Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I kind of liked it, but not enough to really ever listen to again.
Not my style, but I can appreciate parts of it
I don't listen to PJ Harvey. I know Down By The Water, love it... but I get the feeling that song doesn't represent her entirely. I don't think I've seen such polarized reviews on an album here before. I wonder which side of the fence I'll fall on. You know what? I'm staying on the fence. I liked this album. Not enough to play it again, but it was worth a listen to, IMO. The first track was the worst for me, but it got better throughout the rest of the album. Not my preference but I can respect it as an epic album in it's own way.
Nice sounds, I hate the British.
Didn't shake me.
I mentioned elsewhere I didn't really follow Harvey after To Bring You My Love/Dancehall at Louse Point. I liked this, I'm always up for. Reinvention, though it strayed into a kind of Bjork-ish vocal territory that isn't my cuppa.
Folk rock
Good, but didn't stand out too much.
This is not a good PJ album
Didn't enjoy this as much as the other PJ Harvey albums I've had so far on this list
Last living rose is great
I know a lot of people like this album but it just isn't for me I suppose. Perhaps some of PJ Harvey's widely loved albums will make me feel differently, and I will check them out to confirm. For now I am just left disappointed by an album that I had higher expectations for. 6/10
It was ok, nothing special.
Decent.
average
I like the vibe of this. I've heard other stuff from her and not got on-board, but this has got a nice energy to it, and a really interesting sound.
better than the other one
Alright.
I like it but I don't love it
Not my favorite PJ Harvey album.
Fine enough i suppose. Didn't really stick with me in any way.
Lindo disco, aunque sin demasiada variación en las melodías. Tampoco tiene demasiadas capas. Por momentos es demasiado simple.
Vibed with it
The first half of the album is solid. It gets a little bland in places later on
Alright...
It's a pretty good album. I haven't spent much time listening to PJ Harvey before. I wasn't in love here but I could see giving her more listens
Bien aime, j’adore cette artiste.3.85
Overall good listening. Some bold musical things and/or voice act but still entertaining and somehow catchy. 3/5
I feel like if I were a horse girl I would have loved this album
What's this, a woman? Natalie has taken to calling this the "1001 albums by men" list, so it's a welcome change. PJ Harvey is another influential artist I've not really listened to, so again, a welcome recommendation. And an anti-war album! A new generation of songs to add to my ANZAC Day/Remembrance Day playlist! So yeah, I'm ready to dig it... But somehow, this album doesn't really grab me. It's musically inventive, it's worthy, it's well produced, it just...doesn't grab me. Not musically, and not lyrically. Not on the first 1.5 times through, and I didn’t get time for another go around.
Pleasantly surprised. Solid songs, good melodies. A bit weird, but in a good way.
I like PJ but wasn't super into this one aside from the title track
I was dreading listening to this as I didn’t enjoy her other albums but this one was alright!
Pretty groovy. I had heard a few random things by PJ just in passing, but I liked this album. It's fun and depressing all at the same time. Definitely unique. Well done, Miss Harvey.
Good vibes. Very chill.
Seems i should have listened to lyrics. Not as avant garde as I thought it might be
I dont really understand why this is here?... Seems mediocre... Like Bjork 2 but if the only goal was to kinda sound indie. I mean it's enjoyable to listen to, not very inspired tho so. 6.8/10
I liked this pretentious shit! I wish the album cover didn't suck, or I might actually want this on vinyl. 3.5/5
Unusual PJ Harvey, not so dark
Excelente voz de una compositora inglesa con ciertos toques rockeros. En su punto de intensidad. Cómodo de escuchar
My first reaction to seeing another PJ Harvey album from this list left me asking '¿How much PJ Harvey will I have to listen too?' (see similar comments for Leonard Cohen and David Bowie). Harvey is an artist that I know others like, but I've never quite caught on to. This album was better than I had expected. I saved "Written on the Forehead" and "In Dark Places" for my personal playlist to come back to later. The guest vocalists on "The Colour of the Earth" reminded me of the Pogues, and Billy Bragg. Overall the album was okay, but I'm still not sure if I get Harvey.
I immediately feel in love with the music of PJ Harvey when she first appeared, and her first three albums were all played repeatedly and religiously at my house. I found her powerful, emotional, honest and with the ability to rock. I really liked the raw production of her first two records (Steve Albini seemed a really good pick for her), and the change to \"To Bring You My Love\" was welcome. The brooding, seething restraint of To Bring You My love is a masterpiece that I am, frankly, surprised to see is not on this list. But, as I listened to less new music in the late 90s and early 2000s, I lost track of her new release. I certainly continued to read about PJ Harvey, and saw her live at the Enmore Theatre in the 2000s. Which brings me to this album, that I do not care for. Maybe it's because I don't care about England and its travails. It seems overly cerebral and emotionally distant (compared to her earlier work). I understand she changed her vocal style to make the songs work, but I don't like it. Her power and immediacy seems diminished to me. The arrangements don't hang together for me. It doesn't move me. Again, I suspect, because I don't really care about the thematic material. I am disappointed, because I really was hoping that this would be a really great album that I just hadn't heard yet.
Suffers a bit from coming straight after Portishead - just not quite as good as that. But, the music is a bit more upbeat (even if the songs aren't really). I like the title track, but not much of the rest is super memorable. Yesterday was the top end of a 3, this is the bottom end.
Not my favorite PJ Harvey album, solid 3
Not what I’m used to from PJ, but I liked it.
La PJ Harvey ne faisant pas la follasse marginale est de bien meilleure facture que la PJ Harvey follasse marginale. Ce sera le principal enseignement de cet album.
Nice, better than the other PJ Harvey album I've listened to I think.
Meh. I liked her earlier work, this just doesn't captivate me the same way. Probably shows my rock bias. I liked her as a rocker, less as a pure songstress. I admit she's got more range than I thought given her earliest work. Like Kate Bush but less annoying (mostly - England was hard to listen to). Let England Shake, The Last Living Rose, and Bitter Branches were pretty good, but I don't think I'd go back and listen to this album even for those three.
Reminds me of arcade fire. No catchy hooks so far, which would be helpful in some of those very repetitive sections of songs. Singer is great in a weird way. Interesting choice for using samples in a very plain and unprocessed way (so far based on what I'm hearing).
I liked this more than I expected I would. Don't love her voice, especially when she sings in a high whiny voice, but several of these songs have very good "protest" lyrics.
Another PJ Harvey album! (3rd one so far) Starts out decent, but drops off steeply after the fourth song. I suspect PJ just kind of.. isn't my thing. This album does grow on you though. Although some songs remain annoying, rather than haunting (England).
Первая половина альбома претендовала на высокую оценку, но потом все же альбом начал навевать некоторую скуку. Добротный альбом, но не шедевр на все времена
Mid
OK.
Genre: Art Rock 3/5 I'll give PJ Harvey, another artist I was unfamiliar with, this: the girl can sing. She can write some good songs, and she's got plenty of attitude and individuality. Unfortunately, this project fell a bit flat for me. One big thing is this album was heavily front-loaded. The first four tracks have great energy and some interesting arrangements and instrumentation, and while the experimentation continues through out the project to an extent, nothing sounds as refined as those first four for the rest of the album. Certainly, the last four felt like they needed to get to the finish line. Decent, overall. Not sure it deserved Album of the Year in the UK (Adele's 21 or James Blake's self-titled effort may have been more deserving). But not bad.
I've mixed feelings about this album. At it's best (like on the title track) it blew me away, a really trippy cocktail of great lyrics, vocals and a sonic landscape that is as eerie as the video. But the long gaps plus some awful singing elsewhere on the album really brings it down. I can't fault PJ Harvey's individuality and vision though. Her music is often fascinating.
no lo escuché entero creo
A album seems to suffer from a pretty similar sound across the tracks and there are not many interesting or catchy melodies that elevate many of the songs. The lyrics seem interesting and i enjoyed All & Everyone as well as In the Dark Places.
No bad. Thought I would like PJ Harvey better
It's interesting, though not my cup of tea
Beetje aparte muziek die me aan de band Hole doet denken. Dit klinkt echter veel Engelser en iets minder energiek. Wel leuk voor een keer. Mijn favoriet is "The Glorious Land". ***
1/28/22
It's a coherent album, but having the same theme in all songs makes it a little boring. It's also such a specific experience, being british and outraged by war in the early 10s. I find it hard to relate. A good album though, just not my type. I enjoyed "the last living rose".
This was a nice chill album with some good musicality, but not really a standout for me. I liked the track 'All And Everyone' the most, the interesting beginning grabbed me.
soz pj this is not cool. it’s not a bad album but compared to her other stuff it’s just not fun. also ugliest album cover i’ve ever laid my eyes on. still worthy of a 3 i guess
This album definitely needs a second listen with a stronger focus on the lyrics. On my first go, I was easily getting distracted and it became really good background music.
Nothing really catches my attention honestly. A few bits here and there but yeah I might maybe maybe come back to it but that’s all.
PJ Harvey is one of those artists that I just don't get the attraction. It's OK, but not great. It's not necessarily even that good.
Interesting, but not that interesting.
Hi: The Glorious Land, On Battleship Hill, In The Dark Places It's a pretty decent album, though it feels like Siouxie and the Banshees? The Glorious Land is a pretty solid track, if not for the reveille samples?
It's aight
Shes starting to grow on me. This one whas one of my favorites
I love PJ Harvey - but I don't think this is her best album
It's good. Bleak and cold and atmospheric. But the folkiness and crunching guitars feel a bit samey as it goes on. Busy day, short review soz.
Was nice
Had this on repeat for a bit thanks to some surprisingly good songs. I'll need to explore more.
Cool album, I remember this topping lots of charts for best album in 2011. I didn't listen to it then though, but I had done since. Would recommend listening in you PJs
pretty good
Not bad. I didn't love it but there were definitely some good songs here. A few that were just kind of there. I would consider listening to it again or more of her work in the future. Somewhere between a 5 or 6 out of 10
Bueno. Interesante. 3.5
She has an interesting voice. Kinda gave me Florence and the Machine Vibes
Has a very indie feel, I like it.
Truly beautiful album but something about it didn't grab me. Maybe it is my personal taste as this album ticks all the right boxes and much more sonically mature and accomplished in comparison to Stories From The City. Maybe it neeslds a few more listens. PS: whoever thought the bugles on the third track was a good idea needs a talking to
Weird stuff. Everything sounds that little bit off. "On Battleship Hill" is pretty ok. It picks up as it goes on. 3 stars
EnGLand, ENglAnD, eNglanD. Jaaa doch! Bisschen öde auf die Dauer. Schlechte 3.
I've never listened to the whole album before, really like the music.
I absolutely loved the first song - that's going straight on multiple of my playlists. After that, though, it fell off pretty fast. I actually really liked the high pitched singing in the middle of the album, but altogether it kind of blurred together over the back half of the album. That being said, I overall really liked it (and that first song gets it at least 3 on its own).
It was alright, not my favorite but it wasn't bad
I'm not a big fan of the sound. I found this album to be a little schizophrenic but maybe that's the intent. I might circle back for another listen but I'm not hot on the genre, unfortunately.
Nothing to get excited about. A couple of good riffs but never built on
I would have been way into this in high school/college. I like that folk revival shit. It feels a bit tired now and this isn’t the best example of it. A FINE OKAY ALBUMEN
Really like the closing track on this one. It's a weird, but I like it. Solid music all around I'd say.
Decent
Love PJ Harvey and this album is generally good but that f*cking bugle in the first song just ruins it.
Hmmmmm
I dont have so much info about England history in order to understand the album message bu anyway, videos aesthetic is good and sounds well.
Was good. I enjoyed
I have struggled with this album for the last week. It feels like an album I should love, but something just leaves me feeling disconnected from the central theme. The sound is amazing: poignant and eerie... it just doesn't hit like I feel it should.
I wish the ratings were out of 10, as this is a solid 3.5 for me. Clearly musically impressive, but I've just never been a huge fan of her voice - bit too drifty.. Fav new song: The Words That Maketh Murder
Ok
This is apparently a protest album, but it’s done in an artsy discordant etherealesque manner. I don’t plan on a repeat listening. It isn’t bad; I think it accomplishes what it set out to do- express grief over England’s actions in the world, and I think it achieves that satisfactorily. But no song stands out and nothing really resonates with me, which is the entire reason I listen to music.
Not really for me
Meh
Нужно послушать)
England, 10s, Folk rock + Multi-instrument, Vocal = Female - Slow, ?Mood¿, Boring {0/12} [3/5]
As far as musical quality and meaning go, it’s superb. Doesn’t help me get over how jarring it can be to listen to though. Good protest album, not great for easy listening
meh, background noise
ok nothing mind blowing
Speciaal album, veel variatie maar niet wauw
2,8 Cava listen, oke voor achtergrond. Imo niet echt iets dat je moet horen
She back, pj harvey onze eerste artiest die we twee keer tegenkomen? dit is al iets levendiger dan Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. Wat ik ookal goed vond. Dit vind ik iets beter maar ze heeft gewoon een sterke algemene discografie me dunkt
I might like this one more with a few more listens, but such an improvement from the first album!
Score: Light to Decent 3
OK. Never listen to her before. Kind of bjork, but kind of not. No nick cave
Schönes, anderes Singer-Songwriter-Album!
This was an interesting listen. I liked the almost antifolk and alternative genres she blended together, and she incorporated some external melodies synonymous with England to varying degrees of success. I feel like there's better songs by this artist, but the music on this was good enough to want me to learn more. Favorite song: The Words That Maketh Murder
Een pak beter dan het vorige album van PJ harvey
I heard PJ Harvey and thought jazz flute. i was wrong.
This was a bit quirky as you’d expect from this artist. It was enjoyable but probably not something I’d voluntarily seek out.
-
Some good tracks. Added one to my liked songs.
I remember a huge buzz about this at the time and I was non-plussed at the time. Still am really... its fine...
6/10. Sounded fine, just wasn't too interesting to me. Kinda like all the other PJ Harvey albums I've heard.
Álbum bem psicodélico.
So damn boring. 5
3.5*. not a bad album just not my taste. a good sound but like i said not my taste...
Not my cup of tea, but I can hear the depth.
Again, amazing musician, but her songs after 2 decades still come off a bit forced. But not a bad album.
Pj harvey baska sarkilarini severim ama bu album gecmedi bana
Not my typical genre. Very interesting sound. Sorta mix between 90s female grungey sound with a splash of bluegrassy sound? Hard to pinpoint but enjoyable none the less. "On Battleship Hill" she HITS it. Cool song and flow. A handful of sprinkling of surprise instrument fills heard throughout. I didn't listen to the lyrics closely but overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. Would like to relisten with attention given to the lyrics.
Melodic folk punk pop grooves
i like PJ, but this one kinda missed me. the first track that made me turn and look to see what it was...was the first one that played after the album was finished.
I like her voice. Musically it’s ok. I suspect it’s mainly a lyrical success but I haven’t closely listened.
Not my bag at all, but I can respect it.
The songs themselves are good. The instrumentals can be a bit weird at times which is ok but not my thing. Where this album shines for me is the vocals, her voice is amazing. At times it has a haunting feel I couldn't get over how great they sound.
Not bad. But music that did not get me rightaway.
PJ is one of those artists I want to like so much...
Rock album. Not bad, wouldn't listen to it again.
2.75. There was one or 2 songs that were enjoyable. But couldn't get into it. Music was good, but nothing blew me out of the water
I preferred her earlier work
Very English. Revisit when in a Billy Bragg mood.
Average album, annoying at parts
Eh
Need to listen again. A bit bellyesque. Some sloppy time signatures in there though
Lyrics are hard to understand
good music but not really my daily listen type
Decent albums, not as wannabe different than her previous one from the 90s however still with an edge. Ultimately though not enough standout songs to warrant a 4
Y
Pretty interesting album, enjoyed it much more the second time around
1/4 Cool modern folk album. Standout Tracks: The Words That Maketh Murder, On Battleship Hill
PJ Harvey's OK, but four albums on this list? Are there more??? Maybe pick two and be done with it. I like her older, more raw, less "produced" albums.
Love my earlier PJ but think I need more time with this concept record.
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake ⭐️⭐️ I don’t think that I’ve ever heard a PJ Harvey song before, so I had no frame of reference as far as what to expect from this collection. It’s actually pretty dull. There was nothing here that was of any interest to me, although it wasn’t terrible.
i enjoy the vocals on each track its sorta out of the range of music i listen to only liked 2 songs on the album
Too moody and whiny. No real faves, but some better than others.
war mal auf dem Gurten, meine ich; nicht mein Ding
Not for me.
Listened
england has done too much shaking
Meh
This didn't work for me. The themes, the vocals - it's ambitious but it didn't come together right.
Eh... it was fine. That's about all I feel about it. A bit too english for me Rating: 3/10 Favorite Song: In the Dark Places
I really love PJ Harvey but this album isn't for me
Even if it wasn't for me, I understood why her older material might be important to listen to. This...I'm struggling to see why it's relevant.
Female rocker
War bad Fave track: The Last Living Rose
4/10
This album really didn't do it for me. It's definitely really unique and seems to have some real artistic merit, but the obscure style wasn't my thing. I feel like the guitar is off in one direction, the keys and drums somewhere else, and the vocals back and forth doing their own thing. I get that it likely wasn't intended to produce radio friendly, top 40 singles, but I found the abstract style to be dissociating from what I recognize and look for in music I enjoy. No disrespect and I don't think it's "bad" but not my style.
Couldnt finish this one
I don't like what she's doing with her voice in this one. It's so grating. It was like nails on a chalkboard, except for one song, which she sang softer.
Irrelevant music.
Dogwater. Better than Bolt Cutters (barely). Couple of decent songs, a few ruined by out of tune trumpets. Let England Shake is the kind of album that feels like it was designed to impress critics first and actual listeners somewhere around tenth place. Out of tune horns and falsetto singing really annoy. It’s so wrapped up in its own sense of importance that it forgets to be, you know, enjoyable. The whole thing plays like a school assignment where the rubric demanded “historical references” and “serious themes,” and PJ Harvey turned in a project that checks every box but forgot to include a pulse. The autoharp—an instrument that can be haunting in the right hands—gets hammered into the ground here until every track starts to sound like the same brittle, jangling dirge. It’s less “innovative texture” and more “someone shaking a metal coat hanger over a microphone.” The production is intentionally stark, but often it just feels thin, like the songs were recorded in a cold room with the heat turned off. Lyrically, the album aims for gravitas but often lands on vague, distant commentary that feels strangely hollow. Instead of visceral emotion, you get a kind of academic detachment, as if the album is observing war from a safe balcony seat. It wants to be devastating, but too often it’s simply dreary.
I prefer her early 90s stuff. This was a bit boring.
This is one of those albums that needs a few listens to appreciate i think, feel bad scoring it low just didn't really enjoy it
1.90
- Quite weird, seems to be telling a story of war and England, but not really enjoyable to listen to
I thought I would enjoy this one, but I didn't. Maybe it's her voice, which sounds Björk-like to me, and I've had enough Björk on this list (are there any of her albums *not* on this list?). I don't see why it's on the list. Mostly forgettable for me.
Ok
Fav- on battleship hill 2/5
This was like listening to The Clash's career-ending single, "This is England" on repeat for forty minutes. English musicians complaining about England only works if it's a little bit fun. The Sex Pistols and Idles can spit on the Union Jack and make a crowd pogo-dance at the same time. Maybe if the album's slick hitmaker producer, Flood, had been replaced by Steve Albini, it might have had a chance. God Save the Polly Jean.
That’s morbid PJ. World War II memories, trenches, blood soaked dirt, detached limbs, and cruel nature. This album is an ode to the war dead. It’s acoustic, it’s good, but it’s just plain depressing. Bitter Branches and On Battleship Hill are the least depressing tracks. I liked her raw, earlier, electric album better. This one shakes it up, but only to the (2.3*s) rate. Our land is plowed by tanks and feet, its fruit is deformed children. Yikes, that and the many, many other war torn thoughts get Let England Shake onto The 1001 Must Hear List.
I did not like this album as much as PJ's previous list entry, "Stories from..." She takes a more political, artsy turn. Some weird additions like battlefield horns and babbling old ladies tried too hard to add uniqueness. Having the male back-up vocals was not a plus either. I understand that Harvey wanted to write something completely different from her previous works and she did, I just don't prefer it. Despite my less enjoyment this round, it's not bad and you can tell there is a talented lady behind the music. Actually hoping for maybe one more from PJ, an early one, so I can get a feel for her career. I like her enough to go out my own too after this project to explore her other records. 2.4 stars for ripping on American and England in a poetic way.
ist mir zu langsam und wehleidig
Great, another PJ Harvey record.
echt prima maar wtf is die trompet. beetje blonde redhead achtig.
Yeah, this one didn't do anything for me on any level.
PJ Harvey’s first two albums “Dry” and “Did Of Me” get most attention. I don’t think they are anything special. I much prefer the third album.”To Bring You My Love” and the fifth album “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea”. They are well written, well produced and full of catchy, angsty music. Both deserve a place on this list because they offered something new. Genuinely influential for later generations. Alas, this list which features FOUR PJ Harvey albums doesn’t include the good albums. That’s a shame. “Let England Shake”? Yeah, it’s not great. Pass.
Eh. It was ok.
Pretty much everything I’ve heard by PJ Harvey has been via this project, and once it’s over, I’ll probably never listen to her again.
Have you ever been on an airplane and there are storms and so much turbulence? For me, this is the musical equivalence. I feel at any moment this album might crash and burn but it somehow seems to stay flying. It’s not an enjoyable flight or listen. When the plane finally lands and this album finally stops, I’m left with a relief that it’s all over and that I’d rather not go through that again. It made me too uneasy.
It left me with a whatever feeling, didn't hate it but also didn't make me want to listen to it again
usually i like pj harvey but this was kinda lost on me 2.5/5
This is what Margaret Thatcher is listening to in Hell.
I don't understand why this album specifically was must-listen. The other PJ Harvey was so much better. I did like The Last Living Rose though
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.
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.
Yeah. Well.
I didn’t love this one
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
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
It was okay I guess
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.
Wouldn't say it's bad just find it mildly annoying and a bit pretentious.
I struggle with what carries these songs
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.
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 🤷♂️
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."
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.
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
Pas du tout mon style mais bon voilà quoi
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.
I’m not sure if this was a concept album or not. Didn’t care for the random battle trumpet in one song.
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.
I'm very bored with PJ Harvey how is there so much
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.
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.
1.5
Beautiful voice and nice Melodie’s
You should shake this rec. it’s mid.
M’oui
An sich ok. Den Wechsel mit Erzählungen finde ich störend. 2/5
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.
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.
Hated this at the time. It’s better with hindsight but still a bit annoying, the concept is shit and so is her voice.
Meh.
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.
Didn't really care for it
Interesting in concept. It sounds boring.
Had potential but too whiney for me
Appreciate a concept album - but this is not for me
★★½
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
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.
Interesting, but not good.
Jeez, PJ says England a lot here. This was okay? A bit whimsical and bland for me
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').
Started it and loved it and quickly went downhill. I bet boomers love this.
slow burn
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.
Määääh. Hält nicht annähernd was der Name verspricht. Was für ein belangloses Gedudel.
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
PP Weiners
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.
Not for me
2/5 niemals ist die Frau so gut hier mehrmals aufzutauchen
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.
Not my cup of tea.
I assume Yoko Ono is a major influence.
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
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.
I dunno, this kind of flew over my head I think.
This one didn't 100% work for me, unfortunately. I get what the album is going for but it, but I didn't care for most of the songs. Maybe I will feel differently if I ever come back to this album. Favorite track: "On Battleship Hill"
Did not impress me, mostly whiny. Might be more enjoyable if I took time to dive into the lyrics, but the instrumentation did not convince me to do so.
My only knowledge of PJ Harvey is passing references on Gilmour Girls and Halsey's track "Dog Years" from The Great Impersonator, which was supposedly inspired by her. I gotta say this is different than I expected but I suppose indie folk/rock sort of hits the mark. I think this is sort of a "death of an empire" record. I am not British but given the current state of things in the US I can sympathize. I understand the idea of making modern folk as antiwar music and acknowledging the conquests that gave us the modern version of England or the US. To me this is really a poetry project with musical accompaniment. I can tell a lot of research went into the lyrics and subject matter. It is definitely well-crafted but ultimately I don't really listen to much like this for pleasure and I feel that in 2025 using WWI as the primary inspiration really dates it. I understand the parallels to more modern wars but to me, there is a huge component of the modern injustice of conflict that is missing. The world wars did come with massive civilian tolls but there is something altogether different about a modern superpower invading a developing nation that cannot be mirrored by WWI in my opinion. The nobility of old have been replaced by oligarchs today but there's no draft, no matching of equal forces, etc. Especially in 2025, we have the war in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen that are all essentially functions of the aggressor toeing the line of war crimes on the unfortunate civilians of the area with such a power discrepancy that it boggles the mind. Johnny is not marching off to war with his buddy and his rifle, Johnny is shooting missiles at children from an office building 8000 miles away. She does do a great job of capturing the bleakness and absurdity of war - "death hung in the smoke/and clung to 400 acres of useless beach front" - but for me personally it just doesn't hit that hard. I think in places the accompaniment is so blasé that it washes out the subject matter - "Hanging In The Wire" is one of those songs.
Pretentious innit
I’m not British enough to like this album
This feels like it should be my kind of music based on the time period when it was produced, but good golly it's dreadful. I was hanging on until the terrible bugle call sample that was neither in time nor added anything meaningful to the song. It sounded like a juvenile attempt at putting a song together in GarageBand. None of the songs feel impactful or interesting and Harvey's voice is often screechy or squealing in the songs. It feels like she wants so badly to be Delores O'Riordan, but doesn't have any of her vocal qualities. I don't understand why there are multiple PJ Harvey albums on this list, but I have yet to see anything about them that makes them worth listening to, let alone worth recommending to another person.
Not to my taste.
I'm struggling to find anything to say, its just pretty nothingy even compared to the other PJ Harvey album on this list, why do we need more?
Interesting concept, very ephemeral.
not my fav pj harvey. it is not gritty enough for me
I'd heard the name and thought PJ Harvery was a Black man so this was surprising. The music did not resonate with me... the subject matter felt incredibly heavy, and the music was not particularly pleasing to me so it was not an enjoyable listen.
Boring and unforgettable.
Not my fave artist
Modest Mouse vibes with manic pixie nonsense and discordant warbling added for extra effect. Not for me thanks.
The 1001 Project seems a bit too Anglocentric in its featuring of artists hailing from the UK or else UK-adjacent (read: results of British colonialism). This album as a concept of the history of England viewed through the frame of armed conflict over the years really drills down on that unfortunate bias. It's really a shame because there is a whole world of music this book seems to be missing out on while it puts the spotlight on a lot of stuff that seems comparatively less deserving. I'm pleased to have heard this record, yes, but perhaps not at the expense of say, "Selda" by Selda Bağcan. Jeez, guys. Anyhow, "Sheela-Na-Gig" was my introduction to PJ Harvey in high school, and although it wasn't totally my thing at the time, I enjoyed the sort of ferocity she exhibited in that track. Later, stuff like "Rid of Me" took that ferocity and loaded it into a gun pointed right at the listener's ear. A girlfriend in the early 00s put "One Time Too Many" on a mixtape for me. Independently, I've kept up with some of her work via collaborations and singles over the years, and it's always been quite compelling. I can't say I've ever listened to one of her records front to back until today though. This album starts off pretty jaunty and upbeat for such dark, violent source material, and pretty much stays that way throughout, strangely. Polly Jean has always had this ache in her voice that I really like. However on this record she's inhabiting a constricted falsetto that I haven't heard her perform in any previous work, and I cannot say I'm a fan of it. There's some great musicality and harmonies going on throughout, but for some reason overall most of the songs feel unfinished, more like ideas/sketches than fully realized, finished pieces. There are some highlights though. "All & Everyone" is a strong track in all its theatrical texture and mournful cadences. "On Battleship Hill" is a haunting piece with a driving rhythm and elegiac vocal melodies. "Written on the Forehead" is interesting in its use of Niney's 1971 ska classic "Blood and Fire" as a repeated sample motif (but here we are again with the colonialism thing). Other than these, the rest of it all seems parenthetical and uninspiring. It's all listenable, but for a concept record, it lacks cohesion. I always respect when an artist moves off the beaten path, but here it doesn't really work for me. The album art design is simple and cool. It certainly catches the eye and has a lot of movement, even if it promises something that the music itself doesn't exactly deliver. Anyway, I'm gonna go listen to Selda now.
Not modern PJ Harvey. Oh man. She has some great rock credentials from the 90s, but that miserable effort from 2000 does not fill me with hope here. Please don’t just be another 12 songs about New York. Nor London. I can’t handle more random city worship. We get it. You LOVE paying a lot of money for stuff and listening to desperate people yell on the street. I love starting into the reflection of our capitalist society’s worst tendencies for the price of getting robbed occasionally. Will I seem stupid for predicting this? Trick question. I will seem stupid, but probably not for whatever this first paragraph purports itself to be. Spin the block Peej. Let England Shake - No. I will not. This is an interesting, jangly little song. Not a bad start, despite playing god with the earth’s tectonic plates. I didn’t know you had that kind of power, and now I better tread carefully, lest hurricanes ravage inland Canada. The Last Living Rose - Brexit banger ™️. Yeah this is actually a really pretty song with a sarcasm I quite enjoy. Looking at England through a realistic lens while also acknowledging the role it plays in your life. Interesting and, dare I say it? Fun. The Glorious Land - This really is going to be England criticisms. I wonder if she will mention New York? Anti-War sentiments and parallels drawn between the two nations most responsible for the negatives in the world today. The Words that Maketh Murder - Well, they can’t all be hits. All And Everyone - We continue with sleepy nonsense. Not loving this departure from what made this album so captivating to begin with. There’s still time. On Battleship Hill - Whoa. There’s a battleship on a hill? Are we talking about some sort of harbour hopper situation? We’re so back. Haunting modern take on a psychedelic chamber pop song. I think. I don’t know anything about genres. That’s what it sounds like to me??? England - Man, another England song. Very cool track. A lot of this is extremely off the wall and I’m liking the general atmosphere. Interesting to see how disparate here albums are. In 20 years; the change in sound is staggering. In the Dark Places - Oh man, we’re starting to drag. Not in a cool way either. Bitter Branches - For the last time, do NOT eat the branches. PJ, I take you and this backup singer to the public gardens and you just keep eating trees. Worse yet, you write an extremely grating song about it. Hanging in the Wire - I have tried to listen to this song twice and I still can’t remember one thing about it. I’m sorry, I have failed my loyal readership. And my royal leadership. Written on the Forehead - This is an interesting one. I like the sample, and the general oddity of everything fits nicely. The Colour of the Earth - What a dull closer. Ugh. An inconsistent album that really started to take forever. It seems that when she ran out of ideas, she just started to repeat herself ad nauseam. There were some fascinating ideas here, and there was a bunch of dead air I was forced to sit through. Welcome to 2011. Well actually most albums from 2011 are utter dreck, so this was a standout I suppose. The best of a bad bunch so far. Anyway. Happy this is behind me. Bring on the angsty 90s PJ Harvey, and let England do what it will. Just do it away from me, please. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: The Last Living Rose, On Battleship Hill
Second album proposé après 'Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea' que j'avais plutôt apprécié (noté 3/5). Quelle déception ! Ce nouvel album a perdu presque tout ce qui m'avais plu dans le précédent : les morceaux dynamiques / rock saturés, les harmonies originales ... Le résultat n'est pas désagréable (+1), mais est plutôt ennuyeux (il m'a paru interminable) et ne présente plus d'intérêt pour moi. Je ne l'écouterais pas une seconde fois. =>2/5
Sitter ikke igjen med noe, men hun er kul da. Men mer trøkk takk.
Kind of a boring release to me, dissappointing after enjoying her first 2 albums. Bitter Branches was fun but outside of that I struggle to really enjoy or even remember the other tracks here. It's probably well written but I don't really tend to focus on the lyrics too much. The songs were all this kind of meh indie pop to me, a far call for her rougher and rawer earlier work.
Much less interesting than the previous album that I got from her. the music is good quality wise. It just doesnt vibe with me
This was.. not good. I really like early 90s PJ so this was so disappointing.
Stop making me listen to PJ fucking Harvey. Concept album, countries history (and let’s be real, futures) are blood shed. Supposedly haunting poetry, maybe if you like romantic myth cycles?? Historical naivety - maybe if you don’t contextualise ? And that’s before the pseudo old British folk stylings and whining. 2 Stars
I honestly don’t know if I hate this album or if I like it. There’s not a song that stands out and I dislike listening to it, but it’s not bad? I might revisit this in the future
I wasn't a big fan of this one. I felt like the vocals from PJ Harvey were a bit whiny and didn't like them much. The actual music I felt was a little boring and there wasn't much to shout about or any standout track I could pick out. There's the odd catchy vocal ('The Glorious Land') or piece of music (the title track) sprinkled here and there but there's not much meat on the bones of this album. It all sounds a little bit dreary. I wasn't gripped by anything melodically, despite it being pleasant enough. Nothing made my ears bleed, but it's not something I would come back to any time soon. It's a very slow and moody album without ever venturing into beautiful territory. Critics loved this apparently, but I must be missing something because this wasn't for me.
🫨
vaya mierda
absolute snoozer
Fully thought ‘Let England Shake’ and ‘PJ Harvey’ were a recipe for an absolutely mid electronic/dance album. Instead, it’s an absolutely mid acoustic alternative slog with often obnoxious vocal delivery. Let England Shake (5/10) The Last Living Rose (5/10) The Glorious Land (4/10) The Words That Maketh Murder (6/10) All and Everyone (6/10) On Battleship Hill (5/10) England (6/10) In the Dark Places (6/10) Bitter Branches (6/10) Hanging in the Wire (7/10) Written on the Forehead (6/10) The Colour of the Earth (6/10) 5.7/10
A bit of folk pop, tried to come off as earnest and deep but just hits me as whiny more than anything. Not a fan particularly, some good teams that'll probably get stuck in my head but generally misses the mark for me.
Meh
Ok, but not particularly catchy or memorable.
I got two albums of hers in a row. Random right? This one is def not as good as the other (Stories From The City). Some tracks seems a little Feist-like.
Mellow and kinda weird? I dunno I mostly just tuned it out while working
Bordering on musical narrative this is complex, dark & deep but oh so pretentious
I like PJ Harvey a lot but I found myself listening to other albums if hers. This one didn’t do a lot for me.
Nothing on it that interest me, I like PJ Harvey though!
Not my pitch of voice, interesting lyrics
I don’t like the vocal style and the music and lyrics are not interesting
Please use your singing voice next time. :)