Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I listend to this three times. It's fine. I cannot figure out why it is special. It's the third PJ Harvey album we have listened to. It was the best so far. Sounded good on a car stereo.
This is a middle-of-the-road album. Wasn't anywhere near good enough to make the ground shake.
Very creative and worthy. Pj's voice is grating though. When it hits home and is overpowered by the production it becomes listenable. The last living rose is amongst her best work. Largely not for me though
The Good: We get to let England shake! The Bad: The shaking wasn’t enough to really change anything… The Ugly: Inadvertently we will have increased England’s sense of superiority… Let it be known that this is my first PJ Harvey album on this list, and I’m well over a year in on this adventure… and I don’t get it. Let it also be known that, to my knowledge, this is the first time in my life that I’ve listened to a PJ Harvey album, potentially song... Maybe our friend Mr Dimery has a secret crush on PJ? Maybe she’s a relative? Maybe there is something to this artist that I just don’t get… However, as she’s got 4 albums on this list… I do hope that the other three do not pretend to be something made back in the dark ages, with lutes, and bongs, and sparrow screetches… Not my thing, but not terrible either…. down the middle we go 3*
It’s a modern art museum
PJ Harvey I love you but not when you sing like that
Voix aérienne, qui dit ce qui est tu, qui s’impose dans l’emportement de la musique
look this sounds like bjork if she was british and it was made like maybe 20 years later with a completely different field of mind haha. this is the sorta singer songwriter stuff i liked. liked the song with trumpet
It was okay, a bit too pop for me. Too little like The Cure and too much like Dazey and The Scouts
It was okay.
Voice can be a little much at times, but not a bad album. Good Indie sound, just nothing amazing. The guy should sing more.
OK, not crazy about her voice
That's not my taste in music - But ok
PJ Harvey is new to me with this project. This album wasn’t much better than the last - more mainstream alt-indie sound, and less prog/artsy/punk than what I heard before. Still, nothing particularly memorable or noteworthy, just basically not bad.
Too many mentions of England. Sorry, bloke. Not my album.
Admittedly only had time for a single listen through. The themes appear dark and the music somewhat unremarkable. It’s not offensive or boring but also doesn’t really hook me or hold my attention. This may be one I come back to down the road but for now it’s straight middle. Bright spot - on battleship hill. 3/5
A few songs were OK but this is not my favorite genre. I prefer Bjork in that case.
Cool. Somehow reminds me of Bjork, which is good.
3.5 Stars
Creo que es la primera vez que la oigo...y la última. By
I quite liked this. Enough to give it a 4? I'm not sure. Would definitely be a 7/10.
Didn’t hook me the same way stories… did, but still solid
I’m a big PJ fan … but I’ve never rated this album much. I prefer angry 90s PJ to moody 00s PJ.
Interesting concept but I’m not sure about the replayability.
I like this record more than I expected to. It’s got a vaguely 1960’s garage sound to it that I really like. The organs in the title track really stand out in that regard. It’s definitely not a cheery subject matter, given how relatively upbeat the music itself is. I’m not sure if we needed an indie rock/pop album about World War One in 2011, but I’m not particularly upset about it either way. This was an interesting listen. 3*
Meh….I prefer her 90’s stuff but probably need to give this one a couple more spins.
I enjoyed this, even though PJH looks a bit like Justine Bateman …
Totally unfamiliar with PJ Harvey. Vocals had me questioning this one at first but I eventually found the album to be kind of addicting. Ended up listening to it four times in a row and really loved it. One of those artists that I’m not sure I’ll explore more but I really liked this album. It was just so… interesting, different.
A bit eerie and weird, a bit good.
i don't feel like this is the best work from pj harvey... the highlights are strong but I just didn't enjoy the lyricism here on a lot of the songs.
like the other PJ Harvey albums we got, I feel like her voice is under utilized in favor of spoken word nonsense. Its not bad, just lots of speak-singing over tepid instrumentals.
This album was fine. Probably the most enjoyable PJ Harvey album we’ve gotten but… 4 PJ Harvey albums? Naa man we definitely didn’t need 4 of them. What about: Continuum - John Mayer The Take Off and Landing of Everything - Elbow (this one’s even British!) Torn Screen Door - David Francey Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood
From what I remember about the two prior PJ Harvey albums, this one seems more girly in comparison. (Not in any bad way.) I enjoyed this and would listen again. 3.25/5
Typical album that I really enjoyed, but just as background music. It's a pity, but it means that I need to listen to it more. I think I'm creating a Spotify playlist with albums from this page to listen to while driving.
I like this Pajama Harvey.
Wasn't really my thing, but had its moments. I don't like as much as earlier material, but it's not something I'd hate on.
Inoffensive
Nice chill vibe, but wasn't the biggest fan of the lead girl's voice ngl. Didn't dislike it but wouldn't seek it out
One of the most politically forced albums I've heard. Good lyrics, good vocals, naïve sentiment. A bit hit or miss musically. Some parts really had Radiohead vibes. Other parts were like a bad children's song. Let England Shake is super solid though.
Indeed, England leaves a bitter taste
Sure, ok
Very mediocre.
not her best but the Last Living Rose is a generational banger
Not my favorite PJ Harvey album. Still solid, though. 3/5
I like a few of PJ Harvey's albums and I remember listening to this album a long time ago. I only liked a few songs at the time and pretty much still feel the same about it as far as the music goes. With several listens and digging into the lyrics and the WWI background this could be a 4 but I'm already 2 albums behind this week... so just based on the music and songwriting I'm like a 3.5 and not really liking it enough to go 4. Not my favorite PJ album. And yes, that bugle is annoying in Glorious Land. It's so out of place. It sounds like some old man's cell phone is going off.
Okay...
It's poetry, but not very good poetry. Really liked the music too, but it's a bit ruined by PJ's singing
Haven't listened to any albums in a couple of weeks. This was a good reentry, interesting album. Worthy of a second listen, and will go back for it. Felt it was good when it was on but can't particularly remember a lot about it...
Pretty cool. I should listen again and focus on the lyrics a bit more.
This is a lot different than her 90's music, and I like it. Sounds a LOT like Bjork which is probably why the creator of this list put this album on here. Dude has an obsession with Bjork. Anyways, good album, nice and short songs, as her voice has always been a bit annoying. It gets annoying about halfway through this album, so I like the first half better than the second. 3/5
4/12, 33%
Another perfect (and glaring) example of what a filler album sounds like. This was unnecessary. It wasn't bad, just not extraordinary in any way shape or form.
This wasn't all that good for me. It was a huge nothingburger full of unimportant songs and occasionally annoying music.
The one song I got into is "The Words That Maketh Murder". Other than that, the album has a good overall sound but didn't rise above that.
I like a bit of Polly Jean, (SFTCSFTS and To Bring You My Love) but only knew a couple of tracks from this project going into this. I found it easier to admire than love or want to put on repeat.
For my first PJ Harvey album, it was good
- not my type of music
It was fine. I didn't enjoy it as much as the other PJ Harvey album we had in this project.
So much glazing about England (Is it me or does whoever made this 1001 albums list have a weird bias towards English artists?). But seriously, this wasn't half bad. The vocals varied from song to song. They were enjoyable on The Glorious Land and Words That Maketh Murder, but were irritating on England and some others. Feel like this one was a low-to-mid 3.
Not too much to write about this one. I liked the vocals. Pretty album. High 3. Written on the Forehead was a favorite.
Fine enough alternative rock. Her voice was a bit strong at points compared to the instruments. Pretty middle 3
This one isn't doing it as much for me as the last PJ Harvey album. I do like the music but sometimes her voice can ruin a song here and there for me. Overall not a terrible listen though.
I was excited to see this one come up today, I love PJ Harvey but had never heard this album. This album was definitely more of a personal project than an record that everyone would like. I respect that, and I did enjoy it, but I wouldn't listen to it again. But I can see why I hadn't heard this before, it was something that not all casual fans would have ever found. It was an interesting choice to include on this list and I'm glad to have heard it once. I still really like PJ Harvey, but like most I feel like her 90s/early 2000s records were the best. 3/5
3.5 will probably get higher on repeated listens
I think I’d like PJ on something other than a protest album - just didn’t connect with it for me. Just alright.
I like a bit of PJ but her voice always grates and she’s a big fan of repetition in her lyrics, which also gets on my nerves. It’s one of the good albums though, that I can appreciate, if not like.
Not a huge fan, but it was okay. Some songs I disliked PJ's voice and others she reminded me of Bjork and I dug it.
I haven’t listened to her in a long while, but this is way less rockin’ than her earlier music that I’ve heard. It’s a lot closer to the circa-2010 soft indie music that it is contemporary with. I enjoyed it pretty well, although I thought it was rather far from being perfect. I might like to return to it someday. I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics, but it seems the majority of the songs related to war, with an occasional expression of jaded bittersweet love of England. It does make me terribly sad that in today’s Western world it is so hard for an sensitive, thoughtful soul to feel a deep, unfettered love of one’s fatherland without hindrance from constant barrages of reminders of the sins of your country’s past. I think I would have loved to be raised during the heyday of 19th-century European Romanticism. Today, it is too hard to feel such beautiful, beautiful feelings. There is no replacement for such feeling today; the postmodern age weighs too heavily upon our souls
I haven't kept up with PJ since the 90's, so this will be nice to hear. I liked All and Everyone greatly. Somewhat of a Bjork vibe on England. Bitter Branches had the juice and is my favorite. Good folky alternative album. 3.5
I love the idea of this, and bits of this work really well (notably the title track, 'Murder' and the one that samples Niney) but some of it is a bit too cerebral and not visceral enough for me. Right, off to play 'Blood & Fire' on a loop for a while.
Untemarkable
i feel sorry for polly
Folkey and sounds like one long song. I'm probably not in the right mood for this.
I don’t really have anything to say
3/5
I enjoy the sound of this album, although there's no real standout track. Works really well as an album, very chill.
She's not bad. Reminds me a little of Kate Bush.
some cool stuff here and there but overall nothing special
I like this 'in principle' more than I do in practice I think. It's definitely weird and cooky, which is kind of cool but also a bit off-putting. She has done some fantastic stuff in her career and has definitely earned the right to experiment and be a bit off the wall, but this doesn't get me going like some of those 90's singles.
A concept album focused on Englad and WW1; prerrt interesting and strange. These definitely feel like war songs, almost like a musical accompanying WW1, which has a weird tonal juxtaposition. The nusic is pretty good, though not amazing. I think this album works as a full setlist, though most of thsse songs wouldn't work nearly as well on their own. The best one is In the Dark Places.
An Englandcentric album with strong Björk vibes from PJ.
I wonder if I was too harsh on PJ Harvey the first time. I like Let England Shake. I like the strange yet sincere use of ye oldé folk musique mixed with singer-songwriter tunes. This feels unique, and while it’s not my typical vibe and I’m not going to revisit it much ever again, I think it’s a pretty cool record. Cool isn’t enough to win me over, but my intrigue is peaked. I do think that this record could have been a bit more ambitious and leaned into its concept more, and maybe been a bit more inventive instead of just being a granddaughter of Kate Bush, but for what it is? I’m glad it exists.
I can finally state that I'll not get the hype on PJ Harvey's songs. However, from all her albums I got from here on the 1001 list, I can also say that this one was the best. It has some cool songs (more than the previous albums I got), even being a bit repetitive sometimes.
A little whiny, but here we are.
Mild
neo-protestwave indie rock, cool enough listen
# Album Name: Let England Shake # Artist: PJ Harvey # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Decent album. Im not a huge fan of the entire album being a war theme. Gets a bit old. But theres a few good tunes on the album. Sadly, i never feel PJ notches it up a gear or two. Its like she is struggling to get out of 2nd gear. She normally has amazing range with her vocals but it seems a bit wobbly on this album. Despite that, i think it may be a grower but its not going to be a show stopper. Definitely, an album for the more hardcore fans. Not a patch on Stories from the city... # Top Tunes: Living rose / glorious land / maketh murder / dark places # Would I listen to it again? Probably but not on regular rotation.
The extra noises did nothing for me. Good voice; forgettable music.
Another album that's not for me. Don't care for the singing.
Another decent album. 3.5 stars
It was fine.
Hey, not bad
Polly Jean Harvey, the legendary Cuban cigar retailer and deadly clandestine assassin, really pulls one out of the bag here. But which bag, and whose was it? These are the vital questions that need answering, and we are just the right crack team of aquatic mammals to answer them. But first, we'll investigate the bag to see if it contains any delicious molluscs or other seafood. Using our WHISKERS and and our PAWS and our adorable little black NOSES! Our vestigial arm bones will clink and clatter as Bitter Branches rings out through the murk, and then all will be revealed. The meaning of everything. 3/5 Key tracks: All of them!
Just ok. Kinda dug the dark vibes.
Loved her - I think I have 3 of her records - this one not a favorite, quite dark and biting - I was distracted while listening, it wasn't keeping my attn. but PJ is / was a force and shook things up - I like that : )
Not entirely my thing but impressive though. I don't normally like this type.of folk but it does come with some interesting sounds...Again, not the music is would actively listening to so...perhaps a 3-3.5/5.
Fun fact: when I first pushed play I thought "this sounds surprisingly similar to Sheryl Crow", but that was because I was accidentally still playing yesterday's Sheryl Crow album. The actual start to this album is much more my speed on first listen (quirky, unique voiced-singer, jingle-jangly, references to the UK). But it never reached "I love this" status, sadly. No bops! Mild highlights: 'The Last Living Rose', 'In the Dark Places'
I liked it more than I thought I did
This was nice. Might be my least favorite PJ Harvey record. But that doesn’t mean it’s not very good. It’s excellent as always. But I didn’t love her wobbly singing. Doesn’t sound like her.
Pretty good.
ive loved pretty much everything ive heard from pj harvey but with this one im not sure i see the vision
Was just kinda meh
I think the group summed this up well. A lot of good here but felt like it never quite made it off the ground. I also agree we may be missing the context. If Nebraska was your intro to Bruce you’d be pretty confused about the hype. Feel like there’s more here. I’ll come back for “The Words That Maketh Murder”
This album is nice but doesn’t grab me. In some places her voice and style feel a little more melancholy than these songs warrant. In other places her gloominess feels melodramatic. A lot of this is too downbeat / minor key for my taste in pop and makes the songs all kinda blur together. ‘Written on the forehead’ breaks this mold and so is a highlight for me
I appreciate the uniqueness of this and story telling, but ultimately I found this album to get into. Maybe like a Randy Newman album? It takes a while to get the character and story /shrug. I went through it twice so far and it was a lot better on round 2. In short, there were some cool songs. I really liked more of the more bare songs instrumentally speaking. England and The Last Living Rose stand out. Words That Maketh Murder was a good one too
I’ve always been interested in hearing more PJ Harvey, seems like a super talented songwriter and definitely in my wheelhouse on paper, but this album felt like it never really took off. I think one of my issues with this generator is that it can drop you into an artists catalogue anywhere in their journey - in many cases it seems to have given us the most recent/last one first. I might have appreciated this album a bit more if I had more context on the progression. I skipped around on a few of her other top songs and am still interested to hear more.
little too weird
I really enjoyed the anti-war themes. I can tell it's a project that took long to make, it's very detailed. Some standout songs but many of the songs didn't quite catch the emotion I was hoping for. Solid nonetheless.
3.7 I liked it
Not her best but still decent. I wish it would've rocked out more but she goes for a more indie and at times baroque sound. I get it. She wants to grow as an artist and the songwriting remains strong. But this didn't quite hit as hard for me as previous releases. Still, worth a listen.
I remember liking this more than I do now. Mid 3. 70/100
Sadly I wasn't over the moon for this one. I think I needed to listen to some earlier PH Harvey to understand what a departure this was for her. I found most of the songwriting too esoteric. My favorite track was the last one on the album!
ganz nett anzuhören, "shaken" tut da bei mir aber nix
Ajattelin aluksi, että tämä on "vain" kaunista, mutta sitten tajusin, että tämä on Kaunista. Ja kekseliästä (enkä tarkoita ensisijaisesti konseptia). Esteettisesti levy ei ole täysin makuuni, mutta ehkä voin oppia. 3+
Great album full of songs I’d never heard before.
If I knew more about this artist, I would probably appreciate it more because it seems like it is divergent from her discography. With that said, it sounded fine.
I feel as though I owe Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and apology. I gave it a two and have since revisited it when I enjoyed it more. I found this one to be very unique. Her vocal style and the instrumentation as well as the lyrics are interesting the entire time even if they don’t always work for me. My favorite songs were The Last Living Rose, The Words That Maketh Murder, and Bitter Branches.
Nice.
Morrissey without making me want to strangle a british person. Reserved, very british but I never felt condescended to. Everything else was okay.
Decent rock. Tbh I would be surprised if I heard this before knowing that it's from 2011.
I won’t say that I love every song here, but it is definitely unique and not unenjoyable.
Slightly annoying, but unique and creative at the same time.
2.7.
Good listen.
I thought it was interesting, I listened to the demos they were pretty rough
5/10 - It was kind of boring. She kind of sounded like bjork imo. Also the fanfare in the middle of one of the pieces was very out of place in my opinion.
A difficult album. One of the one side very interestingly composed songs. A lot of variety and creativity. On the other side I'm simply not so fond of them, also after listening a few times. My vote is therefore is somewhere in the middle.
It was alright. I'm still a little upset it isn't available on Spotify. The Last Living Rose was my favorite. Damn Europeans.
Hhmm, while listening my imagination thought this was a celebration of England, until I read the lyrics. They are poetic, but the topic seems quite odd. It’s about war; caused by England? in England? In another comment someone said she did a lot of research for this album……. Basically I think I’m too ignorant to really get this. I did enjoy the English folk like qualities of some of the tracks though
This might be one of the most back-loaded albums ever. The first seven songs are a bit tough to get through but then Harvey locks in and delivers a phenomenal five-track run to finish the record. Also, she sounds vaguely like Björk and it’s throwing me off.
I dont get it, does she likes england?? 6/10 cause nice rhythms.
I am new to PJ Harvey. I quite enjoyed it
It was interesting. Sort of folky, sort of broody, a little strange. It has a certain vibe. Not a lot to latch onto for repeat listening, but good for the background. 3.4
I love PJ and I listened to this a lot when I came out to try and get a foot hold into it but never managed it. I thought a return to it may help, be it no. I can appreciate the storytelling, the state of the nation lyrics and the general folk ambiance. But it really lacks hooks and tunes to get me to want to come back to it.
interesting album and good sound, would probably rate a 3.5
Put your album on spotify you slut
First PJ harvey album. It was cool! Interesting enough to check out her other stuff
Don't think this one is good as Dry, but it's good seeing an artist like this have a critically acclaimed album 8 albums into their career I do like it though. it sorta fades in and out, and when you are in its pretty good, and when you are out its fine too The standout would be the Words that Maketh Murder. Fun bouncy song
I REALLY want to like PJ Harvey, I really do! I just can’t get into her though. I don’t know what it is but literally nothing she does is of note to me for some reason.
To be honest, the only thing I knew about PJ Harvey going into this is that they were shouted out by E-Dubble on Be a King. Turns out that's due to him sampling The Last Living Rose off of this project. Unrelated but that's my favorite song here. Rest sounds good but it's gonna be a grower if anything.
If you're in the mood for "sorta beautiful and utterly depressing," this is the album for you. Songs about war, blood, and dying empire. There's so little joy in this album (not that Polly Jean is known to be super-uplifting) that it makes it a bit of a slog as you go along. Her voice has rarely sounded better and the arrangements are cool. But if you're looking for hope for the future and an uplifting trip -- don't push play on this one. Unexpected bangers: On Battleship Hill, Bitter Branches
This didn’t stand out as anything special to me.
I’m surprised that this album is a required listen given that PJ Harvey seemed to be past her prime by 2011. There is something good about this album. I’ve stayed engaged with every song. Some songs bordering on “not listenable” but not quite there. Choice Cut: These are the Words that Maketh Murder
I like the album I have by her more but this is interesting
I like PJ Harvey. This is not one of my favorites from her but its alright.
I like this one
A very unagitated and calm album, maybe I miss some more powerful vocals from PJ Harvey from time to time.
When I first saw this album listed, I thought "Another one? Really?" But upon 2 listens, there is actually something captivating here. Standouts are the first four tracks.
Don't really see what all the fuss is about. She sounds a bit like Björk, but nat as quirky.
"Let England Shake" is the eighth studio album by PJ Harvey, released in 2011. Man, I feel like I've been getting a lot of PJ Harvey stuff recently. I'm not necessarily complaining, she's an interesting artist to me, even if I don't particularly love her music. This one definitely sounds like a departure from her earlier work, focusing on reverb-drenched folk rock. The main themes of this album revolve around Harvey's disdain for war, especially the various conflicts that her home country of England was a part of. Her lyrics mainly focus on the effects that wars have on society, in particular young men. The message is surely powerful. Her lyrics are very strong. I feel like some of the music is a bit lackluster, but it allows for focus to be drawn toward the lyrical content. The main thing I didn't enjoy was the male duet (?) vocals accompanying hers. I think her voice would've been perfect alone.
I was a bit torn on whether or not I liked this album but the fact that the Pogues were a recognizable influence on the artist pushed it across the line. I'll likely listen again just to filter meaning from all of the darkness
Absolutely a fan of Harvey through Uh Huh Her, but this album lost me, as if it was being self-consciously not a Harvey album. All and Everyone is a good example--starts off great then detours into a kind of talk poetry. Same for On Battleship Hill--starts great, then starts wandering vocally, gets back to very poetic rhythm, then wanders, then ends just when it got intriguing. Love Hanging on the Wire and wish the rest was as organized. Many of the parts of many of the songs grab me, but sad to say it didn't work for me.
We’ve had quite a few mercury prize winners of late. I do like my Polly Jean but I think I liked her earlier stuff better. I can’t remember who I wanted to win that year - maybe Elbow - but she was worthy enough. It’s poetic and clever and well-executed. I loved the starting sample. Not a PJ must for me but good enough.
I am ambivalent about PJ Harvey. I enjoyed the music but her voice is a bit too Bjork-y for me. I didn’t listen closely to the lyrics. It’s always nice to have Billy Bragg involved.
PJ Harvey is zo'n artiest waarbij ik door de jaren heen altijd een beetje aan het cherry picken ben geweest. Goeie singletjes van albums afpikken, en een volledige luisterbeurt onbewust ontwijken. Het beluisteren van dit album bevestigd in ieder geval dat dat geen slechte tactiek was, al is dit maar één van de vele albums. De nummers die ik al kende, 'The Last Living Rose', 'The Words That Maketh Murder', en 'All And Everyone', zijn ongeëvenaard op deze plaat. Ik denk wel dat het een belangrijk concept album is, gezien het een oorlogsthema bezingt dat vandaag de dag weer z'n opmars maakt in de West Europese media. Verder geeft het al een voorschot op de controversiële Brexit van bijna 10 jaar later. De teksten zijn sterk, de boodschap duidelijk, maar de losse hoofdstukken in het verhaal missen een beetje overtuigingskracht en het muzikale vernuft dat wél op de voorgrond stond in de drie reeds genoemde nummers. 6,5/10 Highlights: The Last Living Rose The Words That Maketh Murder All And Everyone
I like PJ Harvey, but this didn't land for me.
Nice relaxing listen, can listen to her for ages and not get too bored. Preferred Stories From the City album, but I was hungover when I listened to that so need to second listen it. This one gets 3.5
I wish I loved anything as much as PJ Harvey loves England. 3/5
B- Let England Shake 4 The Last Living Rose 3 The Glorious Land 3 The Words That Maketh Murder 4 All And Everyone 3 On Battleship Hill 3 England 4 In The Dark Places 3 Bitter Branches 3 Hanging In The Wire 3 The Colour Of The Earth 3 The Big Guns Called Me Back Again 3 Written On The Forehead 3 It wasn't great, but it definitely made me excited to listen to more PJ Harvey.
Yeah it's alright.
I had not heard of PJ Harvey and I made a variety of bad assumptions about what this album would be. After a couple tracks the shock of being so wrong wore down and I started to ponder if this was something I actually liked. I decided it was just an ok album for me. I see it had a lot of awards and that is kinda how it feels. A lot of the critically acclaimed media kind of has a tier of polish that I can't seem to distinguish. Favorite track (I don't recall) 3/5
Cohesive and mellifluous, a surprising change of tone for a PJ album. I feel like the other albums of hers I’ve listened to have been intentionally discordant, so it was unexpected to get something more tame. But I liked it. I was caught up in the vibes, digging it a bit, up until the last track. That one just didn’t feel like it fit properly with the rest of the songs. Suddenly choral and jangling, it threw me off. But, overall this was a very chill listen.
Artsy singer-songwriter pop. Boring to me. Beautiful voice.
This was pretty good with a few stinkers in it. Will I listen to again: 30%
3 - Ni fu ni fa
Good.
better than the other pj harvey album. i liked it quite a bit.
not my thing
This just isn't really my thing, and that's OK.
PJ Harvey is a good songwriter but the music is boring to me.
nice vocals. the music often reminded me of nick cave, at other times björk. interesting listen.
Album 319 of 1001 PJ Harvey - Let England Shake Rating : 3 / 5 I like early PJ Harvey. This left me thinking, "Old PJ Harvey". Nothing too special here for me.
Great female rock voice
can see a lot of Florence + The Machine inspirations, PJ Harvey are a bit obsessed with England though cmon I get it
This was pretty good, 3 stars
Kinda odd but it was good 3.1/5 Id still never listen to it again
Gefällt mir ganz gut! Insgesamt ganz geil. Habe bisher selten bis nie ein Album von ihr komplett angehört. Das hier finde ich ganz gut. 
I had never heard of PJ Harvey before being assigned this album. So - I was leery at best. And then I was totally caught off guard by her totally unique voice and haunting, trance-like, and soothing atmosphere of many of these songs. The first half of the album is near perfection and I was ready to give this album a 5, but I felt like the 2nd half drops off a little except for Bitter Branches. She also gave me that Peter Gabriel vibe in a lot of ways. Great stuff! Favorite tracks: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, All and Everyone, Bitter Branches
Loved the artfulness of it. But the songs didn’t resonate with me.
First PJ Harvey offering. It was ok. I liked this album less the more I listened to it. It is definitely an antiwar activist album and I appreciate the message I just think it lacked subtlety. Everything was blood blood death blood more death… It’s a straight 3
Good album. Would give it 3.5 if I could
Quite enjoyed this. Probably worthy of proper study in terms of the lyrics. Move variety in the tune just not so keen on her voice
I liked the Manu Chao sample. That was the best part.
Admittedly I do not care much for PJ Harvey. I respect her artistry and having her earlier albums like Rid of Me and Stories From the City on the album, but this makes the 4th entry on the list which feels excessive. Truthfully she's still a great songwriter. She has a lot of compositional ideas that pan out exceptionally well here.
Meh
Nothing offensive, but only one or two songs that I’d ever intentionally listen to again.
Pretty mediocre pop? I wasn't that into it
Pretentious English Indie Folk Rock. Middle of the road for PJ Harvey. Not that bad.
Pretty decent
Pretttttttay good
Meh
I’ve tried mightily to be more into PJ over the years, but alas I just never really got her. When it comes to female art rock artists I will almost always lean way more towards those placed in the same category as PJ, and who I find way more interesting: Bjork, Mazzy Star, Siouxsie and The Banshees, St. Vincent, etc. I did find the production on this album quite interesting though. Still, her 1993 album Rid of Me probably deserves way more credit. 2.5/3
Put PJ on a long list of acclaimed artist I just don’t get. There’s some stuff here I liked, but overall didn’t grab me. I sound like a broken record, but this is an average to slightly above average album. 2.75/5
Liked the first half a decent bit. Second PJ album I’ve gotten after Rid Of Me. Neither has clicked with me yet. Wish I could understand the hype now but sure I’ll discover it later down the line. I usually don’t focus on the lyrics the first time I hear an album so I’m sure some of the disconnect lies in that. Rating: 3.1
I’m not really into folk, and the Wwi inspired songs.
ingerland.. breksitti tarkoittaa juuri sitä.. saatana eurooppaan kuulu semmoset.. hampaat irvessä.. ikenessä..veressä...prkl... skinny indie narttuesque laulaa ÄÄÄ ÄÄÄ ÄÄÄ type singing . ehkä turpa kii?? ens kerralla? oisiko? hyvää albumia olit tekemässä,, tarvi olla tollattiin. FOOOKIN 'ELL words that make murder
Weird
Lyrically could be something special but sonically is pretty boring to me.
2.7 Kate Bushn't faves: let england shake
My 4th PJ Harvey album on this thing, which is wild to me. It's interesting to see how hard this list goes at some artists, but as far as over represented English artists on this list, she's one of the best. I had not heard this--much more recent than the others--album of hers. It's good, and is what I was expecting.
Some good and some fine-ish songs.
Pulled a lot from various points of English music throughout history with her own unique twist. Most notably accenting traditional folk music and some of the more recent indie music from the aughts, it was an interesting look into a new artist. I'm excited to hear her other album on this list
Probably my favorite PJ Harvey album. It's also the only PJ Harvey album I've listened to. It's good, is it must listen worthy? I'm not sure. When a list like this gathers so many artists that sound similar and don't do much to break away from the track they're in are they really list worthy? Regardless, PJ Harvey's Let England Shake is probably the better of the angry white chick alt rock that was so prevalent of the 90s-00s. 3/5
Better than I thought it would be.
Surprisingly good but started to lose me by the end.
Let em
Inegal
Better than the last one of hers, still not brilliant
Enjoyable, but far from my favourite of hers
COME ON INGERLAND
Production was nice. Lyrics seemed interesting, pretty explicitly historical and political, didn't get a chance to listen closer
I liked it! Song 3 till 5 Span was my favourite on the Album 3.5/5
She’s been touted as your favourite musicians favourite musician. Can see the appeal. Should 3.5
I've never quite gotten PJ Harvey. She is clearly very talented and creative. This is a very different album, and I appreciate what it's going for even if it's not quite for me.
It was kinda spooky which I dig but the songs ran together a bit
I liked a couple songs here. Nice chill female vocals 3.1
The last worthwhile record Polly Jean mustered. A melancholy rumination on the Great War and its long-term effect on her English homeland. The best songs focus on the human cost of violence.
I like: The Last Living Rose The Glorious Land The Words That Maketh Murder
No bad, not great. Decent album.
Up there for the worst named album: I take one look at this album and all I think of is EDL. Look the name PJ Harvey sounds like a block out of some shitty estate making garage music with his house covered in England flags. He then finishes making some music, goes inside to beat the wife, off to the pub with the lads to go flex his new tattoo of St George killing the dragon to only watch his team lose at the footy and start a fight with everyone there. The music itself isn't awful, just couldn't get that picture out of my head for the entirety.
A nice album but not the vibe I'm after off a PJ Harvey record, still saved a few tracks for a folk rock list.
Pas mauvais mais j’ai aucun souvebir de l’album
Remember this being massive when it came out. God bless the NME. Like an English Bjork. Honestly, bored me a little at the time. Just never really in the mood for it. 3.5/5
Only gave it one listen. I reckon it had potential, so will give it another listen some time soon
Meh. A gentle sound that wasn't too annoying in the background but it felt kind of pretentious.
Modern folk - quite good
Great album cover. Not my favorite PJ album, but there are some bright spots. And at the very least, it belongs on a list like this.
Somber indie
A hard one to score. Generally I liked it but there's no songs that stand out as especially good so I've found myself giving it a three again.
Trur da va verdt et gjenlytt, men får sjå om da skjer
Interesting album, seemed like an updated Kate Bush, not going to be listening to it again but glad I've heard it
Prima, maar niet echt mijn ding. Af en toe wat moeilijk gezongen.
Fine
Love PJ Harvey, and this is definitely among her most unique and interesting. Not sure it tops her more raw/punk music, but no doubt it's great. There's room for this one to grow even more on me, I think.
Has PJ channeled Pink Floyd and Johnny Rotten? The mix of instruments is wonderful. The melodies often off-canter. Those trumpet injections into 'The Glorious Land' kill that song. Why a war theme album in 2011?
I was excited to get this album because I've heard PJ Harvey discussed a lot and a number of her album covers are iconic enough for me to recognize them without ever hearing her music. This was a good album but I wasn't blown away all the way through. There are some really solid tracks on here and I can see why someone else might love the full album. I do like this enough to check out some of her other albums though. I also think the songs get stronger as the album progresses. Standout Tracks: The Last Living Rose, On Battleship Hill, Hanging on the Wire, The Colour of the Earth, Written on the Forehead
Shockerande,,, 2011 pj harvey va int super speciellt. De va nicw dock
I like this album but perhaps I need more time for it to really settle. It’s cool though
Not bad, not great
I had dry yesterday so back to pack PJ Harvey albums. Highlighted how different this album is, this was an interesting album, not sure I enjoyed it as much as dry, but glad i listened and it deserves its place on the list.
Not mad about PJ Harvey. I think im just not one for the real folksy sound. Solid collection of songs though, and her vocals are awesome as always. Just don't feel it personally.
Pretty good! I knew literally nothing about PJ Harvey going in but I overall dug this.
they chose this PJ harvey album and not stories from the city, stories from the sea? i suppose it does have some weird ye olde vibe going on that is pretty unique, but its by no means what you should listen to first to get in to Polly.
Actually nice, very Experimental, but probably difficult to play in a group
Smoother and better crafted than previous PJH albums. Instrumentality and vocally less aggressive. It also holds together well as an album. So why don't I love it? No idea. 3
It seems like I should be impressed by the lyrics. Too bad I don't pay attention to them on a first listen. The sound though.... is weird, experimental, and actually intriguing, like girl.. what is going on? Might check some of her other stuff. Will I relisten? Who knows :)
Especially liked Written On The Forehead with its background vocals, really entrancing!
Decent but not my thing
Bit pretentious but not half bad
This was an interesting album if only that it exceeded my very low expectations that were brought on by the title of this album and the frequency of said word in the title in many prior albums. Would I listen again? Probably not, but I didn't hate it and I'll take that as a win.
A softer album from Polly Jean, her sound still draws from Folk roots, wouldn't be one of her strongest albums for me, but it was listenable, a few WetLeg type tracks, and I guess they would have been a better vibe if the Wet Leg energy was injected into the rhythm.
There have been a few PJH albums appear on this list but this one was the most enjoyable for me. Her voice is less aggressive and her writing is much more polished.
Sounds like PJ Harvey.
Before today, I'd never heard of PJ Harvey. From a bit of research, I learned she is a folk rock/singer songwriter. This is her 8th studio album, and it was recorded in a church, so it is closer to chamber folk. The reverb caused by recording in such a large open space, coupled with jangly guitars and beautiful autoharp made for a very nice listen. The weak point of the record was PJ's nasally voice. I wasn't much of a fan of her upper register, but her natural singing voice was not bad. Overall, a perfectly average record today. Not something I would actively seek out, but not something I would rush to shut off if it was on either. Favorite songs: The Words That Maketh Murder, All And Everyone, The Colour of the Earth, The Glorious Land, In The Dark Places, Bitter Branches Least favorite songs: England, On Battleship Hill, Hanging In The Wire 3/5
Decent, didn't get a proper taste of it though, should listen to it again
Yeah. Sounds alright. Hard to judge from one listen, but some interesting songs and sounds, although the horns on glorious lands don't fit. Will listen again. Enjoyed my car journey with this on. Need to give it another go on the hifi. Listened again on the Hifi later on. Sounds ok, not sure if it's something I'll really want to listen to more, but it's ok.
Big earthquake here yesterday
Reeks of early 2010’s.
I loved the first couple of songs. The first song reminded me of Bridget Bardot/ Francoise hardy and I was LIT for the album. The words that maketh murder is where that all changed for me… but then I came back to during huh it didn’t save. I came back during bitter branches bc woman screaming
Det var 'okay', men jeg kommer aldrig til at sætte det på igen, tror jeg. Det er dog stadig bedre end KISS og Pet Shop Boys. On Battleship Hill er nok min yndlingssang fra albummet.
No lo mejor de PJ pero gran disco igualmente, para escuchar de fondo trabajando y mover la cabeza
Polly has shifted to folk in her old age but it's still prone to her idiosyncrasies
Very British. I enjoyed. The premise is interesting and the sound is solid. Not great but good.
I find this a curious album. It’s an interesting project and some songs have fantastic moments but it also never feels particularly essential
I love PJ Harvey so I really wanted to like this. Sadly I don't think this type of folk music is for me, but I appreciate the creativity and talent that PJ put into it. 'Let England Shake' is a good song. Pj's vocals are really gorgeous as well. This album doesn't resonate with me though sadly. Perhaps on a few more listens it could grow on me. For now, I'm ranking it as a mid (3 stars). I can see why a different sort of listener might love this though.
WWI concept album that covered both the western and Gallipoli fronts?! Wasn't expecting that
A bit different to her music in the 90's. It's pretty good, a few tracks I really like but there was more I didn't. Perhaps those songs would grow on me more after a few more listens but it's a solid 3.5.
PJ is very hit or miss for me. Almost every record has something I love on it, and a lot I just do not like. That said this record was far different than I expected. And I enjoyed a good deal of it (not all): Didn’t like The Words that Maketh Murder But very much liked Hanging on the Wire
I'm not really all that familiar with PJ Harvey. Should deep dive in a bit more. I liked a lot on this album. But there was also quite a bit I didn't enjoy as much. Solid but not great.
annoying to okay at best. Not quite a 2, but close.
Kind of got distracted listening but it’s not bad. A high 3.
Eh
Its decent - Not bad at all, but not amazing. I dont know why this would be on a list of albums that everyone should hear before they die. 3/5
This was a surprising okay album. Enjoyed it more than I suspected I would.
Easy listening.
earnest and arty and / but not sure it resonates fully for me despite occasionally really liking her stuff. could be a grower...?
I applaud PJ Harvey's decision to stop making bland, boring music. There did not need to be 3 albums by her in this exercise though. Favorite track: The Colour of the Earth
Couple of these songs kept me listening, but I found the lead singers voice to be irritating after listening to the whole album in one sitting.
need to listen to further albums
first listen not for me
It was a 4 until the awful strained vocals chimed in during the back half.
I can't totally remember what I felt about this...I feel like it had its moments, but if it were a true 4 or higher, it probably would have made an impression that outlasted the weekend
Pleasantly surprised by this one
I know PJ Harvey's career predates the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but it sounds so eerily similar. Not something I'd seek out, but I also wouldn't turn it off.
This is a pretty good album. I enjoyed it.
3-4
It’s a bit too contrived for me to be an awesome album.
Standouts: The Glorious Land, Others: Let England Shake, The Last Living Rose, The Words That Maketh Murder. 3/5
Let England Shake- 6.5 The Last Living Rose- 7 The Glorious Land- 6 The Words That Maketh Murder- 7 All and Everyone- 8 On Battleship Hill- 7 England- 7 In The Dark Places- 9 Bitter Branches- 8.6 Hanging In The Wire- 6 Written On The Forehead- 6.5 The Colour Of The Earth- 6
Some good songs, but a bit wishy washy in places.
This is super experimental. It's nowhere near as good as Stories from the Sea. Even Dry is a bit more relatable.
Solid
alright that certainly was “an album” i don’t want to call it bad but I just don’t think I like “folk rock”.It’s just kinda boring and I never felt any energy behind it.Maybe it’s music for old people.For an album called “let England shake” I was expecting more of a dubstep rocky thing.like lots of bass.Whatever it’s perfectly fine.
Lyrics are a little weird but instrumentals are comforting
Definitely not my favorite PJ Harvey album.
Enjoyed the first half, somewhat repetative
This was fine. It's just not the type of music that grabs me and makes me want to listen, but it was pleasant to listen to.
This album has one of my favourite songs on (Last Living Rose), and some other songs.
This is probably impressive. I just wasn't in the mood for this one on the day I got it. I'm more in an Elvis Costello "let's end war," kind of mood than a PJ Harvey one today, so that may have shaded my impression of this one. Most of these songs just kind of felt like an extension of the previous one. I love her voice, and I like the beat, especially The Words that Maketh Murder. Anyway, death, death, death - lots of death on this one.
I don't think there was anything particularly special about this album. Personally it felt like the same tracks over and over.