett temaalbum om krig. Då 10 år efter nine-eleven, med dess efterföljder onekligen i tiden. Idag snart 15 år senare, tyvärr än mer aktuellt. Även om jag tankarna snarare går till första världskrigets skyttegravar och Englands koloniala arv, än till modern krigföring. Visst det är oerhört pretentiöst, men det måste finnas utrymme för det även inom popmusiken. PJ lyckas med en sådan exakt skärp kombinera temat och texterna med en genomträngande hopplöshet i musiken. Inte minst i låtar som The glorious land, All and everyone eller written on the forehead. För att inte tala In dark places, albumets kanske starkaste spår. Skivan gör fortfarande ett oerhört starkt avtryck på mig. Det hade jag nog inte väntat mig.
Perfect November album
Excellent!
I really enjoyed that a lot. I had never heard of PJ Harvey before. I will be listening to more PJ Harvey in the future. It gave me Kate Bush vibes for sure
I’m already a big fan of this record. It’s so visceral and haunting.
I'm definitely in love with this woman beauty but the music only sends that into the stratosphere. She has an interesting voice sort of like Bjorks even but with more alternative rock style instrumentation. Very watery reverbed guitars, cool arrangements and weird unexpected sounds over this thing. I think she has more acclaimed albums that are a little more straightforward but this is a very unique experience tha I think will grow on me the more I listen. Great opener and closer, also love The words maketh the murder, on battleship hill, bitter branches, written on the forehead and hanging in the wire.
I'm ashamed this was my first listen... Great album! Beautiful melodies and instrumentation with brutal... honest lyrics about the human cost of wars. No skips.
I’m at a 5. Possibly higher. I just feel somber after listening to that, which in this case, is the hallmark of a highly effective album. This is a war-based album, one that touches on real history that I believe spans from World War I to World War II, with a slight commentary on the events of the Middle East that dominated much of the 2000s on “Written on the Forehead”. It is soberingly & brilliantly written, with many of these tracks seemingly from the perspective of soldiers either in the moment or reminiscing with a PTSD-driven eye, yet it musically leans towards a garage rock vibe that anchors the album in a sort of contemporary folk-esque way. These feel like they could’ve been written years ago, and given the intense research PJ apparently did in making this album feel as accurate & sort of emotionally pulling as possible, I think she did a great job at somehow evoking the events of a century ago while making it feel palatable to modern tastes. I’ll give a lot of credit to the production work here; this is a 2011 album, with garage rock leanings, but it feels like it could have been recorded today. None of the obvious production marks of the early 2010s are here, with a very consistent set of instruments (namely the lower, heavier percussion that anchors a lot of the tracks), and as such, it sort of adds to the vaguely timeless feel of these tracks. Sure, some of these tracks have extended intros that feel a little long in the moment, but I think they work in the sense that they build up tension very well, especially after some of the heavier tracks here. Vocally, I think “Let England Shake” is a bit of a bad tonesetter for the more thoughtful & narrative tone she takes for most of the album. I really like a lot of her vocals here, even when she goes full Bjork on “England”. I can’t really understand some of the 1s & 2s on the site; either they didn’t pay an inch of attention to the lyricism, their brains can’t come up with the imagery that she’s trying to evoke, or they just bounced off of this for reasons I can’t possibly figure out. Yes, it should not take a (then) 42-year-old English lady to remind me of the horrors of war, but if you’re using that as an excuse to diss the album, then you were never going to engage with this in good faith. I think this might be the best PJ Harvey album we’ve gotten so far, and I already thought “Dry” was really, really good. I desperately need to relisten to “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea”, as I think I’d appreciate it more now. As far as this goes, I think the floor here is a 4, and for my history-loving tastes & with how much I just connected to this in a sobering way, it’s easily at a 5 for me, if not higher. Very, very good stuff & yet another successful Mercury Prize-nominated/winning album.
i love you polly jean
Stunning. I already liked some of the singles but this as an album blew me away. Brought back memories of some of these songs at Golden Plains and the atmosphere in the ‘Sup at the time. So so good.
Really compelling album - definite revisit.
Alveg hrikalega sterk plata frá PJ, þar sem hún drullar yfir öll stríð í heiminum fyrr og síðar. Titillagið alveg óendanlega töff.
И опять стори тайм: я нашел альбом PJ Harvey "Let England Shake" в каком-то претенциозном паблике в ВК с описанием, будто передо мной - величайшая музыка в истории. И вот я, лет пятнадцати мальчик, слушаю и думаю: блять, что за хуйня, какая скука. С тех пор я очень полюбил PJ Harvey, потому что, хотя мне совсем не понравился этот альбом, кто-то серьезный сказал, что музыка у нее отличная, и я продолжал слушать, пока в какой-то момент не щелкнуло (смотрите ниже, альбом Stories From The City...). Но вот я здесь, 20 августа 2025, и мне кажется, что это ее лучший альбом, самый ровный и самый интересный. Лучшая песня - The Words That Maketh Murder.
++*: England ++: Let England Shake, The Last Living Rose, The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, All and Everyone, On Battleship Hill, Bitter Branches, Hanging in the Wire, Written on the Forehand, The Color of the Earth +: In the Dark Places 9,7/10
I continue to be stunned by PJ Harvey's brilliance. This is my third album of hers from the generator, and the third time I've kicked myself for never listening to her before. She's everything I love about an artist. Poetic, a next-level one-of-a-kind creative soul, fully committed to her vision even though some may find it abrasive. Who cares? She's a rock star. I don't even know how to compare Let England Shake to anything else. The concept and musical style are so unique. That's a 5 star album in my book.
I'm a huge PJ Harvey fan, but I'll admit that in recent years she has a tendency to allow the concept of an album interfere with how enjoyable it is to listen to (see also Bjork). However this album is for me the peak of having a strong concept that's meaningful to me (as an Englishman) and sounding great. I don't love it quite as much as I did in 2011, but it's still a solid 5/5.
## In-Depth Review: PJ Harvey's *Let England Shake* - A War-Torn Masterpiece **Introduction** Released in 2011, PJ Harvey's *Let England Shake* stands as a radical departure from her earlier blues-rock roots, transforming into a haunting meditation on war, national identity, and historical trauma. Recorded in a 19th-century Dorset church, the album won the Mercury Prize (Harvey’s second, making her the only artist to achieve this) and topped numerous "Album of the Year" lists . Below, we dissect its lyrical depth, musical innovation, production, themes, and enduring influence. ### **Lyrics: Poetry of Carnage and Contradiction** Harvey spent 2.5 years researching war poetry, soldier testimonies, and conflicts from Gallipoli to Afghanistan. The lyrics prioritize narrative precision over polemic: - **Vivid Imagery**: "Soldiers fall like lumps of meat" (*The Words That Maketh Murder*) and "arms and legs in the trees" evoke visceral war horror . - **Historical Nuance**: Tracks like *On Battleship Hill* reference WWI’s Gallipoli Campaign, linking past and present trauma ("Cruel nature has won again") . - **Dark Irony**: Samples like Eddie Cochran’s "What if I take my problem to the United Nations?" (*The Words That Maketh Murder*) mock failed diplomacy . - **Ambivalent Patriotism**: *England* juxtaposes love ("undaunted, never failing love") with bitterness ("you leave a taste, a bitter one") . Harvey adopts a detached, almost ghostly narrator—eschewing protest-song didacticism for fragmented human perspectives . ### **Music: Folk Elegance Meets Sonic Dissonance** Musically, the album blends English folk, dream-pop, and avant-garde textures: - **Instrumentation**: Autoharp and zither create ethereal backdrops (*All and Everyone*), while distorted brass and saxophones evoke martial chaos (*The Glorious Land*) . - **Melodic Juxtaposition**: Upbeat, "jaunty" tunes contrast grim lyrics. *The Last Living Rose* pairs jangly guitars with depictions of "stinking alleys" . - **Vocal Shift**: Harvey’s high-register vocals (a carryover from *White Chalk*) lend fragility, amplifying the lyrics’ eerie detachment . *Key Tracks Analysis*: | **Track** | **Musical Style** | **Lyrical Theme** | |-------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------| | *Let England Shake*| Reverbed folk-rock | National decline ("England’s dancing days done") | | *The Glorious Land*| Bugle samples, martial drums | War’s impact on children ("deformed fruit") | | *Written on the Forehead* | Reggae sample (*Blood and Fire*) | Civilian suffering in riots | ### **Production: Atmospheric Alchemy in Sacred Space** Produced with Flood, John Parish, and Mick Harvey, the church setting became integral: - **Natural Acoustics**: Reverb from stone walls creates a "sanctified" atmosphere, especially on piano-driven tracks like *Hanging in the Wire* . - **Live Recording**: Minimal overdubs preserve spontaneity; improvisation allowed collaborators to shape arrangements . - **Textural Layering**: Samples (e.g., Niney the Observer’s *Blood and Fire*) are woven like "ghosts" into the mix, mirroring the album’s themes of historical haunting . ### **Themes: War, Memory, and National Identity** - **War as Eternal Glacier**: Rejecting simplistic "anti-war" messaging, Harvey explores war’s inescapability and its residue on landscapes and psyche . - **England’s Duality**: The album critiques imperial violence while mourning lost glory ("weighted down with silent dead") . - **Timeless Trauma**: WWI imagery parallels modern conflicts (e.g., "dull and browny red" earth in *The Colour of the Earth* mirrors Iraq’s deserts) . ### **Influence: Redefining Protest Art** - **Cultural Impact**: Collaborations with war photographer Seamus Murphy (12 short films) expanded the album into a multimedia critique . - **Artistic Legacy**: Cemented Harvey’s evolution from personal angst to political commentary, influencing later projects like *The Hope Six Demolition Project* . - **Critical Benchmark**: Hailed as one of the "greatest anti-war albums," its literary depth drew comparisons to Wilfred Owen and Goya . ### **Pros and Cons** | **Pros** | **Cons** | |-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------| | **Lyrical Mastery**: Combines poetry with brutal imagery | **Vocal Style**: High register may alienate fans of Harvey’s raw early work | | **Musical Innovation**: Folk-rock fused with dissonant samples | **Thematic Weight**: Relentless war focus feels overwhelming to some | | **Production Atmosphere**: Church acoustics enhance ethereality | **Ambiguity**: Abstract narratives challenge casual listeners | | **Thematic Resonance**: Universalizes war’s trauma beyond England | **Repetitive Motifs**: Some tracks blur together (e.g., *In the Dark Places*) | ### **Conclusion: A Haunting Triumph** *Let England Shake* remains PJ Harvey’s crowning achievement—a work where beauty and brutality coexist in uneasy harmony. Its refusal to offer easy answers about war or nationalism ensures its relevance in tumultuous times. While its unflinching gaze may unsettle, the album’s artistic audacity (e.g., sampling reggae in a WWI elegy) secures its place as a landmark in 21st-century music . As Harvey herself noted: *"I sing as a human being affected by politics"* —a humility that makes this masterpiece all the more powerful.
Such a beautiful and haunting album. PJ can do no wrong in my eyes.
Let England Shake alone makes this an awesome album
P J Harvey has always just been there before, but I got the chance to sit and listen to this one, and honestly I thought it was great. Could definitely listen to it on a car journey too.
Just such a strong album, both in terms of themes and musically. If this is a modern protest album then the last 15 years shows the limit of what that can achieve, although when she sings “I’m gonna take my problem to the United Nations”, even at the time the singer and the audience both knew what that would achieve, so it’s probably an unfair way to judge the album when the only realistic outcome is raising some kind of awareness of Western atrocities and war crimes. And it slaps.
Beautiful, moving - adore the themes and the whole album is so cohesive. One or two small notes - I think it has a few sequencing problems, would prefer it starts on The Glorious Land as I think that is a stronger opener - would also prefer it has a better album artwork (I do often judge a book by it's cover). It might be more of a strong 4, but my guy after first few listens says it's a future favourite for me.
I bloody love PJ Harvey. What an album. When this 1001 Journey is over I think I need to make the effort to listen to the Mercury Prize winner each year because everyone I've heard so far has been grand.
I don’t know where to start. How do you describe this album? Haunting. Quirky. Odd. Lyrical. Fascinating? I found myself diving onto Google to research what she was singing about. Most of the war references were of Gallipoli. So yes England (Britain really) were involved but those battles were primarily Anzacs. And unfortunately (whatever Wikipedia may say) the bugle call used in ‘The Glorious Land’ I recognise as the US Army ‘Assembly’ call (I love that track by the way, and America is mentioned in the lyrics so I can let it go). Minor quibbles. I love the compositions; Love the lyrics; Love the voice; Love the production. This is a superb album. I actually rated all the tracks individually, but then thought that they are all part of a whole so I’ve binned those ratings. Overall it’s a clear 5.
A haunting and stunning album.
I wasn't too familiar with PJ Harvey's music before this challenge and I liked all of her albums that came up here. 'Let England Shake' was the best one so far - I only listened to it twice, but I'm giving this 5 stars in advance. I have to read the lyrics more carefully as I read she put a lot of years and effort to write this album. The music is stunning and completely unique, it isn't comparable to anything I have heard before. The singing, the arrangements, the production and the songwriting are all top. What a special and beautiful album it is.
The year this was released was the year I moved away from England moving overseas. This has a deep nostalgia to me and I’m a big fan of PJ Harvey
First pj harvey album I’ve listened to and my GOD the bar has been set high. Absolutely gorgeous, ethereal, richly layered, etc. I’m a sucker for some somber chord progressions with some horns thrown in. It might lose its momentum a bit towards the end but that might just be because I have a short attention span and need to revisit the last few songs another time. But still rounding up for how incredible it is as a whole
Wow this one was wicked and was so much better than all the other PJ Harvey albums. Why don't all lists just have this one and sack the others off?
Probably my favorite PJ Harvey album. Listened to it twice in a row. Hard to pick out a favorite track here, but I love the guitars in "In The Dark Places".
PJ. Harvey, good, not PJ Harvey bad.
Possibly my second favorite PJ Harvey album, after "Stories." While all of Harvey's albums sort of feel like concept albums I feel like this one delivers the most in those regards, and is a complex and rich enough reckoning of England's legacy that it still feels new to me almost 15 year on.
The way PJ Harvey can veer from bad bitch rocking out (Dry, Rid of Me) to introspective melancholy (White Chalk) to albums that masterfully do both (Stories from the City, To Bring You My Love, Is This Desire?) is seriously just genius. The fact that she can also drop an album that's a haunting meditation on war and the through line of colonialism - while also making it eminently listen-able - is just another example of her amazing versatility and talent.
She's just one of a kind
This was a powerful and intense album. Brilliant. Favorite tracks: Let England Shake and The Colour Of The Earth
One of her best works. Unique, urgent, melodic, colorful.
Mesterværk. Helt fantastisk og unik lyd, et af de mest gennemførte konceptalbums. Virkelig hårde tekster, jeg får stadig kuldegysninger over det hele hver gang jeg hører første vers af All and Everyone. "Goddamn Europeans -- take me back to beautiful England". - mig når jeg lander i MUC den 18. marts, måske. Alternativt: "England -- you leave a taste, a bitter one."
Another surprise from PJ Harvey. Smart, catchy and just strange enough to keep my interest piqued. Really enjoyed this.
Best album of the 10s imo. Wonderful
This was a really good album. It doesn’t have the raw, unpolished, and gritty feel of her earlier work—instead, the production is crisp and more atmospheric. The arrangements are minimalist and stripped-down, but despite the simplicity, they’re still intricate and carefully layered. The way the elements interact shows just how much thought was put into the details. The layered vocals and harmonies really enhance the album’s ethereal quality. Thematically, the album draws inspiration from World War I, focusing on conflict, loss, and the decline of England, exploring how war shapes society.
Intelligent and wonderfully crafted - the history, poetry, antiwar sentiment, unique take on folk music, the drastic change of her vocal and instrumental style. Truly special.
La imagen de Bjork y PJ Harvey cantando juntas el I can´t get no Satisfaction en la gala de los Brit´94 fue tan potente como clarividente: dominarían la escena musical de las siguientes décadas. Y eso que lo que estaba programado era otra cosa muy diferente: (un duo Bork- Meat Loaf y luego otro de PJHarvey-Jamiroquai) pero ellas decidieron hacer uno solo ellas juntas. Ya antes, y desde entonces, ni una ni otra han defraudado y siguen publicando obras de enorme valor. Let England Shake no es un álbum para comenzar a descubrirla, para eso están los eternos To bring you my love y Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. Jamás ha publicado un disco que baje del notable alto, y tiene unos cuantos en su mochila. Aquí su voz se vuelve sorprendentemente aguda y contenida, inlcuye arpa, saxo, trombón, cítara, xilófono, violín al margen de sus colaborades de confianza (Parish y Harvey). Todo ello compone un disco que a pesar de su tono (anti)bélico e initimista luce como un rayo de sol. Dejó de hacer discos formidables para hacer obras de arte. Otros discos de 2011: Debut de Anna Calvi, la que puede considerarse en parte su heredera. R.E.M. / Collapse Into Now, Washed Out / Within And Without, Veronica Falls / Veronica Falls, Manos de Topo / Escapar con el anticiclón, The Rapture / In The Grace Of Your Love, Arctic Monkeys / Suck It And See, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart / Belong, Adele/21, Borjk/Biophilia, The Drums/ Portamento, -The Vaccines / What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, La Casa Azul / La Polinesia Meridional, -Kurt Vile / Smoke Ring For My Halo, Low/C´mon, Panda Bear / Tomboy, Lykke Li / Wounded Rhymes, Fleet Foxes / Helplessness Blues, M83 / Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Bon Iver / Bon Iver, Destroyer/ Kaputt, Girls / Father, Son, Holy Ghost, James Blake / James Blake, Fernando Alfaro / La vida es extraña y rara, Florence & The Machine: Ceremonials, Real Estate – Days, The Horrors – Skying, The Black Keys – El Camino, Yuck-Yuck, Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams, Radiohead – The King of Limbs, Charles Bradley-No time for dreaming, Wilco - The Whole Love, Balam Acab - Wander / Wonder, Wye Oak - Civilian, Jay-Z / Kanye West - Watch the Throne, St. Vincent- Strange mercy... También Born this way, Angles, Mylo Xyloto, 4...
This is so good, and completely different from the other PJ Harvey album I listened to (“Rid of Me,” which was also excellent). Not as raw or energetic, but haunting and sad, which fits the theme. After listening to albums on this list for just over a year and hearing so many that sound similar and blend together, this album stands out as something unique and beautiful. I keep going for gems like this, and I’m grateful to this project for introducing me to Harvey’s music. Favorite track: On Battleship Hill
Qué buena es! Me recuerda, a veces, a Clap your hands and say yes.
Finally a true five star album. I'd give it six if I could. She's made something that tells so many stories, all of them unique with their own songs but they all work together so well. The colour of the earth is the most beautiful, moving war song I've ever heard. I've never had an emotional response to an album like I still have to this one.
I don't remember how I found this album. I knew of pj, but wasn't a huge fan. I really can't define why the album speaks to me so deeply, but it's so rich and rewarding the more I listen. I think about it randomly, those plucked out notes of the first track popping into my head. It's brilliant and I thought it was a secret pleasure for me. I was shocked it came up here and it's validating.
Qué buena es! Me recuerda, a veces, a Clap your hands and say yes.
i worship u pj harvey
An absolute must listen to - never tire of listening to it
I've seen PJ Harvey live now 3 times this year (thanks festivals!) so I've seen a bunch of these songs live. I really enjoyed it. PJ Harvey has been a great discovery through this list.
Fantastic! In a world of Swifties there should be more Harvey’s
I'm mesmerized by PJ. This won an award. I play it often. I'll be generous and give it a 5.
Það eru einhverjir töfrar hérna, dáleiðandi beat og söngur. Er langt eftir í á í þessu góða verkefni, en ég hef bara verið of upptekinn við að hlusta á þessa plötu á repeat. Njótið.
Whatever I thought of the three previous PJ Harvey albums (I liked them), I totally fell in love with this one! Just has an amazing unique sound (autoharp!) and such interesting lyrics, but most of all this one is one I want to listen to more times for pure enjoyment.
This had a different sound. I liked it!
Unique and moving. Amazing.
PJ Harvey is an artist new to me from this project, and I’ve really liked what I’ve heard. This is different from those other albums, but stands with the best of them - a contender for favorite PJ Harvey album for sure! I loved the odd folksy/old-timey military feel of a lot of this. It really felt like it was from another time and yet still strangely modern and new. That’s quite a feat! Terrific!
PJ Harvey is brilliant. I really admire her drive — and ability — to continuously push her art to new and challenging places with each release. When this album came out (I can't believe it's been 13 years), I was blown away. On this listen, I was equally captivated and really struck by how this seems to channel ghosts from the past. The songs sound like they were written a century ago, and there is something haunting the album as a whole. As much as a collection of thought-provoking and emotionally evocative material, there's a heart-wrenching sheen cast by the performances here, and I am all in.
I tried getting into PJH for years (Jeff first tried to get me into her back in 95), but I could never find my way in until Andre played this for me on a road trip. I was immediately smitten. The songwriting, performance, production... it all came together for me, and I've been a PJH fan ever since. Sometimes you just need to find the right door. There's so much to admire here, but I especially love all the interpolations, samples, and subtle call-backs to older songs: Istanbul (Not Constantinople), Summertime Blues, Caroline No, Blood and Fire, etc.
There's not an album of hers I don't love. A few years back I read a New Yorker article about her work on The Hope Six Demolition Project. What I recall is how she's inspired by and takes a few different historical/political themes and weaves them into her work after deep research and thought. I knew Let England Shake must have had similar inspiration and this morning Andre confirmed---WWI, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars. The purpose and meaning she puts into her work is in part some of the reason why every single album Polly Jean puts out is a banger. Plus she fucking rocks. Jen introduced me to PJ back in the 90s (Down by the Water) and Andre helped me explore her canon of work. Just opening this album with Let England Shake merits 5+ stars but every single song is immense in lyrics, sound, and meaning.
Probably her best album, Polly Jean forever. A-
beautifully realized and fulfilling piece of art; that being said I don't love what she's doing with her voice here as a big time Rid of Me fan, and there are some stretches that are definitely on the grating side. have to give it up and give it a 5 for the excellent realization of a vision, but this is not something I'd ever have going on repeat
I love it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Polly for president!
Used to own Down by the Water which I really liked but I feel this album really shows her maturity as a songwriter. All songs are great. Less quirky than previous work but that's not a bad thing. A pleasant album I will listen to again.
PJ Harvey.
Let England Shake: 5/5 The Last Living Rose: 5/5 The Glorious Land: 4/5 The Words That Maketh Murder: 4/5 All And Everyone: 5/5 On Battleship Hill: 5/5 England: 4/5 In The Dark Places: 4/5 Bitter Branches: 5/5 Hanging In The Wire: 5/5 Written On The Forehead: 4/5 The Colour Of The Earth: 4/5 Avg.: 4.5
One of her best.
Before I listen to this I am writing down that I've always thought this is one of the ugliest album covers ever made. After listening, that was as good as expected, very
Qué buena es! Me recuerda, a veces, a Clap your hands and say yes.
Beautiful!
I’ve never listened to PJ Harvey so this was a pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed this.
Smart, funny, sad, weird!! Incredible. Can’t wait to go down the pj hole
finally some polly jean !!! i’m an unabashed stan i love this album - beautiful intense lyricism and interesting instrumentation i think PJ is one of the coolest songwriters out there, it’s remarkable to take a rly alienating concept and make something compelling and accessible like this i also think it’s exciting that later in her career she did something that was such a departure from her earlier work and still made an album that is true to her identity as an artist i love you polly 😍😍😍😍
Let England Shake The Last Living Rose All And Everyone On Battleship Hill England
Would listen again
I kept listening to "Let England Shake" over and over, trying to figure out why I liked it so much. Or whether I liked it that much? It was somewhat in the background while I was working, so I wondered if paying more attention would reduce my appreciation. But every time I came away really enjoying it. Different from early PJ Harvey, to be sure, but I dug it. And then dug it again. And again. Glad there's more PJ Harvey yet to come, and I see why she is the only artist with 4 Mercury Prize nominations and 2 wins.
Я только за музыку и ее перформанс ставлю 5. Я влюблен
Вау, я кажется нашёл для себя ещё один удивительный альбом. И очень интересный. Ну во-первых, это уже далеко не тихо-громко. Здесь тебя музыкой погружают в определённое состояние транса, чтобы "ненавязчиво" с тобой очень серьёзно поговорить. Или же, другая трактовка у меня есть - это своего рода песни умирающего лебедя, то есть - умирающего британского величия. Умирающих без какой-либо надежды. Вообще забавно получается, как у нас идёт три подряд альбома, так или иначе посвящённые Великобритании, её былому величию, её проблемам, старым и новым. И насколько разными они вообще в принципе могут быть. Goddamn Europeans! Take me back to the beautiful England!
Qué buena es! Me recuerda, a veces, a Clap your hands and say yes.
Listen to it again. And again.
pj harvey is my wife
This may not be y favorite PJ’s work, but definitely it has a special place. The thematic, sound palette, and mood felt all over the album is well- defined and unique. It is a sort of critique to England, its chauvinism, and traditions that is not offensive, but sincere. I don’t think we have any filler on this album. Each song needed to be there. My personal favorite: Written on the forehead.
the songs rattle through at a fair clip, with the perfect back wash of reverb, understated instruments and Polly hitting the spot
I had overlooked her when she first came out. In recent years I realize now what I was missing. Great music with enough challenge in there to make it interesting.
- Heard this before - Great, great album - Surprised by how low the average rating on this website is for it - Probably prefer this to her older ones - Like every single song on this - Fav songs: The Last Living Rose, The Words that Maketh Murder, The Glorious Land
What an album! I have listened to many of the older stuff by PJ Harvey, but I have never looked at the newer record, like "Let England Shake". And as it happens quite frequently, it was a great mistake. This album is definitely as close to my liking as possible, with melancholic, original sound, reminding me of less black metal-ish Chelsea Wolfe, or A. A. Williams. I love the atmosphere of the whole package, unusual vocal by PJ and catchy and rather sad melodies, riffs and beats. Also, the lyrics are deeply emotional and actually quite relevant. I was also surprised to hear that this album was recorded by Mick Harvey (apparently a coincidence), long standing contributor to Nick Cave and Bad Seeds. And well, it makes sense - if you will compare some of the albums by PJ Harvey and older (or even more recent) records by Nick Cave - they all have that melancholic vibe and style, which attracts me to their music. It is a great album and straight away I will look for a vinyl LP for my collection.
The Parker Posey of rock. Every performance is beyond great, different from all the others, and yet completely underappreciated from a mass popularity standpoint. Polly Jean famously only sought to have each album be different from her previous work (which is sort of like Parker Posey now that I think about it). The Brits get Harvey more than the States every have. Some day PJ Harvey is going to get her just desserts in the US and be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It'll probably take a Kate Bush/Stranger Things sync of some sort. I believed such a thing was about to happen last year when Down By The Water was used in Yellowjackets. Maybe that would have occurred if that series was on Netflix instead of Showtime. The great news for Polly Jean Harvey - and all of us - is that she's not done making music yet.
Really enjoyed this, great album!
An incredible concept and brilliantly executed. "Written on the Forehead" is a bop and the whole record is flawless. This is a 5+/5.
It’s a smart and catchy set of songs — especially the first four tracks. This is a must-listen 2010s rock album!
This is an intriguing album, I had listened to it before but never really penetrated it until now. I'd like to look up the lyrics a bit more because they seem to have some quite specific historical references. I'm wavering between 4 and 5 stars for this one, but I'm feeling generous after getting several very mediocre albums in a row, so I'll give it a 5.
PJ Harveyn teki aikoinaan kiinnostavaksi se, että hänen musiikkinsa kuulosti miehen tekemältä. Tai pikemminkin 15-vuotias minä koki suuren valaistumisen: tyttökin voi kuulostaa TÄLTÄ, kun siihen asti olin fanittanut pelkkiä miehiä tai poikia. Noihin aikoihin verrattuna nämä uudemmat levyt kuulostavat vähemmän yllättäviltä, mutta yhä toki kovin kauniilta. Harvemmin tulee kyllä tätä kuunneltua, toivottavasti listalla on vanhatkin PJ:t.
"Let England Shake" is the eighth studio from PJ Harvey. The album was recorded in a Dorset County church in five weeks and won the 2011 UK Mercury Prize. Lyrically, this is an intense affair as PJ sings about war, portraits of war and the devastation of World World I typically from the vantage point of a soldier. Speaking of singing, PJ uses a much a higher octave-voice almost a like little girl than her previous more mature voice. I think it works extremely well. PJ spent a few years researching World War I and modern soldiers who were in Iran and Afghanistan. Quite an effort and it pays off big time. A rolling beat and autoharp start "Let England Shake" almost sounding like The Doors which is no accident since she listed them along with a lot of others as influences for this album. The PJ high octave voice. Commenting on those who lost their lives in the Gallipoli War. Multiple singers give the second single "The Glorious Land" almost a sing-along feel . Although with the horns and guitar this ends up more a March. About America bombing Japan. The autoharp which she learned to play proir to this album stands out in the first single "The Words that Make the Murder." Happy sounding music as she sings about the atrocities of war. As many of you know, I'm a fan of dichotomies and contrasting things. In the second half, PJ rips off a few rockers and I thought I might be listening to "Rid of Me." "In The Dark Places" rocks with an electric guitar, builds tension and features a trombone. A soldier wakes up, scans his war field and ends with him hiding in the forest with his gun. "Bitter Branches" continues with a fast-paced guitar. PJ screaming. We're back to 1992 PJ. A soldier dying and will eventually be in the ground. "Written on the Forehead" is the third single and probably my favorite song on the album. Dreamy-like with piano. We're back to high-pitched PJ. Emotional. Beautiful in its sound. More about war images in the Middle East. A background voice talking about fires and ending with PJ singing "Let it burn." This is a great album. It might be my favorite PJ one and she has some very, very excellent albums. A must listen.
I've adored & worshipped PJ ever since I heard Sheela-na-gig way back in the day. Constantly evolving, constantly changing, constantly delivering some of the finest albums known to humanity.
Everything but the recording points to this being the exemplary English-folk-rock release in recent decades. That first property even points straight back to Harvey herself, and the grimier overall sounds of earlier releases. One is tempted to say "darker", but the lyrical material on Let England Shake represents as much darkness as anything, the smooth elegant choking kind. The listening experience was inviting, even in the context it occurred in. It's like Björk but further in English, and I must be true to that impression.
How did I ever miss this album? One of the best of the last 20+ years, at least. Highly recommended.
An angry and impassioned commentary on the realities and futility of war, juxtaposing those who start wars with those who have to fight them. Musically and lyrically innovative and unique. The singing of critical lyrics of war over music that is reminiscent of traditional English folk is striking and clever. Form and function perfectly in sync to devastating effect. An artistic triumph and essential listening. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: The Glorious Land Date listened: 26/08/22
I've always liked PJ Harvey, but never enough to listen to her albums. This changed my mind, in a good way.
The mere fact that two decades in since the start of her musical career, and after all the great albums she put out, PJ Harvey managed to conceptualize, write, and record one of the top three LPs she's ever released justifies the presence of "Let England Shake" in this list. What we have here is a very rare animal. It's a loose concept album about war and its weight on the English collective consciousness, but this admittedly ambitious conceit never goes in the way of the overall musicality and individual strength of the songs gathered for said record's tracklist. Those songs are indeed some of the most memorable she ever penned, between the lively numbers "Let England Shake", "The Words That Maketh Murder" (and its infectious male background vocals by Mick Harvey and longtime producer John Parish), and the cavalry horn-propelled "In The Glorious Lands", not to mention all the poignant ballads interspersed in the middle of thdm ("The Last Living Rose" and "All And Everyone" come to mind here, even if none of those already great cuts can can match with "In The Dark Places" and its epic finale--hear those moving voices lamenting about a world born out of WW1 trenches and weep, dear listener). Parish's production of those admirable compositions is balanced, dynamic and subtle--rarely has auto-harp in a "rock" album sounded so good before--and Polly Jean's vocal performance is one-of-a-kind--each inflexion of her voice, from shrill and eccentric adlibs to lower and more grounded moments, clearly telling the listener that she is inhabited by many different characters in the course of her musical yarn. Add lush brass to the mix as a colorful conterpoint, and the end result is one of the best albums of the 2010s, and certainly the best record of 2011. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 878 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 66 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 30 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 27
I’ve been hearing that this album is great since it came out and I’m dumb for not listening to it until now because it is great.
What a hammer-blow of an album.
I consider myself a bit of PJ Harvey fan, but I haven't spent a lot of time with this album and found it very curious. It certainly deserves more time and I'm sure I'll get more into it with each listen. Faves from today: The Glorious Land, On Battleship Hill, Written On The Forehead
Well this is unlike the PJ Harvey I'm familiar with - way less abrasive and raw, this is dreamy and folky, and I can't help feeling a little sinister... PJ Harvey does the Wicker Man! Fave track - "The Words That Maketh Murder", perhaps? Will definitely be coming back to this album....
Interesting throughout and her voice is perfect.
It's like the angriest most darkly produced folk you can get, I really love this album.
<3
I can't believe this album is over 10 years old still think of it as being current. ii quite like PJ but this album blew me away when I first heard it. the vision of it is staggering and quite unique. the visceral lyrics play on the horrors of war of the cultural constructs of nations. the music is amazing, distorted guitars, bulges and autoharp makes an altered sound. but back to the central album question what is it? this one answers by the fact the songs hang together all part of a shared vision of a something unique brutal and beautiful.
<3
Great 😃
PJ :sydän: Tää saa kummasti aina kaipaamaan brittien sumuisille kukkuloille
Amazing
Hmmm, an interesting listen, one that I will come back to definitely. Particularly enjoyed Bitter Branches
One of her best.
Cool, might be on my rotation.
British people are okay, I guess. Genuinely had a nice time listening to this. I had a feeling I'd like this but I didn't think I'd feel so calm listening to this.
Epic! Love this genre, maybe make it mine?
Endlich wieder pj Harvey!! Toll toll toll!!!
really enjoyed this! it's gentle and peaceful and much better than her others, liked her vocals and the music was super easy to listen to. 9
Legendario
Really really good. Not sure how this rolled past me 10 years ago :thinking_face:
ASTOUNDING
don't know if this is my favorite pjh album, but there aren't many that are better
Initially I had trepidations, but something clicked for me and I ended up really enjoying this!
This was not what I expected, but still a solid 4.
craftmanship is here everything intentional artist in control
This album starts up as 5/5 album, but it kind of fades towards the end. One of the best PJ Harvey albums anyway!
#419 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I like some of PJ's music, but am definitely picky with it and I've mostly listened to "Stories From the City...". I like this one quite a bit and am a bit puzzled as to why I haven't found it earlier. I'm sure it was played at the office quite a few times at the time of release, but I guess at that point I wasn't receptive to her style. Strong 3/5, nearly 4/5
I liked it!
There are some really cool and weighty songs on here, but some real misses too, like the last two tracks. If she can, she should embrace the gravitas every time.
I really enjoyed this. Have been off for a while and this was really refreshing to come back to. A gorgeous mix of folk and experimental pop. Would defo listen again.
I have tried to listen to this once before years ago as I was intrigued by the concept. I remember finding it quite challenging as I'm fairly unexposed to folk and folk-adjacent music. I enjoyed it this time round and found lots to like with it. I think it successfully explores its themes with both the lyrics and instrumentation, and avoids cliche.
Sounding this good 20 years into your career is pretty damn impressive, especially for an artist as versatile as PJ Harvey. She's always been very hard to pin down, and this album only further adds to her wide collection of genres she has mastered. I really like the approach she takes to more organic pop rock, with many tracks having such an interesting and quirky vibe, but at the same time having the album have almost a quite mysterious and suspenseful sound.
I like me some feminine angst post punk rebel music. Always have, always will. PJ Harvey is "genre core" and quite very worthy. I am in kind of a weird mood this day so have little ambition to go on too long, just to say this is as good now as it was when it came out and I am happy for the re-intro.
Gorgeous and melancholic
I've never been keen on the English singing 'bout England - The Clash, the Sex Pistols, to me they sing about universal themes - but count on Polly to be an exception to just about every rule out there. PJ is also universal, but the record is undoubtedly curated for the British sentiment. 'Death was in the ancient fortress / Shelled by a million bullets / From gunners waiting in the copses / W/ hearts that threatened to pop their boxes.' That Harvey is literary goes w/o saying, but here she goes for the highest registers of the form: you can almost hear the echoes of Wilfred Owen & Isaac Rosenberg in these lines. Not as transcendent as her earlier works - it's all a bit too grave in the end - but her genius is a forceful reminder of her joys & reality.
love PJ and love this album, very happy about its inclusion
pretty solid pj harvey stuff with some björkesque allures that sometimes are annoying. anyways, i enjoyed listening to it a lot.
Pj is growing on me.
So close between a 3 and a 4 for me. I think I prefer ANGRY PJ Harvey, but this has some great stuff on it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Det här var något helt annat än Rid of me. Då Rid of me är stökigt rockig och med mycket attityd så är detta albumet tillbakalutat med soft och behaglig produktion, gjort för att bara luta sig tillbaka och ta in. Gillar albumet, det har en konsekvent produktion och sound, nästan så de olika spåren flyter in i varandra. Bäst är Let England shake, The last living rose, The glorious land, On battleship hill, In the dark places, Written on the forehead.
Been a long time since last listen. Still holds up. 3.5/5
good fun
раньше был больше знаком с творчеством из 90х, прослушал альбом 2011 года без особых ожиданий, а он прям понравился, в другой непривыяной стилистике - это 4
8/10
Didn’t think I’d like it at first, but it snuck into my brain, song by song, and by the time it was finished, I pressed play immediately. I like the ambiance and her songwriting in the album. Many tracks don’t really push the standard, but as an album, instead of a collection of songs, it’s really solid.
Actually docela dobry, jsou tam vlozeny zvuky do peknych riffu, coz mi nekdy vadi asi 4
worl wour won innit
I think I listened to one other PJ Harvey album before and it wasn’t my favorite. But wow this album was great! So much interesting stuff going on. It’s very Anglo centric and I don’t know what a lot of the songs were about but the music and vocals were captivating.
Not quite as good as other pj Harvey albums I know but I definitely want to listen again
Underwhelming cover but good music throughout.
no suena agresivo aunque hable de violencia, habla de guerras, agotamiento. me gusto, siento q es fuera de lo comun(? un poco
“The Glorious Land” is as pretty as pretty as can be. While much of this music could be filed under “period piece”, this song is the real distillation of its vision. Her vocal on “Battleship Hill” is mystifying, especially after she was singing a while octave lower for most songs before. I really enjoyed this song, maybe the best on the album. The somber melody of “In The Dark Places” was super catchy too. So many pockets of excellent writing like that, scattered around this record - like the delicate way “Hanging In The Wire” resolves it vocal melody. Some incredible work as always for PJ Harvey, and shes the right person to do well by a concept like this. Maybe not my favorite stuff shes ever put out, but still super solid. Soft 4/5
This might have been my favorite one of hers I have listened to on this list. At least its the most accessible I think. I was never a huge fan growing up, so it wasn't the quickest thing to dive into one of her albums. This album was easier than the others though. Biggest Hit - Let England Shake Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Hanging In the Wire Hidden Gem - All And Everyone
A very good war album
Obssessed?!? An unexpected win! Favourite track: The Last Living Rose
I would listen again
This album felt like it got better as it progressed. Solid.
As a Welshman it’s ingrained in me to dislike the English. I don’t HATE our neighbour but I wouldn’t say I’m a fan. This album may have shifted my view of the England. That’s the biggest compliment I can give this propaganda. Really good and I want to listen to more PJ. The Colour of the Earth was my favourite
Even with a gun to my head, I don't think I could choose my all time favourite PJ Harvey album, but today it was this one
Some absolutely stunning songs, some of her best esp. All And Everyone, and On Battleship Hill. Knocking a point off as I've never enjoyed the last two or three tracks, which don't seem to fit on the album
A duplicate day but a great one…Four stars!!!!!!!
Interesting music, interesting vibe. If I hadn't read about the album, would I have picked up what it was about? Yes, there are enough plain indicators - eg inclusion of Reveille in Our Glorious Land (which is actually nonetheless my favourite track on the album). I'm not sure if this is brilliant or wonderful but it's definitely interesting - it gave me pause, to spend more than a day on this before moving on ... It's at least Very Good, 8/10.
Let England Shake was definitely a really good album. This one definitely took a turn from the last PJ Harvey album i heard going from a very grungy sound to a more pop-esque sound. I may not like this as much as the former but i still really can't deny how textured and detailed all these songs feel especially with some excellent production. PJ Harvey herself also had a great voice which helped add to these songs. But the main show stealer is the production. I genuinely sounds so great here, it sounds incredibly polished and expensive no matter which producer worked on it. It's not my favorite kind of PJ Harvey album but its still a really good one. Best Song: Let England Shake Worst Song: The Words That Maketh Murder
8/10
i liked it
Liked this a lot
Doing this project got me into finally digging Nick Cave, so it stands to reason the same would happen with PJ Harvey. This is a much more eclectic album than I expected, and all her different modes are really engaging.
Holt mich wesentlich mehr ab als Stories (...). Das hier macht mir richtig gute Laune. Mehr Art, weniger Alternative, me likey.
Definitely the weirdest PJ Harvey album I’ve listened to yet. Sounds a bit like Joanna Newsom at points. Still very good though
Not my thing but I can appreciate it
Jättebra! Gillar Harvey lite mer rockig än så här men det är fortfarande väldigt bra. Hon skapar något nytt här och det är alltid ett plus. Let England Shake, The Last Living Rose och Written on the forehead gillade jag lite extra.
7/10
need to listen to more pj
Very interesting. I made a note at one point that read, "What if the B-52s wrote an antiwar song?" The lyrics are pointed and brutal, the performances polished and precise; it reminds me of some of Peter Gabriel's work, and I mean that as a compliment. I don't think it's something I'd listen to for enjoyment, but it's a meaningful and well-executed work.
First time listening to anything by PJ post To Bring You My Love and I was surprised by how much less aggressive this was than her early work. This was really good, pretty much every song had something in it that grabbed me. Too bad the album art is so bland.
Another day, another extremely stellar PJ Harvey release from this generator. Seriously, she's the best artist this site's introduced me to, no question. While I prefer her experimentations with noisy alt rock and soulful blues, her going chamber pop is an excellent fit. She's a true chameleon to rival Prince and Bowie, and from me, that's the highest of compliments
Could be a grower.
PJ Harvey är cool och det här har en speciell vibe.
I need to go visit England
this was pretty good pj harvey is consistently great
While I've heard the name before, this will be my first listen of any PJ Harvey song. Seconds into the first track, I thought "well, this is different. I usually don't like different, but I think I like this." ⭐⭐⭐.75
mi è piaciuto, è un album immersivo e molto interessante
shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Gotta love PJ. She keeps changing and rarely disappoints.
This has such an unusual but cohesive sound. It doesn’t sound dated. Love it.
3/4/26. I continue to love PJ's work. This one reminded me a lot of Bjork with her singing style and more stripped down sound. Another great album!
I like folk rock, and wasn't previously familiar with this one, so I enjoyed getting to listen to this. This is one I think I'd want to spend more time with to understand the words behind the music.
I was listening to this with headphones on in the car and didn't like it very much, but I think the background highway noise was ruining the music because I listened to it without headphones later in my room and it was quite good.
I was so thrilled to get an album by a woman artist after 17 straight albums written by men. This album is dense, and gets better with every listen. It’s a concept album with poetic lyrics and folk influences, which is right in my wheelhouse. The melodies and arrangements are interesting and cohesive, and the album feels sonically satisfying. But it’s also emotionally impactful, deep, and brutal. I can feel the weight and heaviness of war. I’ve never fully gotten into PJ Harvey with the exception os a few songs, but this makes me want to try again. Favorite songs: “The Glorious Land” and “On Battleship Hill.”
One of Polly Jean's best IMO. Lyrically, this hits hard. On my shelves. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★★☆ (8/10) Total reviewed : 242 Already owned : 56 Purchased : 12 To buy list : 3 Nope : 172
Not everything on this album was for me, but it was such an interesting listen, I couldn’t give it less than 4. I listened to Rid of Me a few months back and didn’t like it, but I think it deserves a relisten.
Interesting rhythms and moody vocals.
Because Let England Shake is singular in its sound, I'm tempted to attempt comparisons. To let loose a string of "sounds like this" and there's "hints of that" to give us a foothold in climbing the heights of this record. And yet, that seems as inadequate as throwing down adjectives like eerie and ethereal, etc. Ultimately, I'd have to say "but sounds like none of those things". Some records just have that quality about them and I think Let England Shake may be one of them: invites and resists comparisons. Invites a review of its many facets. So, maybe it makes more sense to talk about an album like this in relationship to the artist's oeuvre or at least that's yet another temptation. Ultimately, there is something introspective in the experience of listening to PJ Harvey here that's compelling in its own right.
I like this album a lot but I think this one and its sequel are albums you spend a year with and then rarely go back to. I choose to believe all the stuff about her researching for years is just PR and actually one afternoon she just listened to the excellent and uncharacteristic Motörhead tune 1916 a couple of times and thought hmm I could do that in a more indie style and stretch it out with different perspectives. Lemmy even sings in a higher register than usual like Polly. Go check it out.
Opening four tracks are stunning but it tails off after that.
Polly Jean had me from the xylophone here. 3.5 stars, really but rounded up because xylophone.
While this is probably not one of my favourite PJ Harvey albums but I still think this is very welld done concept album. Favourite songs: Let England shake This Glorious land The words that maketh murder
I've kind of always felt I should know more about PJ Harvey, but for whatever reason have never dug in. The first half of Let England Shake makes a strong case, but it fades in the second half. The songs started to blend together for me by the time it finished. Maybe I was just distracted. I'll revisit. Rounding up to four because those first three or four songs are really solid.
Great record. More like a piece of 'important art' than something I'd want to play over and over.
This is one of those albums that I liked more and more as the album went on; I started with not liking it THAT much then moderately liked by the end. It's not crazy good nor is it a favourite of my mine, but it's different, which I like. The album seemed quite varied which I enjoyed, especially the first track, it seemed quite Radiohead-y with the beep-boop electronic sounds. It wasn't until the ninth track "Bitter Branches" when I realised this album had quite a war theme to it. I quite like the last quarter of the album, hopefully I will like the other quarters if I give it another shot. Highlight Song/s: "The Glorious Land", "In The Dark Place" and "The Colour of the Earth"
i’m more familiar with PJ Harvey’s earlier work, but this is really cool. kind of a distillation of some early 2000s sounds like Arcade Fire and Santigold. “The Glorious Land” and “The Words That Maketh Murder” are similar songs, but the storytelling is really compelling. man, this one takes me back to the simpler times of 15 years ago in (good lord) 2011. last track ended on a weird note to me. this is a solid album
I've heard of this artist for years, so it was fun to listen to her music for the first time. The experience was enhanced by spending time with her website. It includes art, poetry, documentaries and feature films. She was also a guest designer for Francis Ford Coppola's literary magazine, something I didn't know existed, so that opened doors for me as well as her music. This album felt familiar but still new. Her voice is alternately powerful and haunting, magnetic and off-putting. Cool musical appearances of unusual instruments alongside familiar themes. Really enjoyable and I'll explore more of her music now.
I did know Pj Harvey, but only by name. But this album is so good. Actually loved this!
I only have previously listened to the title track and I loved it, so I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to the full record. Harvey's voice is unique and the guitar playing is almost hypnotic during certain parts. There isn't a bad track on here, although the closing song 'The Colour Of The Earth' does feel like an unclimatic ending for such a great album. This will definitely be one that I will return to as I feel that I will need more than a handful of listens to fully digest everything.
Another artist I’m super unfamiliar with. The start was a very different vibe from her 90’s beginnings
Man o' man, this is a good listen. I don't think I've ever listened to a PJ Harvey album from beginning to end, and I had never even heard of this 2011 release. I don't know if it's appropriate to call Let England Shake a shoegaze album, but it gives me what I want from shoegaze. It is texture-heavy, soaked in reverb. It builds intensity through a gentle ramp-up of tension, never through aggression. The music gives me a real Cocteau Twins vibe, though it's not quite as shimmery. The album is bright, though, and I needed to EQ it (bass up; mids and treble down) to fully enjoy it. Musically, the big departure from the Heaven or Las Vegas/Loveless style shoegaze is in the vocals. Harvey is up front and center, her voice layered above the rest of the mix, beautiful, vulnerable, sincere. The lyrics celebrate and lament different aspects of her native England, the wins and, mostly, the losses of its military and its now long-failed colonial system. I plan to do a bit more digging to better understand the lyrical themes. My initial reaction to Let England Shake is that it is, though perhaps not a true concept album, a record with a singular vision and consistency but without ever feeling repetitive or dragging on too long. Today, 1/16, I'm assigning four stars, but I can easily see myself upgrading it if it sticks with me.
Let England Shake // The Last Living Rose // The Words That Maketh Murder // All And Everyone // England // 3.5/5
10’s Alternative ⭐️In the Dark Places
I’ve been a real hater of PJ historically and have listened to this previously, but maybe England shook me this time
Loved this one - beautiful voice, great lyricism, dark, haunting instrumentation. Appropriately beguiling for an album about England. The first song is an all-timer, an immediate main playlist add.
Like busses these PJ Harvey albums. First one 2 years ago, and now 3 in a couple of weeks! I've heard this one before but probably only once. It's the best one of hers we've had for me. I like the theme, I like that it's a little out there. I think the first half of the album is much stronger than the latter, but it's all good 4.5
7.5/10
good stuff, but why did they pick this album over her others?
I absolutely loved the first half of this album. Such a cool ethereal sound with unique samples which were sometimes challenging. The second half was nice enough but didnt keep up the momentum as much as I'd like. 4.3/5 -> 4/5
J'ai vraiment bien aimé, la voix de la chanteuse m'a rappelé une autre artiste mais j'ai pas réussi à retrouver laquelle.
This is why I was so hard on all her other albums! This one is just so good, so it was hard for me to enjoy her older stuff.
Great album
This album is very peaceful. It's also really good. The singing is amazing. Almost everything about it is amazing. It's more soft than maybe I would like in an album, but still really good. It also seems very familiar and I'm not sure why.
Great album
I actually really enjoyed this even though I was expecting to hate this
Amazing album!
I rather foolishly, it would seem, dismissed this at the time. It turns out once you get past the fact this is vocally and musically much more subtle than earlier affairs it’s really rather impressive. The subject matter is perhaps as dark and challenging as usual mind. Some really nice song writing and the musical styles and layers are extremely varied. Nice work.
Very good, always heard about it, but never listened intently before. Some of the vocals/guitar are a bit piercing and atonal. But I guess that's part of the theme.
This album heavily subverted my expectations. It has a coherent sound despite being very experimental. I've never heard pj Harvey before, but apparently this isn't her normal style, but I have no bias as I never heard her other stuff. It grew on me - 4/5
Never got into PJ Harvey for some reason but I really liked this. I will be investigating further
7.5/10 Favourite: The Words That Maketh Murder Least Favourite: Bitter Branches
finally some good album of PJ harvey lmao
Always got time for Polly Jean, but standing by the minority opinion that her 90s work is her best, and that everything since then has been merely really, really good.
Listened with preconceptions, and surprised at this gem. Great sound, interesting songs. I think it was a full concept album about WW1 or something, but I enjoyed it.
Temaskiva om första världskriget är ett vågat koncept. Resultatet är vackert och smutsigt. När jag hör det här påminns jag om att PJ Harvey nog är en av mina absoluta favoriter av kvinnliga artister. Hennes röst innehåller så mycket - hård och mjuk, mörk och ljus, fint och fult. Det samma gäller kompositionerna. Och just det här albumet är ett av hennes starkaste. Bäst här är The glorious land, All & everyone, In the dark places och titelspåret med snyggt inlån från Istanbul, not Constantinopel. Stark fyra.
Ett riktigt bra album. Om jag ska hitta något negativt så är det något för likartade låtar mot slutet.
Refreshing listen, last album for me was a fat boy slim album so this was good!
First listen - vibe reminds me of Björk and Kate Bush at times. Several songs have been added to my playlist. I enjoyed this.
Already glad I started this, I think I would have scoffed at this album because I'm too closed minded to anything that sounds ethereal or takes a moment to build -- but I was wrong in about 30 seconds. Brilliant songwriting even more brilliant production. Feels like a warm blanket and boundary pushing at the same time. Kinda the best you can get from music.
Got it already
Vocals weren't perfect but there were some really thoughtfully composed accompaniments alongside inspiring lyrics about war and its consequences. Big Sinead O'Connor vibes, now that I think of it. A great listen!
Top Album.
Das war was komplett anderes als ich erwartet habe, da ich mich bislang nie mit PJ Harvey beschäftigt habe, aber dachte ich wüsste wie das klingt. Wusste ich nicht. Aber nach der Überraschung habe ich das Album dann sehr genossen
yessssssss
Após cerca de três anos de pesquisa para produzir este álbum, é notável que ela tenha entregado um trabalho de alta qualidade, repleto de canções poéticas e melodias oníricas.
I really enjoyed the PJ Harvey debut album all those years ago and then never listened to anything else. This album is very good indeed.
I liked this. It was fun. Got a little strange in spots (The Glorious Land) but overall very enjoyable.
I like the folkiness of this album!
I haven't heard any PJ Harvey albums from the last 15 years, and so I was surprised to see this one come up. I really liked it, as a brit folk album with a lot of personality and beautiful songwriting. I need to dig into Harvey's discography more, as I mostly only know her stuff from the late 90's and early 00's.
What a treasure PJ is!
Very good album! I'd give it a 5 if I were more into this genre.
One like the more measured pace, layered textures and folkier tones and timbres here than on their more enraged and punkier records – this is by far one's fave PJH outing. Lots of interesting and engaging (even outright tuneful cuts): title cut/opener, "The Glorious Land," "On Battleship Hill" (with lilting piano figures rounding out the tense strumming) and "Writen On the Forehead." Extremely strong outing and a major modern (and modernizing) contribution to Englandiania (see also V's St Crispin's Day speech or various 19th-century novels [Eliot, Hardy, Dickens] or The Lark Ascending or a Turner landscape).
PJ Harvey was one of my favorite parts of one of my least favorite albums that I’ve had to listen to for this challenge (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ Murder Ballads), so I genuinely had no idea what to expect from Let England Shake. Regardless, I went into it with intrigue and an open mind! The album opens up with a catchy xylophone melody, backed up by a lively beat that switches between 4/4 and 3/4 time – this immediately caught my attention and got me hopeful for some bops to come. The following few tracks were slower and less ear-catching, which made me zone out for a bit and not really give the album my full attention. But then something interesting happened. I was listening to "On Battleship Hill" and I just got this sense that I was missing something and needed to start the album over without any distractions, so I did that. I also put the lyrics up on my TV so I had something to look at and hoped it would elevate the listening experience. The second time through, I enjoyed Let England Shake a lot more. I was able to appreciate the subtleties in the instrumentals, the poetry in the lyrics and how well the theme of war was presented here. Everything about this album is so raw in sound, yet so refined in scope. Nothing got me thinking as deeply or struck me as profoundly as some of my favorite albums do, but PJ Harvey had a vision here and I can admit that it was executed to near-perfection. Let England Shake isn’t one I can see myself coming back to super often, but I imagine I’ll get more and more out of it each time I do! Highlights: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, On Battleship Hill, England, Written on the Forehead
Liked this weird album quite a bit. Like mashing up those England-focused Kinks concept albums I hate with, maybe, Joanna Newsom who I love?
I actually liked this album a lot — much more than I expected to. From the opening and title track I was impressed: a fine melody, offset by what I think is a xylophone (judging by the credits), giving it an uneasy, almost dissonant edge that works beautifully. Great guitar tone too, and the vocals don’t bother me at all. That guitar sound really comes into its own on The Glorious Land — almost clean, but warm and full of character. Where Billy Bragg’s metallic hollowness always grated, this is perfect. Credit where due: John Parish, PJ Harvey’s long-time musical (not romantic) partner, deserves a mention here. All and Everyone is even better — wonderful guitar tone again, a haunting melody, lovely touches of organ and trombone, and superb singing. A fantastic song. So far, so good — until On Battleship Hill. Melodically it’s fine, even slightly country-ish, but Harvey’s vocal choices are baffling. She suddenly leaps into some operatic register — higher than Maria Callas on a good day — and it’s painful. The duet with Parish is nicely done, but if she’d just sung an octave lower it could have been genuinely moving. England continues the misstep, oddly flamenco-tinged and not much better. I don’t get it. Thankfully, the record recovers. In the Dark Places is another strong, stirring song, and Bitter Branches is among the album’s best. Without that unfortunate midsection, this could’ve been an easy 8, maybe even a 9 out of 10. As it stands, it’s a fine record undermined by its own excess — but it’s done enough to make me curious about the rest of her work.
Complex and a bit rough will need to listen again I liked it
For a lot of us, our first exposure to PJ Harvey came from the Batman Forever soundtrack - a strange but fitting introduction to her otherworldly sound. From there, she kept reappearing in circles connected to artists I followed, through Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Alain Johannes, Mark Lanegan - always at the edges of something dark, creative, and magnetic. Her voice is beautifully haunting, and Let England Shake channels that ethereal presence perfectly. It’s unsettling in the best way, a ghostly, poetic experience that feels both intimate and apocalyptic. It’s the kind of album that creeps under your skin while you’re still admiring how beautiful it sounds.
A nice album.
More of the typical PJ Harvey goodness. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
P.J. Harvey en estado puro en un disco casi desnudo, donde P.J. es voz y guitarra, se prescinde de sonidos de teclados envolventes y así suena mucho más orgánico que cualquiera de sus predecesores. Me huele a folk sin serlo y una sola escucha se siente insuficiente. No es música comercial de usar y tirar, se ha de degustar y hay que dejar que te traspase. Tampoco es un álbum para todos los gustos, me temo.
This was really good
Let England Shake 3.8 The Last Living Rose 3.8 The Glorious Land 3.6 The Words That Maketh Murder 3.5 All and Everyone 3.7 On Battleship Hill 3.6 England 3.3 In the Dark Places 3.5 Bitter Branches 3.4 Hanging in the Wire 3.2 Written on the Forehead 3.4 The Colour of the Earth 3.5 Score: 3.525
PJ Harvey is another on the list of artists that were on my radar but never really listened to other than a song here and there. I was mostly excited to see this pop up today. It was a good thing that I read some about the album before listening, as I am a music first person and this is very much about the lyrics. That being said, I really liked the various musical styles on the album and I bought in right away. I listened while driving to work, so didn't have the lyrics in front of me, but what I could understand was very dark and very anti-war. Being a pacifist myself, this was right in my wheelhouse. Overall a very good listen. None of the songs are ones I'll save on a playlist, but I'm very open to hearing more from her.
PJ Harvey is for me the English equivalent of Icelandic Bjork. A very talented musician but goes a bit weird. Like Bjork I have expanded a lot of time listening to Polly wanting to reveal her secrets. In pursuit of this I have previously listened to this album many times and didn’t really get it. So today wondered if it would again leave me cold. The good news is that all my previous groundwork must have paid off because it all sounded very familiar and good. I’m glad about this because I remember when the album was released the NME went absolutely bonkers over it so I always thought I was lacking somewhat. It’s certainly a grower! 4/5 22/9/25
Nice
Love PJ Harvey, loved this. Though not as much as some of her more classic albums, this is still quality PJH.
Really good!
I greatly enjoyed this one. I’m not up on English warfare history, but I’m always interested. This was very different from what I expected from PJ Harvey in the best way.
Pretty good. My first time hearing this artist.
Very good album. A talented songwriter at the height of her powers. Opens strongly and continues from there. Maybe lacking the highest of highs to get it to a 5, but well worth a go for anyone who likes indie/folk rock with an artsy twist. 9/10
Pretty sure this album or around here was when she started to make her lyrics and theming mostly based on politics, she's really good at making scary songs about war and the horrors of the world, as her delivery is quite piercing and cold, like in song 8 It feels like somewhat of a concept album, but I think she just has such a creative vision with making albums that its hard to not think holistically, so this feels really interconnected. Instrumentally, its quite stripped back compared to earlier stuff, but there's some effect on the vocals or maybe some overdubbing which makes them feel really big. Also I've always thought the male backing singers are an incredible part, especially with her voice being a totally different register so it just floats over the top or something. Favourite songs: all. Overall around 8/10
Good album. Good music.
I knew PJ Harvey and heard some of her songs with Nick Cave but never listened to her so it will be a journey. And gotta say that I like that album sounds like what I like. Fav tracks The Glorious Land The Words That Maketh Murder All And Everyone On Battleship Hill In The Dark Places 4/5
I have a good experience listening to this album. It was a different tone compared to the other albums I have listened to so far. I liked the rhythms, the lyrics were symbolic of England's industrial past and involvement in wars and it was short and sweet to the point. I can see myself replaying certain tracks and listening to the album as a whole. It was nice to hear music from another country as it exposes me to different genres and artists. It is interesting to note how acclaimed this album is compared to the average rating it received on this site.
nice
I liked the first few PJ Harvey albums but then stopped following her in the late 90s. Last year I saw her live for the first time and was first introduced to some of the songs from this album. Listening to the album in full for the first time today, I appreciated this evolution of PJ Harvey's sound and getting to hear these songs again in their original context. This is one I'd definitely come back to.
I'd run away with PJ Harvey to live by some fields, and my fiancée agrees. A folky, witchy and beguiling take-down of Little England - kaleidoscopic and distortedly bucolic! Favourite tracks: Let England Shake, All And Everyone, Written on the Forehead
This was Joni Mitchell-esque in that it took me a few listens to really appreciate it but I ended up really liking it. Despite limiting its thematic scope to being an unapologetically British anti-war album, the album never drags due to PJ Harveys lyrical and musical creativity. Really great!
Have to listen to her stuff again. I dont know if i like this or the other more
Loved this album. I have several others by her but never this one. Great balance and production with intelligent lyrics that make you ponder
Pretty traditional ingredients for indie singer-songwriters circa 2011, but everything works. The sounds are rich and alive. Kinda mad I didn’t give her a good try back when this came out.
Thoroughly enjoyed this album. More than I thought I would pleasantly surprised.
I like this one better than the other PJ Harvey album I’ve gotten. Her voice has a quietly powerful quality to it that suits this music well. An overall very good album.
Very different and I like it.
I did not expect to like this but was rewarded for trying to bring an open mind. Especially loved the lyrical reference to Summertime Blues...the line about bringing my problem to the United Nations. That probably permanently converted me to being a fan.
One of the most beautiful and haunting voices. Delightful layers of percussion intertwined with jangly atmospheric guitar. The guitars are reminiscent of animal collective (I guess then actually the beach boys) in some parts. makes me feel a little bit like a cool clown. Favourite songs: The last living rose The glorious land England Written on the forehead
Favorite Track: The Glorious Land
Bonus star for being interesting
May have to come back and rerate this a 5- what a great album!
Love PJ - this is near her best. Hope the likes of rid of me and to bring you my love are on the list.
Very affecting. Harvey's childlike inflections alongside the often lush instrumentation on this record remind me a lot of Joanna Newsom's work but with a more political than introspective edge on the songwriting and some slackery elements sprinkled in: good stuff. Terrible cover art though.
PJ Harvey is one of the many names of Artists where I know the name and I know they are famous, but don't own anything from them. I can see why this album is on the list, not really my style but a good album. The only thing I had of her when searching my own catalog was she was on a song with Tricky.
Not sure I have ever heard a note from her. Turns out I have been missing out
Schönes Folk Album aber ohne Top Song, gerne mal wieder.
女性ソロシンガーだが、ABBAのような印象も受けた。 全体的におどろおどろしい、神秘的な楽曲。 男性ボーカルが入った曲はビートルズ味を感じた。 ⭐︎4.3
3.5/5
An interesting take on the concept of 'England' that required a lot of knowledge and incredible musicianship to craft. Some catchy stuff and a lot of the historical parable-like tales give me Decemberist vibes.
A solid album, its themes and music need more time than a couple of listens can provide.
Enjoyed this once again. Simpsons: No