Reviews (page 3 of 9)
Non l’ho ascoltato tutto, ma da quel poco che ho sentito ha del potenziale, sicuramente è particolare
Afghan war album?
Will listen to more by her.
Pollys masterpiece
I'll have to try this one again and sort out my feelings. Every time I go to listen to PJ Harvey I think I'm going to like PJ Harvey and then I don't and then I think I'm missing something and then I forget about it and the cycle repeats.
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. -Wilfred Owen
shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Gotta love PJ. She keeps changing and rarely disappoints.
Its ok not her best album still a good listen
Hugely successful, Mercury Prize winning album.... apparently.... I'm giving it a go but finding it pretty dull to be honest. The autoharp is nice though.
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!
Yeah. Well.
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.
PJ Harvey is so talented, and this was a very solid album. And yet I can never seem to get myself to care too much outside of a few iconic 120 Minutes tracks I remember from the 90s.
Ok album, men litt ujevnt?
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.
3.4 Was alright, I quite liked the Bjork/Joanna Newsom vibe to some of the vocals, whilst it retained some of the modern rock charm. Some parts were less good, songs ruined by little bits, like the "Maketh Murder" line over and over again. Never completely understood the acclaim that PJ gets, but I'm content with finding her ok.
Blind album and artist. Nothing special but nothing bad I guess... Probably will forget i listened to this tomorrow.
Amazing. One of the best ones so far.
This album has some great songs but other songs just aren't as strong. Probably my least favorite PJ Harvey album out of the 3 I've listened to in this project.
Let England Shake is a folk rock album and the 8th studio album by PJ Harvey, released on 14 February 2011. Admittedly, I'd never heard of PJ Harvey before. It seems this album was written over the course of two and a half years then recorded in five weeks inside a church. Reviews from critics and retrospectives have quite the high praise for this one. It even one quite a five acolades in a series of "best ofs" and placing high in five others. The album's lyrics were inspired by the poetry of Harold Pinter and T.S. Eliot, then the music of The Doors, The Pogues, and The Velvet Underground, along with the films of Stanley Kubrick, Ken Loach, and Ari Polman. The singer-songwriter, PJ Harvey, also said she spoke to and read testimonies of soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Gallipoli Campaign of WW1. This all sounds like quite the hodge-podge of ideas but the lyrics themselves are quite pointed. Directly criticising the love/hate relationship PJ Harvey feels towards her motherland, the UK, feeling the claimed glory of its past is an illusion. The blood and lies create a disonnance that PJ struggles to reconcile because she still loves her country and all the good it has done and the people in it. It also discusses the scars and wounds that the psyche of a counry itself has to battle with due to the wars its people have experienced. Even those who were not in those wars still have to contend with the trauma and carry the scars of those before them. This is an album where you'll need to listen to the lyrics. While the instrumentals are quite fun at times and beautifully somber at other times, the message is the point of the album. And its highlight. If you're unsure then pick one of the three: On Battleship Hill, The Glorious Land, and the titular Let England Shake. These three are the most emblematic of what the album is going for. If they don't get you then maybe come back to it another time. As for me, I quite enjoyed it. It's not an album I think I'll come back to personally but I'm glad I heard it. In The Dark Places and Bitter Branches are probably the ones I enjoyed the most is probably my favourite of this one. Both are simple songs lyrics but it was the melody of The Dark Places and the vocals of Bitter Branches that I liked most.
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
Folksy and generally pleasant. Not anything to write home about.
I didn’t love this one
In my tom 10
Good but didn’t resonate with me.
A wonderful album! I'm glad I was finally introduced to PJ Harvey.
This might be the kind of album whose emotional register can be properly assessed 1) if British or 2) when not listening in the background while working. But maybe it’s also that a protest album rooted in a war that had ended nearly a century before no longer has the same stopping power in 2026 as it might have in 2011, when nationalism felt more distant. Tops: Bitter Branches Drops: The Words that Maketh Murder, England
Super politiek, anti establishment album van PJ Harvey. Ik luister zeker niet altijd even goed naar teksten, maar het word niet veel duidelijker dan dit album zeg. Dat vind ik positief hoor, begrijp me niet verkeerd. Het scheelt ook weer dat ik het grotendeels eens ben met de politieke opvattingen van PJ Harvey. Ik trek haar zang ook best wel prima en de muzike an sich is ook best wel interessant met soms een soort trompet die door het hele album heen gaat. Doet me bij tijden ook een beetje denken aan een oorlogsalbum. Dat heeft te maken met de trompet, de drums, maar natuurlijk ook de teksten. Tsja, het album begint vrij aggressief maar kakt na een tijdje toch weer in. Dat zou je kunnen uitleggen als de machteloosheid omtrent Engeland. Dat zou kunnen... Het enige wat ik hier uit haal: PJ Harvey is boos, heel boos, maar toch ook weer niet zo boos dat ze een heel album lang boos is. Misschien is het wanhoop, maar ik merkte dat de aandacht toch een beetje verslapte richting het einde. Het is een anti oorlog album, zoveel is duidelijk. Merk dat ik dit album leuker of beter had willen vinden dan dat ik het vond. Maarja, ik heb ergere dingen geluisterd dan dit album voor 40 minuutjes. FAVO: The words that maketh murder, Written on the forehead
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.
The album started strong but fizzled out after a bit. About halfway through I was getting tired of the high pitched vocals. She has more range than that and I would have enjoyed this more with more variance in her voice. The compositions were mostly interesting though and that kept me going. Although I most say, the vocals on England nearly made me skip the track. Grating and whiny on that one.
Interesting rhythms and moody vocals.
Best Song: The Words That Maketh Murder. I liked the inclusion of some brass and the gang-style vocals. Worst Song: England. Far too soft and wispy. Overall: Nothing in here excited me, nor did it offend or bore. It's perfectly fine, ordinary music. Perhaps the most 3/5 album in the whole list.
Fun album!
Finally, my last PJ Harvey album on this list. This is slightly better than Rid Of Me, though its theme is quite dark and somewhat depressing.
Listenable.
Started out cool, but then petered out. Sounded Bjork-ish.
fav song: the last loving rose dry, thin 20/100
Interesting idea and I liked how her voice floated, didn't truly grab me though
I don't know what I was expecting, but this absolutely blew me away. Wow.
This one didn’t grab me like her other albums.
I'm glad to come across PJ Harvey on the list, though it's hard to say whether this is her most representative release. Actually, that would be antithetical to her artistic development since she continually reinvents herself and evolves/metamorphizes with practically every record. Here she took on new musical instrumentation and vocal character. 'Let England Shake' may come across as unremarkable at first, but only without acknowledging this is a shift from harder, more challenging material to something a little more folksy, mellow and accessible. That said, there are other PJ records I would give a solid 5.
It's a cute and very interesting album Favorite song: All and Everyone
Interesting. Second PJ Harvey release in 288 albums, rate of 1 every 144 albums. Will there be 8 or 9 more to come? I don’t really wish for this. Looking ahead, I have another PJ Harvey album 3 from now. It’s fine, varied in style, which is always fun, but I can’t say I get it.
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.
Great lyrics and a voice that fits perfect the music. The expression and use of music truly underscores the amazing artist PJ Harvey is. Interesting melodies that plays in your head long after you've listened to it. I've always liked the band backing PJ. Such great musicians.
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.
a little too much about England
I liked it! I feel like this would’ve been one of my MySpace songs or a repost on tumblr in the early 2000s/2010s. 3.5/5
Uninteresting
1. cool! 2.un peu OSEF mais pas nul 3. délire la trompette, bon morceau 4. très bon! 5. pas ouf, arrangement chelou 6. cool! 7. à la fois nul à chier et bon 8. ok tier 9. ok 10. cool 11. let it be? très cool 12. sympa sans plus dans l’ensemble satisfaisant, pas vrm de banger mais c’est un bon album 3+/5
Ainulaadne kõla, jah. Aga see on veider olemine veidraks olemise eesmärgil ja mul tegelikult kõrvad veits ajavad verd sellise muusika peale. Dissonantsil on oma koht ja aeg ja PJ Harvey ei kasuta seda minu meeldimise järgi. 2.3/5
Such an odd break away for PJ Harvey: I think I like her raw rock early albums; this one--with its harps and zithers and whatnot--plus this babydoll pitched singing voice, is sonically not my cup of tea (and this such an English album). Some beautiful songs (like Hanging in the Wire) and some scary images, but nope.
It doesn’t pack the punch of her earlier stuff with which I’m more familiar, but I thought it was a fascinating project and I would listen again to it.
Review - not sure why I'd never listened to this. I remember watching her perform some of these songs on Jools Holland and thinking this was great, but then had never sought the album out. It's a modern classic - big mix of styles throughout the album with guitars, pianos, and an autoharp taking the lead at various points. And an album where paying attention to the lyrics is really worth your time. Rating - 9/10 Need to listen? YES
Opening four tracks are stunning but it tails off after that.
good
Polly Jean had me from the xylophone here. 3.5 stars, really but rounded up because xylophone.
ich bin nöd so fan vo ihre glaub. aber de erst song het etz no cooli klangfarb mega en teppich. ich wird nöd esoo warm aber gfallt mer besser als s letste. battleship hill chli folky gfallt mer. ok bi england verlürt sie mich wieder chli huii. ich wird wüüürklich nöd war mit dere frau. cha nöd sege wieso. 3 gits aber trotzdem
woaaah gaaanz komische sound aber megaaa spannend hmm glorious land grenzt chli ah nervig und zu quirky NEII TUNMER DAS NÖD AH PJ, ich finds wieder langsam aber sicher eifach langwilig ihri stimm findi aber HAMMER, erinneret mich chli ad björk (und würkt mengisch weg dem fast wiene parodie?) POAH de wechsel bi written on the forehead isch geiil ...und denn chunnt wieder öppis wie colour of the earth wo wenigstens speziell isch aber :( joo. iwie eifach kein pj harvey fan aber han definitiv d kreativität vom album gnosse!
The first two tracks made me feel like I finally found a PJ Harvey album that I was really going to like, as the album went on I still really enjoyed the instrumentation and the lyrics etc but I found the higher register she kept her voice in kind of grating. I don't remember that happening as much in her earlier albums, it could have been the way it sounded on my car speakers. This is probably the best of her albums that I've heard spare some individual tracks off of Rid of Me and the one from 2000
Not bad but Nothing special
It was okay I guess
Taking the edge of her earlier work, this album moves from post-punk/alt rock into a more indie sound - cleaner guitars, more atmosphere and space, less in your face intensity. Musically it's very of it's time - nice enough but a bit predictably following the beats, but it works really well to let her voice and words come through.
Damn Nick Cave fucked up the songwriting of this broad. The first PJ Harvey album had grit and edge and apathy. This sounds like mumford and sons with a female singer. All and all its okay. Decent melodies and sonic traits. But little to no relistenability. And also to listen to before you die? Maybe stick to the first PJ Harvey for that.
Reading about it was more interesting than listening to it
Wouldn't say it's bad just find it mildly annoying and a bit pretentious.
Felt Bjork-adjacent. Kinda pitchy, just ok.
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 struggle with what carries these songs
I liked it, but it's not an easy listen. There's plenty of indie dissonance and oddness. I listened to a few tracks twice. It's not easy to carve out something unique in music, but PJ definitely does that. All sorts of blending of acoustics, musical styles, genres in a single song. This is advanced.
I was hoping I would like this, but it didn't really click with me. I have NO idea what she's singing about. I might have just missed the boat on PJ Harvey entirely.
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.
200/1089 i’m left feeling fairly indifferent with this album. it was kinda good but also very monotonous imo. I’m glad I listened to it but not sure i’ll return faves: The Glorious Land, All and Everyone, On Battleship Hill 46/100
i did not like this going to be real, i tried it twice and just couldn’t get through it, i found the concept interesting and i’ve always loved war poetry and art but this is just kind of annoying to listen to, it was interesting and clever but it didn’t sound good it’s not really a listenable album. just not for me 🤷♂️
Critics seemed to have loved it but I don't really get it. Protest album and musically it's not bad, just not deserving of all the accolades. "Written On The Forehead" exemplifies the record by juxtaposing uplifting melody with brutal lyrics.
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"
have limited experience with Ms. Polly Jean Harvey. It seems the creator of the 1,001 album list loves her, as this is my second album of hers from the list. The first was Stories by the City, which I enjoyed, giving it 3 out of 5 stars. It had a 90s alt rock sound to it, which I have, over time, learned to appreciate more and more. Though it's easier to appreciate 25 years later, because the wheat has been separated from the chaff at this point. So, I dive into Let England Shake, of which I love the title, thinking this is going to be a guitar-heavy rock album. I couldn’t be more wrong, and Harvey spoke about how she wanted to do something different from what she had been. She succeeded. Now, sometimes different means bad, at least at first. Everybody is afraid of change, but change is necessary to move forward and grow. If there is no change, you just wither and die. Don’t get me wrong, this is a rock album, but it’s just a bit less guitar-driven. However, track 3, The Glorious Land, has a driving guitar propelling the song though, it’s a bit of a rarity. The album was written over two and a half years and recorded in a church in around five weeks. I’ve always loved it when musical acts recorded albums in a church. I feel it gives the album a bit of a divine touch. Track 4, The Words That Maketh Murder, is a great song featuring a saxophone. The song is about the war in Afghanistan, among other wars, which Harvey used as inspiration for several songs on the album. Rolling Stone called it, “a pretty peepy song about murder.” And it is. It was a single off the album. Track 6, On Battleship Hills, might be my favorite track on the album. It has an old schoolness about it, like songs about good sir knights who saved the maiden and defeated the Mongol horde, type old school. The subject of the song is a battle from World War I that was horribly mismanaged, wasting many lives. I’m starting to gain an appreciation for PJ Harvey. There’s no doubt she’s talented, but maybe it’s the cold or the snow, but I’m just not feeling this album. However, it could be a grower, as the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I may have set myself up for failure as I imagined this would be an alt rocker facejam, but instead it's just a solid rock album touching on some big ideas. However, as I write this, track 9, Bitter Branches, is rocking hard right now. In the end, I’ll add Let England Shake to my albums from the 1,001 must hear list folder for music I want to hear more of, but it’s not an automatic must hear for me.
Meh
Out of the 3 or 4 PJ Harvey albums I’ve heard, this is easily my least favorite. It might be rich lyrically, but as a listening experience it’s hard to really enjoy. Least favorite track is easily "Written On The Forehead."
Certainly interesting. Very different vibes. Fascination reflections on nation, history and identity through music.
Pleasant enough… I’m still not sure I am ever going to get what all the critical clamour is over her work but I will keep trying…
Nice enough album but wasn’t as keen on the sonic palette used in this which seemed a little bit more restrained than other PJ Harvey albums (aside from perhaps ‘White Chalk’). I liked ‘In the Dark Places’ most on the album but otherwise didn’t have the instant replayability of some of her other work.
Not exactly to my taste, but her music is interesting and varied. This 1001 list has made me exceedingly grateful to artists that make albums that don’t sound the same all the way through or don’t heavily imitate somebody who came before them.
Donnerstag, 05.02.2026 ~ Nachmittags bis früher Abend ~ Im Superfit Europacenter, auf dem Weg zur Uni, im Seitensprung-Café, in der Ringbahn auf dem Nachhauseweg.
Freitag, 06.02.2026 Im "Seitensprung", in der U3 und Ring abends auf dem Weg nach Hause von der Uni, in der U9 auf dem Weg zum Gym, auf dem Laufband im Gym,
I thought this was a pretty cool record. The subject matter was dark and captivating and it was like a better Bjork.
This one kind of grew on me. At first, I wasn’t in but by the end, I was all in. This feels like a more palatable version of Regine from Arcade Fire, I can usually only handle a few Regine songs but I like almost all of these. Cool instrumentations and really cool composition of songs too. They’re playing with a lot of elements of folk and blues but making it very modern.
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
Good but the voice goes through me, great bunny rhythms though
I didn't like her other album on here but this is decent, if challenging, and I almost enjoyed it.
I preferred this to her last outing, but I just don't understand pj Harvey.
Want to hear more female artists but PJ Harvey is not doing much for me. Ultimately, the song composition is pretty average and, sorry, but she doesn't have a very good voice. Lyrics a bit of a yawn too. Perhaps one listen is not enough to hear something more but I'm not going to be rushing back to this album.
This is the second PJ Harvey album I’ve listened to on this site, and I can now confidently say I’m not a fan. Critics love her; listeners don’t - a fact reflected by her mountain of accolades and awards, in contrast to relatively lacklustre commercial success. Here, she sings about war and patriotism with all the subtlety of a flying mallet, tackling subjects I can’t imagine she’s particularly qualified to comment on. And musically, it’s extremely forgettable, often feeling derivative of artists like Kate Bush, Björk, and Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. Overall, this comes across as something akin to African Child by Aldous Snow: an artist naively choosing a heavy subject because they saw it on the telly and thought, “this is bad.”
Second PJ album to come up in a few days. One that passed me by at the time and a bit of a departure from her more rocking earlier stuff. Definitely quite inventive, but I'm on the fence about how successful it is. Ultimately probably needs a few more listens to fully grasp it.
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.
My favourite PJ's record, absolute masterpiece. Songwriting, arrangements, vocals: everything is perfect. [Commenters of the kind "Anything making England sound good can fuck off" or "This album makes me proud that the USA seceded from England" are just American losers. Go back listening to your funcking country music, suckers.]
I did know Pj Harvey, but only by name. But this album is so good. Actually loved this!
Love sound and voice
Tenho um novo favorito graças a essa lista yesss
Eh
This has been a long slog through a ton of shitty records that make up the "Top 1001" that I must hear before I die. Here's one more to add to the heap. Why does PJH have 2 albums on this list? She blows. What sets this album apart from so many other one dimensional artists with no hit songs? The title song has 12M listens, why? It has no hook, feels like a thought not a finished song. It's wandering, meandering, fluffy nothing music. It feels like a rough draft and that they were gonna go back later and fine tune each song. I'm guessing they just never went back and we get what we got. Saw her open for U2 once, not enjoyable. Her voice borders on irritating. Weak album, no hits, no sunshine, no reason to make this list. 2 stars
Harvey had better albums than this although this was fine. But they talk about England so obviously this was getting on here
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.
love me some PJ Harvey. i've already listened to this before using this site at least once. i remember enjoying it so i think this will be at least a 4-star album here Let England Shake - 4/5 The Last Living Rose - 5/5 The Glorious Land - 5/5 The Words That Maketh Murder - 5/5 All and Everyone - 3/5 On Battleship Hill - 5/5 England - 5/5 In the Dark Places - 5/5 Bitter Branches - 5/5 Hanging in the Wire - 4/5 Written on the Forehead - 5/5 The Colour of the Earth - 4/5 Average score: 4.6/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it's a very good album, as to be expected of PJ i feel it's not quite as remarkable as some other releases like To Bring You My Love, Stories From the City, etc. those albums have a grittiness that i've come to love from her work, so the absence is felt here (though i hear a touch of it in the track Bitter Branches) still, i was pleasantly surprised by this album. it's somber & bleak (much like England lol), but it's also atmospheric and grand. PJ's vocals and songwriting, combined with the tasteful instrumentals and sampling, help set the stage for the concept of her album while it's not my fav of her work, i'd absolutely come back to this from time to time
Another artist I’m super unfamiliar with. The start was a very different vibe from her 90’s beginnings
Pas du tout mon style mais bon voilà quoi
Bonne découverte Chanson preferée : All and Everyone
Nothing wrong with it but it didn’t really grab me
Everything about this album is exciting and cohesive, everything is timeless and in olace
It's clearly an ambitious album, and I think it achieves precisely what Harvey set out to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't resonate with me at all.
Поначалу подумал, что что-то интересное, но в итоге нет.
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.
Not my favorite PJ, and PJ is my favorite.
Stunning and sometimes slightly disturbing album that I bought when it was released. Such musical and lyrical depth and an album I need to spend more time with.
Moody/experimental indie(?) Detuned instruments in Let England Shake. Lyrics deal with war/WWI It's not bad but not blowing me away. Shame as first track is very interesting. Best track - Let England Shake, In The Dark Places 3 stars
Let England Shake // The Last Living Rose // The Words That Maketh Murder // All And Everyone // England // 3.5/5
Overall rating by me: 8/10 Songs added to the playlist: ,,Let England Shake”, ,,The Glorious Land”, ,,The Words That Maketh Murder”, ,,On Battleship Hill” ,,In The Dark Places”, ,,Written On The Forehead” Notes: Chic London aesthetic girl but also a ,,stuck in an unsettling, spooky-themed fanfiction” vibes. Needed this kind of in my life, I’m so serious - finally have some music to act mysterious to.
Æ e en ubønnhørlig sadsack, som dem sier, så det e jo Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea som e mitt PJ Harvey-album (så mye hjerteknusthet i et gjenhør, akk akk akk!), men æ tror jo egentlig æ like alt eller det meste av PJ Harvey om æ bare tar mæ bryet med å høre på det. Akk akk akk!
Never heard of her before. I can get behind the lyrics, but my god is this a miserable album to listen to. Grating vocals and annoying arrangements. I literally can't tell if it sounds bad on purpose or if some people like this. Fave songs: Let England Shake
I’m not sure if this was a concept album or not. Didn’t care for the random battle trumpet in one song.
Not for me
10’s Alternative ⭐️In the Dark Places
I can see the importance of the album material and maybe I wasn’t in the right place to listen but didn’t do it for me.
Morose Bjork? Sadder Arcade Fire-the Suburbs? Violates some of my self-imposed metrics, because I genuinely enjoyed this. Like, using stream of conscious lyrics to convey wit, while not actually doing so, but kind of doing. Confused? So was I. Might not revisit immediately, but some intriguing aspects will most likely bring me back, see: WRITTEN ON THE FOREHEAD
I’ve been a real hater of PJ historically and have listened to this previously, but maybe England shook me this time
I'm very bored with PJ Harvey how is there so much
Was ok, probably a 2.5
On some songs, her voice reminds me of Phoebe from Friends. On others, it sounds like Yoko Ono. Ok, mean jokes aside, usually I'm all for folky anti-war songs; but something about the sound of this just isn't for me. It sounds like she's got a decent voice hidden somewhere in there, but the melodies and the stylistic choices she makes ruin it. The lyrics don't stand out to me either. I do like the instrumentation on some tracks. My favorite song was Hanging In The Wire, but I didn't like it enough to find it playlist worthy. 2/5.
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.
There better be another PJ Harvey album on here. I'm going to be seriously pissed if this is it (although British, so probably). This might be her weakest album, but she's a perfect artist for a project like this. Influence 4. Hits 2. Intangibles 3. Quality 4. Ooh, there better be at least two other PJ Harvey albums here 2.
So pleased this has made the list. Even though it won highly respected awards and critical praise I often find it gets forgotten about when people talk about PJ Harvey. I love this side of her. It’s weirder than some of her previous records, darker, more unsettling in a good way. Like an indie record that was made for the weirdos and the carnival kids. The lyrics though are what really stands out on this for me though, I think if my daughter ever said she wanted to make music, I’d give her this to learn from. I think it’s her best record, and I’d probably have to have it in my top list of records released post 2000
Very washy sound that without many other instruments sounded pretty half finished. Certainly a change in style that is notable considering it's all single guitar led stuff but not a patch on rid of me. I wouldn't say it's bad, you can tell the songs are well crafted, it just doesn't really work for me.
Ah this is why I was avoiding PJ Harvey. Third week in a row for her albums, and this one didn't click. Let England Shake and The Last Living Rose were great - I thought, here we go, another banger - but the rest of the album was self-indulgent, unfocussed silliness. Didn't land at all for me, became bored. She barely sings above a whisper by the end of the album. Stories from the City... was a good album. Mercury be damned, I didn't enjoy myself listening to this.
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
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🦑🐦⬜ Production: 📈✨👍 Music: 🇬🇧🤔💭 Rating: 🫨🫨🫨/5
My favourite album of all time. A complete & utter masterpiece. I fell in love with this album the first time I listened to it when it was released back in 2011, and my love for it has grown deeper with the many subsequent listens since then. Polly's efforts to write about war not from a political perspective but from an entirely human perspective resulted in an astounding album, with stark, heavy words contrasted with beautiful, uplifting music. This is an album that becomes part of your core, if you let it in. No amount of praise could adequately sum up my feelings for this album. I just love it so much.
1.5
good stuff, but why did they pick this album over her others?
Bjork x kate bush
I dig the vibes on this. The vocals and instrumentals compliment each other well. To be honest, I listened while cooking, so I couldn't give proper attention to the lyrics. I'm sure that would have made me enjoy this even more. 3.5.
Beautiful voice and nice Melodie’s
This album is alluring, very enjoyable to listen. It reminds me of YellowJackets!
Couldn’t get into this one
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
Nothing too special here to me.
You should shake this rec. it’s mid.
More straight folk than PJ Harvey's gypsy-witchy best, but with some pleasant lyrics. Perhaps I just didn't get it and unfairly judged it compared to her other releases.
Nice voice but didn’t relate to album
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
M’oui
J'ai vraiment bien aimé, la voix de la chanteuse m'a rappelé une autre artiste mais j'ai pas réussi à retrouver laquelle.
An sich ok. Den Wechsel mit Erzählungen finde ich störend. 2/5
This was a really complex and beautiful album. Full of harmonies and interesting choices of instruments. The heralding bugle was not one of my favorite choices however. I enjoyed some of the songs like Bitter Branches and Written on the Forehead. PJ Harvey is an undeniably talented vocalist, instrumentalist, writer and poet. The only issue that I have with this album is, when am I ever going to want to listen to an album for pleasure when its overt message is the futility and desolate nature of war? Its very powerful and composed in a truly impressive way. Just, not the album for me.
No thank you. A total snore fest.
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
Interesting. That's all I've got.
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.
This is one of those albums that I feel like I should like more, and it’s not that I dislike it, but it just doesn’t really hit that hard for me. Now, maybe that is because I don’t really look to pop/rock music for meaning - which seems to be a big part of the PJ Harvey appeal. It’s not that I don’t like lyrics, I just feel like the all of the other parts (melody, instrumentation, recording, etc) are more important.
Great album
This was ok. There are other PJ albums I like better
Hilariously earnest for some so absolutely bland. This sort of thing is why it’s so understandable for everyone to hate the English.
Decent enough - didn’t really grab me though
I got almost all the way through this album before realizing that I wasn't actually listening to it and at some point it had slipped into background music territory. It's was nice background music, but not a very captivating album.
Felt pretentious, felt also almost close to something I would like, but frankly it would be annoying if I had to add a paean to Englishness to my listen list.
I actually really enjoyed this even though I was expecting to hate this
Amazing album!
This was okay. Fun but kinda mid.
Hated this at the time. It’s better with hindsight but still a bit annoying, the concept is shit and so is her voice.
Eh
It's fine- I get why people revere PJ Harvey, but a lot of this album faded into the background for me. I hear Bjork occasionally.
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.
Not as good as her last album we had but it had its moments.
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.
It's fine. I'm not blown away. It's not very interesting instrumentation wise. The vocals are okay. Lyrics are okay. Not my type of music in general. If I were more crunchy it would be. The anti-war sentiment is something missing from music overall in 2025.
Too weak, like something you would hear on KEXP.
Interesting lyrics that focus on struggles typical of the time ("take my problems to the UN); very British rock, and good sound, but nothing that really resonated with me
6/10
Meh.
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 really wanted to enjoy this album more. i like the sound a lot, and i respect songwriting about one’s country and wars. however, there's just a little too much patriotism that puts me off. the lyrics remind me of a flatter version of poems about motherland and war from my primary/middle school curriculum.
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
Didn't really care for it
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.
Maybe I'm foolish but I was not expecting the title to be so literal. I figured there would be some talk of England but this is almost on an entire album of commentary on the subject. But props to her for using her art and talents to be so vocal and critical. The delivery was my favorite. There's some great upbeat jangly guitars juxtaposed by the heavier lyrics. There's plenty of variety here and although I didn't love every single song, it did make me want to explore more of her work.
Interesting in concept. It sounds boring.
Had potential but too whiney for me
Appreciate a concept album - but this is not for me
★★½
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
Trur da va verdt et gjenlytt, men får sjå om da skjer
Never got into PJ Harvey for some reason but I really liked this. I will be investigating further
Good album, i have to relisten again tho
If I could give this negative stars I would
Bjork-adjacent, fart-smelling, performative bullshit.
This album was ok. Not 100% sure why it’s on this list. I did like the other album of hers, but this one was meh
Interesting.
No thank you.
I never listened to this on release. Don’t know why. I like it.
I respect a concept album, but I couldn’t really put it together on the first listen. Reading about it a little bit, it’s probably worth revisiting and very well could be a lot more compelling once I understood it a bit more. However the nature of this excercise lends itself to quick judgements and I didn’t like this one as much as “Dry” - the sexy vulnerability of the album drew me in and that was totally missing (albeit by design) from this one. Probably a high 2 but I’ll round up because I think it’s probably better than my first impression.
3.5 This PJ album didnt engage me as much as the others on the list but still very good and very listenable.
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.
love how experimental this is. feels like you can hear her songwriting process
So boring
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.
No soy capaz de destacar ningún tema especialmente, pero me ha gustado.
Weird for the sake of weird. Feels like a Kate Bush tribute. Decent concept but not my cup of tea.
So I saw the title Let England Shak and told myself, “This is gonna be some English feminine rage” from the 1990s. I was surprised that that’s not what I found. I think PJ Harvey was a harnessing, her inner Björk, Lisa Gerrard, and Dolores O'Riordan. Some of this was almost angelic, like on Battleship Hill. In the Dark Places, I think my favorite song, was a combination of folky singer-songwriter, alt-rock royalty, and experimentation. As opposed to the only other I know of hers, Rid of Me, and his album is a woman comfortable in herself and her craft, and possibly more English feminine rage than her earlier work. I would have never looked for this album but I’m glad I found it here.
Random thoughts: * I listened to this one twice and both times it just kind of rolled around me. * If this album was a movie it would be a period piece. * I don't know much about PJ Harvey but this appears to not be one of her top albums. Maybe critically acclaimed only because it was a departure from her previous sound. * This solidly mid too.
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.
Interesting, but not good.
Enjoyed this one but don't love it
Jeez, PJ says England a lot here. This was okay? A bit whimsical and bland for me
Världens kanske coolaste kvinna, möjligen brädad av Neneh Cherry. Att jag är svag för Polly är knappast nån hemlighet. Jag var ganska skeptisk till det här albumet när det kom, hade svårt att se förbi det storvulet pretentiösa. Men idag har jag omvärderat det. Musikaliskt rått och nedstrippat, lyriken sylvass och instrumenteringen ibland oväntad och kul (autoharp t.ex.). På ungefär hälften av låtarna funkar det förträffligt, titelspåret, "Dark places" och "Maketh murder" t.ex. hör till det bästa hon gjort. Men hon slår också knut på sig själv stundtals. Då har jag fortfarande svårt att helt förbise hur pretto det är. Klarar inte fyran riktigt men trean stark
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.
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.
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!
Perfect November album
First listen - vibe reminds me of Björk and Kate Bush at times. Several songs have been added to my playlist. I enjoyed this.
I always like songs about history, especially if it is about the ugly sides of history. This album has so many different stories of wars and you can feel the bitterness and sadness in the songs. Problem is, I simply do not love the songs song-wise. I love the concept, I like the lyrics but I always like songs like these to have more feistiness, some anger, some fight in them. I would listen to this while in bed staring at the ceiling but would rarely play the entire album in any other scenario. Some of the songs I also just simply did not like (looking at you 'England').
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!
Started it and loved it and quickly went downhill. I bet boomers love this.
2/10
slow burn
Mich mit einem ruhigen Album zu langweilen? Das passiert häufiger schonmal. Mich mit einem ruhigen Album aber zu nerven? Oh weh. Das ist richtig grausam. Alleine der Gesang nervt so unfassbar, was ein Gejammer. Dann kommt die Instrumentalisierung/Songwriting dazu und macht es noch schlimmer. Das ist Müll, wenn ich könnte würde -5 geben. Ganz schrecklich.
Top Album.
Ist bestimmt ein gutes Album und die Songs entfalten sich sicherlich mit häufigerem Hören, aber ich bin gestern gar nicht reingekommen. Da gefallen mir ältere Sachen von ihr besser.
Hat mir echt gut gefallen, aber so 100% hat es mich dann doch nicht gecatched.
Schönes Album. Ich höre es wahrscheinlich nicht nochmal, aber es war sehr angenehm zuzuhören.
Määääh. Hält nicht annähernd was der Name verspricht. Was für ein belangloses Gedudel.
Ein Album voller Tiefen und Tiefen. Stimmlich nicht meins und dachte häufiger es handelt sich um Satire bei den Tönen die da raus kommen
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.
Interesting. Curious. Not my favourite PJ album. A bit of the Julian Copes filtering through. Maybe not enough? Feels throughout that she could've gone weirder in every moment 3.4
I like PJ Harvey well enough, but never heard this later album. What happened to her? Did she settle down, get married, get homebound (or library bound) and lose all her fire? This is fairly boring. It's not particularly annoying or bad anywhere. But it's beige wallpaper. I'm not going to point out any high or low points, because I can't bring myself to care enough. Let's call this a 2
The second album from her in this is okay
PP Weiners
A few hits and a few misses. Definitely a mixed bag. But overall closer to positive than negative.
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.
Clearly has something to say and I didn’t dislike it but didn’t connect with it either
Odd sounds for oddballs. I’m better without oddballs.
Bit samey-samey on the first listen. Didn't quite feel as rich as other PJ Harvey albums.
Excellent!
I liked this. It was fun. Got a little strange in spots (The Glorious Land) but overall very enjoyable.
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
Not what I usually listen to but I enjoyed it well enough
Day 1: Best tracks: The Words That Maketh Murder, In The Dark Places, Bitter Branches, The Last Living Rose I’m more of a fan than not. But I’ve always been lukewarm on Let England Shake. I think it is "The Glorious Land" that keeps me from embracing the album; I don’t care for the mix of the reveille in the song. 7/10.
This is my third PJ Harvey album, and they're fine but like, maybe just pick one? I don't mean these aren't good. I've enjoyed each of them for the most part. But I've enjoyed them for all pretty much the same reasons. I dig her vibe but some of the tracks, especially vocals, just kind of annoy me. I appreciate when she's being dark and moody but not eccentric and a bit kooky for some reason. I had to go back and read my review of her 2001 album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea to make sure I wasn't crazy thinking that my review for this album would be almost identical. Nope. The only difference is really that I started that review explaining I had preconceived ideas about what PJ Harvey would sound like, but I actually hadn't ever listened to any of her albums. Other than that, all I would have to do is swap out song titles from that album for songs on Let England Shake and they'd basically be the same review. PJ Harvey is a bit of hit or miss for me with her 2001 more "hitting" than missing, but this one was a bit more of a miss for me. Her vocals got a bit too Bjork-y for my taste. I don't exactly get the critical acclaim, and I definitely don't get the warrant for including three (or more) albums of hers on this list, especially if they all sound so much alike despite spanning 30+ years.
very different from other pj so far, excited to see where it goes! title track is catchy as all hell, halloween vibes appropriately strong. loving this second track. on 3 now and yep understanding the mercury prize status now! political undertone strong here. hoping into the 2nd leg now! love the piano on 'on battleship hill'. goddamn this is AFFECTING, undoubtedly one of the best albums on war I've heard in a long time. 2nd half is even better. finishing up now, excellent as a cohesive statement. hard to pick individual songs but as an album WOW.
Not for me
I like PJ Harvey, but I've never listened to this one before. It was interesting and I think it demands another listen. I just don't particularly look forward to doing so.
2/5 niemals ist die Frau so gut hier mehrmals aufzutauchen
I don't like every album by PJ Harvey. Her earlier works are all right, but I don't find them mindblowing. However, "Let England Shake" is a masterpiece and I loved what Ms Harvey has done since. It's an almost haunting description of a country torn apart that would later be even worse with Brexit, the right-wing surge and so on. Many of the tracks evolve around war, but there's actually so much to transfer the lyrics. Musically, I like how Harvey became almost fragile here, away from the rockier hard side and aided by multiinstrumentalists John Parish and Mick Harvey. They do a lot of a stuff that isn't even that complex to play but hits the right tone through the right mixing and production. The basic cadences and chord progressions are a gem. If there's one album in the PJ Harvey discography one needs to listen to, it's this one.
Screechy voice, lyrics I can't really make heads or tails of. This is not my cup of tea at all
Had one album of her before on this I belive, and wasn't too impressed if I remember correctly. Feel the same with this. Finding a hard time enjoying her singing. Feels like too much wailing. And the melodies and overall music just feels uninteresting to me.
This was an album I hadn’t thought about in a long time. When it was released, a friend of mine recommended it. I remember thinking it sounded more “adult” than most of the music I was listening to at the time, and it took many listens before I actually started enjoying it (and not just pretending to). I never got too into the album, though, and always gave up around the middle. Fast-forward to today — listening to it again, I really liked it. The album manages to blend folk and pop in a unique way. It feels raw, yet musically interesting. It does sound a bit like Kate Bush, but not in a way that feels imitative. The lyrics are quite thematic, I feel like they are lifted from folklore somehow. There’s also a timeless quality to the music; it’s hard to pinpoint when it was released without already knowing. Maybe this hit the sweet spot of revisiting an album with fresh ears while still remembering the melodies, but I think this one deserves a 5-star rating. Can’t believe I’m giving P.J. Harvey a 5-star, have I become a music snob?
Not my cup of tea.
I like the folkiness of this album!
WTF…this is the 3rd album of hers to pop up on this thing!? Obviously author is fan of hers. Best of the bunch.
I wasn't thrilled when I saw this. This is my second PJ album this month and maybe my fourth overall. I was in a different time zone for the first one and up listening at an early hour. Her music is uneven for me, but this record is really strong, I was incorrect in my initial thought. Being pleasantly surprised is one of the best things about this project. This album fits the mood of the morning, the first Fall day it's too cold to sit out always brings a twinge of sadness.
What kind of music is this? I dunno... Adult Oriented Rock? Pop? Alternative? Can't quite place it. It's fine, I guess... pretty non-offensive, but pretty bland for my taste. Some cool stuff, but not something I'd seek out.
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!
I started this album having never heard of PJ Harvey. I was impressed - slightly quirky, melodic style. Good vocals I could get behind it. But the more I listened of the album the less of it I enjoyed. To steal the title of one her songs - I was experiencing the downward trajectory of battleship hill. Again vocals strong and elements of the album I loved, but not one I could listen in total over again. I don’t know if the intro to England was meant to symbolise the East London markets of warbaling and random noises. This song is a perfect example - the next part of the song was beautifully presented (lyrics a little strange can’t quite deduce) then it overlays the random warbling again 2.5/5
Very good album! I'd give it a 5 if I were more into this genre.
This one didn’t grab me like her others. It was a good listen but nothing more.
I’m not a fan of PJ…
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).
I have to go back and listen to it again.
I assume Yoko Ono is a major influence.
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?
such a stark departure from what i'm looking for when i come to a pj harvey album that it was shocking. and while i didn't necessarily expect it to become what i am familiar with, i did expect it to become good and it did not
I don't like war stories, I didn't like these vocals, and I especially don't really care for or about England
I'm still undecided about whether or not I like PJ Harvey.
The music isn't bad, but I really disliked her vocals. I cringed & recoiled when I heard the title track. I love how my living room sounded after the 12th and final track ended. Silence can be a beautiful thing that should be broken sometimes - but not for stuff like this. Simply put the state of the room was better before 'Let England Shake' started playing at which time the room became loud and unwelcoming, suddenly smaller - after 'Let England Shake' ended the state of the room was better than ever as I took in little sounds that I had paid no attention to in far too long. Enjoy the silence or in my case Taylor Swift's brilliant new album.
Odd
3.3 2x in airplane from BZN to ATL and Marta
Previously rated: #517 - Dry (3/5) #608 - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (3/5) #716 - Rid Of Me (2/5) *************************** Album #933 This one may be a bit better than Rid of Me, but I'm still not a fan of her style. Four albums on this list is more than she deserves.
That was weird. Heavy subject matter expressed through airy, distant vocals that are incongruous with the music. But then, I came to understand that it was intentional. The album is an artsy lament about the horrors of World War I in the trenches of Gallipoli and a cry against English pride and nationalism and the tendency to romanticize war in the aftermath of victory. It's not an easy listen.
Ok
I dunno, this kind of flew over my head I think.
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.
I’m already a big fan of this record. It’s so visceral and haunting.
Really creative. Artistic and inspiring.
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 don't listen to a lot of folk, which is perhaps a surprise as my Dad loves the stuff... maybe that's why! This was a solid and enjoyable listen. Nothing that I didn't like on here, and a few in particular that I thought were good and offered something a little different (_Pink Moon_, _Know_, _Free Ride_) . It's not really in my wheelhouse though and whilst I wouldn't have any issue listening to this, I can't see myself choosing to listen to it again.
Complex and a bit rough will need to listen again I liked it
Really beautiful vocals, and there are some cool samples throughout. But the whole thing was just a bit too sleepy for me.