Let England Shake

The opening track made me think of the tune from the "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" song

A lot better than Rid of Me that sounded like an incoherent mess. Her more mature take on this makes it sounds better, however it felt bland in some parts but had some good moments. I don’t think I’m big into this kind of music.

Daar is PJ weer. Het derde album dat we voor onze kiezen krijgen; nu al op voorhand veel te veel van het matige. Het is wel een andere klank dan de andere twee albums, met vooral een hoge stem als troef. En ten opzichte van de verwachting schiet ze minder, zogenaamd artistiek, uit de bocht (al ga ik door de grond bij de verdraaiende stem in bijvoorbeeld England). Wat hetzelfde blijft; ook dit is weer een gemaakt geheel. Gericht op de mensen die de kunst in muziek waarderen. Stap dan uit dit boek en maak een 1001 'kunstzinnige uitspattingen'...

Not a fan of PJ Harvey. None of her albums have been enjoyable for me so far. Just wispy and pretentious. I can’t connect with it.

Sounded dated, old and whiney. Seems like a facsimile of Florence and Bjork.

It’s fine. Nothing special.

nix für mich

Bit too much for me

Generally inoffensive, but that one song with the random bugle interspersed for no reason brings it down to a two

Let England Shake by PJ Harvey is not an album that I particularly enjoyed. I didn’t really like the song arrangements, material, lyrics or vocals very much. I skipped through the back half of the album pretty quickly. There were a couple of songs that might bring me back at some point to give this album another try but for now this is a 2 rating for me. 2/5

Voice just didn’t do anything for me

atonal and pretentious. music as "art" versus as music for the joy of music.

Probably didn’t give this enough time. But nothing grabbed me. At all. A lot of it seemed very similar. 2.75

I'm going to take all of my problems to the United Nations.

2 not for me

Let Non English Bands On The List (2.5/5)

Album #200! Woo! Too bad it’s not a better one. Musically, I feel like this albums falls into a lot of 2011 indie music clichés and it really dates itself with them. Lyrically it’s a ridiculous paean to mother England. The other album we reviewed by PJ Harvey was a lot more interesting to me. Pass.

eh

Ok

Meh

Not for me. Kind of eerie?

Something was really in the air in early 2010s England . This and olympics was serious high of patriotism. Cant quite get behind it. This kind of sounds like something a more right- leaning zoella would listen to. Specific rating - 2.1 Fav song - the last living rose Least fav- written on the forehead

Yeah this ain't much, fever ray-lite at times. Songs don't really go anywhere. Lotta 2's lately

Only having been familiar with Harvey's earlier work, this album feels like a bit of a departure (or evolution if you want to look at it that way). This seems to fit into the indie rock mold from this early 2010's era, being more delicately crafted and narrative-based (focusing on England and their affairs in war in this album's case). I'm conflicted though, as this doesn't feel like the PJ Harvey that this list introduced me to. There are hints here and there, but the energy is largely missing. Thus, I have a hard time ranking this the same as the other two albums of hers that I've listened to so far. I can see how this would strike a chord with others, though.

I guess it’s not that bad. 2.5

Liked the arrangements and good beats

wanted to like this more, but it felt very 2010s indie to me. not really my vibe

So a lot of time I say the singer doesn't have enough emotion but I think PJ Harvey has the opposite. Sometimes her voice is so emotional that it makes me think, its not that serious.... Her voice is also not my favorite, its not great, but not in a Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell bad good way. It is better than the last album by her, the music is at least palatable, but just not complete for me.

I enjoyed Dry by her more - really was not a fan of the combination of singing voice with the music. Always felt off kilter and off-key, not terribly interested in finding out how purposefully so.

I mean it was fine but didn't really connect with it

There's 3 more PJ Harvey albums on the list. For me this is the last one and my least favorite one. If it was good enough, it would have been different enough to be on the list. But it's not. It sounds like she, as a grunge artist, is struggling to stay relevant in the changing musical climate, specifically the rise of indie folk around that time. I don't like the genre very much and this album doesn't seem to be one of the highlights to me.

Kind of dissonant pop rock

This is really interesting, but I don't think I would say that it's good. She's very talented vocally! I think that's really the only nice thing I have to say about the album though. I also don't really have anything particularly negative to say though, either? Like it's not good, but there's nothing specifically bad about it. It's just unremarkable, to the point where I don't have a favorite song from this album. If you're obsessively into British female pop vocalists, this album might crack your top 1001, but for a general audience this is probably a skip. Favorite Song(s): -

2 star, interesting idea, mediocre execution, doesn't stand on its own legs. Heart was in the right place

I really didn’t care for this.

Not something I’d actually listen to.

Another example of the schism of music fandom. If you're interested in lyrics maybe there's something here for you. The music is pleasant but BORing; two adjectives that I never associated with P.J. Harvey before listening to this. Boring music annoys me. I can read lyrics on a page. I don't need them to be delivered in sonic mediocrity.

Did I want a Fiona apple-y album about England? Not really. Kinda warbly and not my cup of tea.

Ik så meget mig hørte ikke det hele igennem

Um yeah, never gonna listen to this dirty English propaganda again. Not a fan of her vocal style. Better than Neil young tho.

Eh

Meh.

An acquired taste. Interesting voice but it reminded me of Kate Bush without sounding anything like Kate Bush, and I don’t much care for Bush. Maybe the lyrics are good but I can’t get past Harvey’s voice.

# 412 : I don't love it, I don't hate it. I thought it was very ordinary and Quiet forgettable. This was another album where I didn't feel like it warranted the "must hear before you die" label.

Meh

Sounds like a mashup of a bunch of bands I don't like.

One of those albums that is just too … cerebral for me. Too much to think about to enjoy. I’m a basic bitch.

Now we're talking! Honestly I never followed up with PJ Harvey after the 90s album To Bring You My Love. Hopefully it's good! I wasn't impressed 2 stars.

Sounds like hippie anti war music but way too on the nose and the lyrics suck

Well that’s wildly different from her last couple albums I heard. Far inferior to Stories from the Sea, but not bad, really—just kind of boring? This one really fails to grab me in sound or vibe. Best song: Bitter Branches

Get why it’s on this list but this album felt pretty pretentious - sort've like something ‘ Kamilah’ from the Good Place would’ve released. Not something I’d go back to. I’m sure people that enjoy this kind of music would really enjoy this album though.

Well, this started out as a pleasant surprise. I liked it ... up until about the 7th song, then it fell apart for me. Her voice, something, just didn't work any more, and it never got better.

Like st Vincent but boring?

I mean it’s alright…

Hat mich gar nicht abgeholt, aber 1 Stern ist reserviert für schlimmeres

Had to muscle through this one. I just don’t get it.

So screechy

PJ tries Bjork but it doesn’t grab me

Eh. Just had a hard time with this

Weird like Bjork

2.5 In one ear and out the other. I understand putting PJ Harvey on this list, but this feels like a random one to include.

Well this was an odd one. With the opening track I thought this just wasn't an album for me. But then there was something I liked. The whole album kept swinging wildly between enjoyable and terrible, often multiple times within one track. I really don't know what to make of it.

She can’t sing. Or at least she’s not showing it on this album. Sounds like off key yodeling to me. Skipped the England track halfway through because I just couldn’t take it anymore.

Not really worth a listen

Not really my cup of tea, a little too angsty.

Totally get why people would like this but I didn’t care for it.

People are high that rate this a 5. I used to get high, now I sit in a cubicle and push buttons. This did not brighten my day in any way, shape, or form. Awful sounding and couldn't wait for it to be done, so I stopped at song#5. If I had went on it would be a one star. Probably is a one star, but giving it a two because I was able to stop early and not waste any more of my time. Have a nice day!😜🤘🏻🤷🏻‍♂️🌝🌞🎃💩👻

Not necessarily bad, just not for me.

One of the most wishy-washy albums I've heard so far. I'm sure there is plenty to like about this album but I really couldn't gauge what PJ was going for on this album. The poetry/lyricism felt tacky and mediocre for a majority of the album. The vocals also seemed substandard. Idk man listen to the first 15-30 secs of England and you tell me if that slaps. The production was at least very solid but besides that it was all mid. Top 3 Fav: no favorites 1.75-2.25/5 Top 3 Worst: England (solos), Bitter Branches, and Written On The Forehead

This album doesn't stand out to me. Nothing done here feels special or influential to any specific genre. It's well crafted, but not great by any means.

Nope. Sorry. If they played this at the pub, I'd finish my drink and leave.

Not bad I just don't really like this type of music and if I did want to listen to it I think there are better artists. I've heard this before and still feel about the same, I am not sorry that I listened to it but don't need to hear it again.

Ugh, I kinda hated this

The beginning of England sounds like a goat dying. There were times early on that I thought this was better than Rid Of Me, and then it slowly got worse as it went on. I can respect the musicianship of PJ Harvey but her music is not something I enjoy.

Still not a PJ Harvey fan.

i had a buncha friends in the 90s who looooooved ms polly jean, but i just never cared for her. i'm glad this album was on the list, because it's allowed me to confirm that i still just don't care for her. musically, i mean - i'm sure she's a very nice person.

It was interesting I guess?

2 músicas ok e o restante ta pra pra preencher o album

Look, I know PJ Harvey is highly regarded and I admit she has done some good songs, but seriously, what the fuck is this shit?

STANDOUTS: n/a OVERALL: 1.5/5; I enjoyed the first PJ Harvey album this gave me. THIS ALBUM?? No. Possibly too experimental?

Super mid and super weird 3/10

2.5

no thom yorke and wouldnt come back to it

I don't get it.

Too warbly

4/10

What did I just listen to? I think I am missing some key information here. Clearly PJ Harvey can sing because some songs their voice is beautiful, and then others it sounds like she is intentionally trying to sound off key and screechy. Not my jam.

Only thing on Spotify was the demos. Idc or k if that’s what the real album sounds like. Boring.

Not my thing

Perhaps I wasn’t in the headspace for this, and normally I can appreciate the more eccentric ballads, but I just didn’t feel anything for this. It was too ambitious and too vanilla. Perhaps, one day, someone will be able to explain this to me in depth. I’m happy to listen and reevaluate should that day come, but I can’t get there alone.

I don’t get it. Nothing is bad? But there are some baffling decisions that are just bad. The song This Glorious Land has this really dissonant bugle call that just doesn’t fit musically and is honestly hilariously distracting. I think a lot of the music is…critical of England? I can’t tell if it’s critical or weirdly positive, like is it ironic? The trouble is I can’t tell. Is this a WWI album? It doesn’t really feel like it. It’s too pretty, needs more grime and grit I love the part where they sing BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD LET IT BURN. But it sounds like it could be a song circle and has no energy or heart or fear. This is one of those albums that I totally get why people love, but my god is it not for me

production is good but its just not my thing

Weinerlicher Folk Rock.

Only a couple of the songs were really good

I tried to like this one, but it just didn't connect. Even gave it a second play. It's decent, not annoying or anything, but nothing stood out or impressed me enough to remember.

On Battleship Hill sounded vaguely like Riptide by Vance Joy, no?

I didn’t enjoy anything about this

I got so excited that it was a woman singer and then i was immediately disappointed. Why does she care so much about England. She says England more than RHCP say California

I was hoping I'd like this more than I did. It is mostly solid, and every now and then i would find moments I enjoyed but it didn't quite come together in a way that I enjoyed overall. 2.25 stars.

PJ Harvey is a talented artist with lots of good music, this album was very mid and I'm not sure why it made the list of 1001 albums over others from her that are better.

Absolutely borinnggggg

Sounds like a low budget album made by no talent writer with an electric keyboard. I keep getting this kind of crap and wonder why it’s important to hear these before I die. Maybe so I can appreciate better music?

There's better PJ Harvey albums. I hope they're on this list. I suspect this one was included because it's about England

2.5/5. Not something I really enjoyed, but better than some other stuff I've heard from this artist.

I had never heard of PJH until the YouTube algorithm served me up a live version of “Dress” which is now in my normal video rotation. “Rid of me” is also another good one from her earlier work. This album was pretty much a struggle to get through. 1.5/5 rounding up

Bailed halfway through. Not the best by PJ Harvey imo

There are some parts which are okay musically, but her voice is just terrible. I could barely understand the lyrics, which according to the other reviews are quite good? Oh well. I struggle to see how this made this list.

I was not familiar with the artist or album before listening. I did not particularly enjoy this. The instrumentation is fine, but I don't particularly enjoy her voice. Some songs are better than others, but overall not interested to hear again.

Too much PJ Harvey

Ok, but not for me 2/5

Why is this on this list?

She should have stayed in the 90s

If I’m being honest, this was far too alt and artsy for me. It wasn’t completely unlistenable, but I didn’t enjoy it.

yay Great Britain is sooooooo cool

Too screechy for me.

honestly, I’m kind of sick of PJ Harvey however, this album I had a little bit of a change of heart because I’m pretty sure I usually only give ones. I did like the sound of some of the background music but I really just can’t get behind the voice it sounds like they couldn’t find anyone better. I know that’s harsh but it’s just not good voice to me however, I did like some of the music.

I wasn't a fan of this. I do like her other music.

Eeeh. Was not for me.

ok

I appreciate the vibe, I like plenty of artists that are similar but PJH just isn’t it for me.

it's ok

It feels like I'm not the target demo for this album. A lot of her vocalization gets on my nerves a bit, and I don't know enough about the history of England for this to resonate with me emotionally. Musically it doesn't really stand out to me.

2/5

This is twice in 4 days now, grow up

Second of PJ Harvey's in four days which is too much for my taste.

The best thing this album has going for it is that it sounds different from all the other (many other) PJ Harvey albums on this list, which I hate more.

1. let england zhake - 1 2. the lazt living roze - 1.5 3. gloriouz land - 1 4. uuordz that maketh murder - 0 5. all and everyone - 1.5 6. on battlezhip hill - 1.5 7. england - 2 8. in the dark placez - 1.5 9. bitter branchez - 1 10. hanging in the uuire - 1 11. uuritten on the forehead - 1 12 the colour of the earth - 0

This is fine I guess, but I don’t really vibe with it. Feels kind of generic, and it definitely has some obnoxious points. I hate the bugle ass shit on The Glorious Land. They didn’t even try to sync up the tempo there. It’s like some boomer’s ringtone is going off in the background. The Words That Maketh Murder was above average. I like In the Dark Places, and her singing is engaging on England.

2w

Pretty average sounding album, didnt stand out to my interests.

Really quirky dark indie vibes. Male vocals and weird inserts (battle call trumpet, why?) ruined most of the songs for me. Finally an album with songs that didn't just repeat themselves, so that was nice. Fav tracks: Let England Shake, On Battleship Hill

I didn't think it was bad by any means, I just don't enjoy this type of music

MMM?

It was ok. Nothing amazing. Won’t be downloading the back catalog or anything.

Interesting, but not good. For an album about war, the singing is fairly bloodless. PJ Harvey can do bold, and so the title and title track felt like she was taking the piss. The Bjork comparisons aren't out of place either - the vocals on 'England' sound like Harvey is trying on both Bjork's writing and phasing. Also, out of tune, endlessly repeated samples will never fail to get on my nerves.

I got the sneaky feeling that saying I love England 65 times on an album will get you on this list. The album seems like a love song or elegy to jolly olde England. Certainly listenable and at rare moments the vocals break through the surface to become nearly radiant. Nice to hear the combination of male and female voices singing together.

Pretty…pretty…pretty…not good. What the hell is the English horn call on that one track? Delete the avant garde crap and you might have a low end 3.

Few nice moments

maybe i'm missing something but this album is... how do I put this... not good? at its best, it's just boring indie folk with bjork-esque vocals on top. other tracks like the glorious land seem to go out of their way to be annoying with the weird-ass pikmin c-stick trumpet noises that don't fit with the key of the song at all. the ending of all and everyone showcases someone trying their best to blow a horn mournfully. the last track was my favorite because bjork let someone else take a turn singing and then it was over. if England is shaking from this album, it's shivering with fear that another one like this is in the works. favorites: written on the forehead? i guess...?

Alright bit one note

I am not familiar with PJ's work and after listening to the album I am thinking it may take a few more listens to really appreciate it.

Not really my thing. Barely got through a full listen.

depressing album for me, PJ Harvey not the most uplifting of artists but this album seems her in an ever darker mood. I prefer her earlier Sheila Na gig punk stuff, while thus is nicely produced, and lyrically smart just found it hard work, and cant see my myself ever listening to it again

Tråkigt tbh

ei ei ei herrat ei voi antaa ykköstä.. Soundi matchaa sanoja... koherentti.. Sanoitus kuulemma uskomatonta..

Not at all for me.

Eh. This is our third from PJ Harvey. The first two were decent, and this one I'd put slightly below that. It's weird in ways that I don't think always work. It sounds like she's trying to be the British Bjork, and I'm not much of a Bjork fan, so it figures I wouldn't appreciate an imitation. Take, for example, "The Glorious Land." It's a pretty generic alt-rock type of song, and then there's a bugle march just right on top of the track. Obviously there's meaning to it, it's obviously a war protest song (the album is a "war album," which just typing out makes me yawn). But musically, it's just uninteresting and feels lazy. Like something a college kid would do and be like "yo, but it's so deep, it's like the war is marching on in the background of whatever we're doing and stuff." With any album I've never heard before, my first impression is and always will be music before lyrics. This one might be great lyrically, but musically I find it too bland to even return to and get into the lyrics. A couple songs I enjoyed, but yeah, this is a dud for me. I understand the inclusion since it's "important," but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Favorite tracks: The Last Living Rose, On Battleship Hill. Album art: Not much to say. It's the title over, what, a cloud of black birds? I don't know, man. I've checked out. 2.5/5

Couple of listenable tracks on here but most of it wouldn't be for me.

Skilled musician and singer. But not for me.

This PJ Harvey record screams "Look at me! I'm still a relevant alt-rock icon!" Except she isn't and this is just pretentious. 1.5/5

Some interesting stuff here but not enough to keep me coming back. Enjoyed the first listen more than the second and third. Interesting & unique can’t be assumed to have a continuing allure. On Battleship Hill and In The Dark Places are songs I’d like to hear again, but would be okay without the rest. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

Not quite sure what I expected, but I certainly hoped for better. As a Scot, an album of songs about England is not top of my wishlist - even if it's not complimentary! Singing is great, but words and music less so. Maybe I'd like it more after a few more times through, but there's no time for that - on to the next!

The music is fine, but I don't like her voice. The whole thing kind of sounds like typical indie music that's trying to be weird and spooky for no reason at all

2/5. Idk, wish this was better than it was. Sure some interesting pop sounds and innovative songwriting, but not enjoyable. Just fine.

A few interesting songs but overall not that exciting. Patty did not like it. 2 stars

Weird composition choices. Lyrics belong on r/Im14andthisisdeep

Music and voice isn’t bad, can’t connect lyrically with her

I liked the other PJ Harvey album but really didn't care for this one. I feel like this list is too short to have multiple albums from this artist...

If PJ Harvey grabbed a guitar at a house party I would definitely leave.

Why are there so many P.J. Harvey albums on this list? One would have been enough. Two, tops. Instead, we've got four albums of mediocre, warbling, badly-produced nonsense. If I was being fair, I'd give this 3 stars. But I'm annoyed that I have to listen to yet another P.J. album so it's getting docked an extra star.

I really thought I was going to like this one, as I knew PJ Harvey had collaborated with Nic Cave (who keeps coming up in these). I honestly found it kind of boring? I listened through to it twice to give it a fair shake. The very first song starts off with what sounds to me like xylophone, so I was hoping I was in for a weird ride. But nothing really grabbed me. I was surprised to read in the album description on the 1001 Albums site that it was Album of the Year for 16 publications. Maybe 2011 was just too different of a time. Idk. Won't listen again. Probably wouldn't notice if I heard something from this at the grocery store.

Блядь я реально ненавижу пи джей харви с первой ноты еще 13 лет назад

I had a pretty visceral negative reaction to this album. Maybe this is someone’s jam, but it is definitely not mine.

Bit too winey at times, but good music - just not an entire album

The first song is pretty good

A lot sounded the same

Really? Two albums by PJ Harvey already? Ok, this one is odd, kind of a cross between Bjork and Sinead O’Connor. Listenable but not very interesting. Maybe there’s more in the lyrics that I wasn’t hearing.

Not my cup of tea ;)

I did enjoy the song Written on the Forehead, but otherwise it was hard to get through

Meh. Slightly upbeat but I don't get why it's special.

2.5 I think it sounds great. Really dont know it well enough to go higher right now.

Ugh. It is folk musjlic/indie music. I did not care for it. Thankfully it was only about 40 minutes. It is just meh. No reason to revisit. It is not really a 2 but better than 1.

I feel like this album is so mediocre to the point that it's a bit bad. 2 stars.

Sometimes she sounds like Peej of old, sometimes like Kate Bush and other times like a gentle folk singer. Lyrically I’m sure it’s clever and poetic, but musically I found nothing arresting.

clearly creative, and some of it was very catchy, but not for me.

Better than previous PJ, but still not my cup of tea. 2.5/5

LMAO From the title I thought it was a dance album. Boy was I wrong. I will give it some points for being an interesting listen, but I generally don’t listen to music to hear about how awful past wars were, even if I very much agree with the sentiment. 4/10

I've tried to like PJ Harvey, I get why others like PJ Harvey. I do not like PJ Harvey.

Hated it.

Sort of unbearably pretentious if that makes any sense? Can definitely see that it would have an audience, but that audience is not me. 2/5

Quite frankly, a bit whiney and boring. Nothing wrong with it as background music but it just drones on with nothing to catch my attention.

Pretty interesting songs. Could maybe get into it, but I did not like the voice much. Primarily songs about war

Oh good another PJ Harvey album, just what I needed. Oh and good it's more artsy Gen X garbage. No doubt this shit was a big hit among drugged up retards trying to become social media famous at Glastonbury. I'm glad this project is going to track Harvey's whole career for me, because how would I find out about so much utter shit otherwise? 2/5.

First album I've got from the 21st century! And a bit of a letdown. This one did not click with me.. I'm always intrigued by PJ Harvey but her aggressive, inaccessible writing style is just hard to parse sometimes. I'd need several more listens to "get" this one, and right now there aren't any songs that stick out and make me want to hear this again...

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 seem 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.

This is one of those albums that I feel like if I actually listened to the lyrics and concept I would be more impressed. Unfortunately the Bjork-like singing was distracting and made discerning the lyrics for a casual listen near impossible.

I didn't enjoy this. Songs sounded too similar and I didn't like the vocals.

Whiney

NOT FOR ME!

Some sorta interesting bits here and there, but altogether, not for me. A little experimenty and drawn out.

Meh the song with the weird car horn in the background was particularly annoying

Powerful antiwar lyrics with a focus on the personal experiences of soldiers, mostly in the First World War. The compositions are interesting too. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this album though. I recognize the high level of artistry but didn’t emotionally connect to the music. “Written on the Forehead” stood out because of that reggae vocal sample. That was a cool surprise.

It's an OK album, it didn't really blow me away and I didn't really find anything that I didn't like on it. For me it's a 2.5/3 but rounding down to a 2 because it just didn't really grab me.

Lyrically a love letter and celebration of England so not a whole lot to identify with if you're not British. The songs are all pretty one note pop-indie songs that don't experiment or try to do anything out of the box. An easy listen but not a particuliarly enjoyable one.

2 God I really didn't like the opening track. It's one of the most jarring starts to an album I've heard, and musically/vocally I found it grating... though not nearly as bad as the song England. The rest of the album is pretty "meh". I feel like a lot of the songs I kind of liked had an aspect to them that tainted it a bit for me. For example, I thought The Glorious Land was a good song apart from the annoying bicycle horn-like noise that kept repeating, and I was really enjoying The Words That Maketh Murder up until the backup singers started cheesily repeating the title of the song. Not the worst album I've heard, but not impressed either. This is the first PJ Harvey album I've ever listened to, so while not a good first impression, I believe she has another album or two that are pretty coveted, and I look forward to listening to them. Favorite songs: The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, Bitter Branches

Not PJ Harveys best, would have had Rid of Me or Stories from the City on here instead

This is the second album I've gotten of PJ Harvey's and I was not impressed with the first one. Hopefully this one is better. Meh I don't like this album or band at all.. I don't like the singer's voice and the music is slow and boring.

Can’t say I’m really a fan of this album at all. The instrumentals are really nice but I can’t get behind her voice, and some lyrics are odd and questionable. Bitter branches being the only track I could listen to and slightly enjoy.

No bueno

Olipahan taas tylsä ja jossain määrin myös ärsyttävä levy.

Jotenki sekavaa. Ei oikeen saanu kiinni, mut ei kuitenkaan mitään shaittia

PJ Harvey has never been for me and Let England Shake doesn't change that. A bit too dreamy and pretentious. 2/5.

Meh to be honest. Bored me

I just don't get it. This is her second album I've come across on the 1001 list and I'm only about 40 albums deep. Just don't see the appeal. Not terrible but I certainly wouldn't label them as "must listens"

I only know the hit by PJ Harvey and always liked it...and there were elements throughout that kind of grabbed me but for the most part it became background music... I don't think I am the audience for this one.

kind of a haunting atmosphere. I don't really like it though. the vocals are kind of grating, and it feels like the album is trying to be weird for the sake of being weird. the glorious land would be good if it weren't for the jarring bugle sample. It seems like she really cares a lot about England and I just can't relate

Yeesh this was a rough one to get through. 4/10

English Folk Rock is always a strange experience. I am the biggest fan of American Folk Rock that I know and I just can't get into the genre. This album sounds like if Björk was a folk artist. The can horn version of reveille playing in the background of "The Glorious Land" was a strange thing to hear I actually looked outside during the first one to see if somebody was being annoying in my parking lot. There are parts that I really love and musically and vocally. But there are also times where the vocals much like Björk just are too shrieky and strange for me to enjoy. Overall I didn't dislike it, but I just didn't like it and I have a hard time believing there is 3 more PJ Harvey albums if they are all like this.

I enjoyed this but it wasn’t huge for me.

8th April 2022 Listened while waiting at LAX for the fam to arrive for holiday in LA! Liked the beginning and the folky, weird representation of historic England. 2.5 if I could.

Not a fan. Hard to get through. Nothing against her, just not big on female vocals.

2.5/5

Couldn't get into this one

This is another artist that I feel I should like but I just don't. Her voice annoys me.

Kwee nie, het ging een beetje aan me voorbij.

Ik hou enorm van het oudere werk van PJ. De eerste 4 a 5 albums zijn geweldig. Maar bij dit album was ik destijds afgehaakt en ik snap nu ook weer waarom. Ik hoor alleen maar schriel gepiep en kabbelende nummers. Misschien best goed, maar ik hoor van PJ liever wat pittigere dingen.

Ordinaire

Al baš mi ne paše ta PJ.

Not a fan of the vocals; sufficiently harrowing; interesting concept

I don't care a bit for her, and I'll never understand her appeal. The perfect example of the kind of music that just passes me by. I'm sure it's very good for the right kind of listener.

Track 01 - 2.5/5 Track 02 - 2.25/5 Track 03 - 2.25/5 Track 04 - 2/5 Track 05 - 2/5 Track 06 - 1.75/5 Track 07 - 2.5/5 Track 08 - 2/5 Track 09 - 2.25/5 Track 10 - 2.25/5 Track 11 - 2.5/5 Track 12 - 2/5 Overall: 2.25/5 Album Art: 3.5/5

Bit much/not enough

Too art school and just not very good!!!!!!

I didn't really dig it

Folksy, Lumineers vibes. Not really my thing

one of the oddest inclusions for this list new enough where it isn't very influential not very good not even particularly popular

The other pj Harvey album was better. Kind of boring overall

eh

First Listen. Interesting. Different than her other albums - in a good way. I like it. Can't wait to hear more of it. 2/5 for now.

No es un mal álbum, tiene muy buenas canciones; pero como ha pasado con álbumes que anteriormente he escuchado, no es mi estilo; pero eso no significa que sea malo.

Not too bad. Not one of her best in my opinion

Not my jam.

Annoying at best!

meh.... too slow for me

-"The Words That Maketh Murder" is kind of good -idk pretty boring

Not this b*tch again! Don’t get the hype. Never did. Significant improvement from the other album I listened to but just enough to get an extra star. 2.

Not my flavour. Bit kooky

I get it. I understand it. I just don't like it. I don't see why it got so much praise heaped on it when it was initially released.

Wasn't my cup of tea

It is an eclectic album, not really my style.

yawnfest

Never could get into her.

Can appreciate some of the writing but I couldn’t get into the album.

Fine, but nothing really to say.

Not my cup of tea

no thanks :(

It's ok but I'm not loving it?

Interesting I guess, sort of meh for me. None of that '90s edginess.

Not her best

It's so crazy to me that this is a critically acclaimed album and made the list. Overall it's not terrible, it sounds okay and the songwriting has some strong moments, but it's not very compelling (i just don't care that much about England ig), somehow its melodramatic and boring at the same time, and the vocals are pretty whiny. i also don't really like the production, it sounds, idk fuzzy in a way? Anyways, I'm trying not to be to be too influenced by being annoyed that this took a spot from something else on the list, but it's really just not great. 4/10.

I powrot do brytyjskiego zawodzenia, tym razem indi pop lub indyjski rock w zaleznosci od kawalka, ambitna muzyka dla uniwersalnego sluchacza, wokale baby z jakims gosciem przewijajacym sie jako wokal backapujacy oraz dodatkowymi chorkami, sporo takze overdubowanych fragemntow, instrumentalnie jest duza roznorodnosc, od klasycznych drumow, basior, klawiszy, puzonow sa tez bardziej egzotyczne dodatki jak harmonijkowe wstawki, organy, bo material nagrywany podobno w koscielnych warunkach, z szarpanych instrumentow nie tylko gitarki, ale tez skrzypce, cytry, wiolonczele, ale nie czuc zadnego natkolu, bo kawalki zawieraja zazwyczaj dwa maksymalnie trzy instrumenty, wiec sa dosc proste, sklad 4 osob a tyle instrumentali bioracych udzial w nagraniach, ale to wokal i liryka stanowia o tym czy taki album sie spodoba czy nie, a tutaj lirycznie nie potrafie sie z nim w jakikolwiek sposob polaczyc, jak sam tytul wskazuje bedzie po anglinsku po brytyjsku, wiec nic ciekawego dla goja z juropy, wiec ciezka to byla sesja chociaz tylko 40 minut w wersji spotifaja

PJ Harvey. Hm. Hat mir schon besser gefallen als auf diesem Album, das son bisschen träumerisch über leicht dystopisch bis diet-cokig durch die Lande wandelt. 2,4 dafür.

I have some other PJ Harvey tracks that I like better. Whilst I am not generally offended by her rather witchy, folky style, this got a bit to waily sometimes.

Just never been able to get into pj harvey

Ni fu ni fa. Se escucha y ya. Supongo que la lista se hizo en el año de publicación más o menos y se vio afectado por la novedad. PJ Harvey tiene discos mejores.

Honestly, I really don't think this was a good choice for me. It seemed to alternate between overly patriotic and nationalistic which felt awkward and while technically the music was well made, it was just not enjoyable because of the themes.

No me está enganchando. Lo siento. 2.00

Ok album. Very much 2010 hipster based. Interesting use of instruments. Little boring for my taste.

Not for me. Just a bit boring I found.

eh

It was alright but not really my kind of jam.

I wanted to like it but didn't

Second album I get by PJ, same as the other one - I don't think it is anything special

Squealing. Annoying

Don’t really like this genre of music.

Meh

lots of love for England. Decent songs

Mot as good as the other one.

Doesn't do the country justice

PJ förtjänar 100% att ha album med i denna lista men detta var inte "it".

Alternativ rock, politisk, god vokal, sangskrivning

Eh. I wasn't really crazy about it. Appreciate the anti-war lyrical content (at least that's what I got from my gleening), but the rest of the music doesn't really do much for me. Favorite tracks: "Bitter Branches", "The Glorious Land"

Nope.

This was not for me.

This sounds like something made by a middle schooler in their basement.

Sinceramente no es de mis gustos, lo dejé por la mitad porque no me movía nada, talvez no es el álbum o la artista. La voz de la artista me da creepy y eso me la baja al escucharla. No hay Top Picks

Hipster bs

I have to admit, I don't have a whole lot of hope for an album that was released on Valentine's Day. Any album released on Valentine's Day 2011 at least gives us a chance for it to be interesting, however. Unfortunately, it's still PJ Harvey. We'll go ahead and get the mic drop/title drop out of the way with *Let England Shake*, which is a song that leaves me with mixed feelings. Keep in mind this is 2011, written in 2010. Sixteen years in the rearview mirror at this point. Maybe it's a little prophetic to say, "I fear our blood won't rise again," given the current unpleasantness in the UK. I'm going to give it a half point for that. But in terms of being a rallying cry for political activism, no matter what that activism is, well, it's no Sex Pistols. This isn't helped by the sing-song monotone of PJ Harvey, which sometimes abandons the idea of scansion and meter for something that would be more at home in a prog rock bassline. As a way to start an album, not really doing it. Normally, opening a song with the line "Goddamn Europeans" would be a sure path to at least getting half a point. But then the rest of the song happens and I have to look askance, especially in the wake of the first track which earned half a point, which I am now going to claw back. See, here's the thing: I don't think PJ Harvey actually likes England in *The Last Living Rose*, which is a bit of a problem, honestly. I'd kind of like to get PJ's feelings on the current state of old Blighty, except I know that it would leave me irritated. Honestly, if you offered me the opportunity to have good old damp, filthy London with its battered books and fog rolling down behind the mountains and on the graveyards, then I'm going to tell you that sounds preferable to whatever PJ is trying to sell me. Unfortunately for her, she completely fails to follow up on saying what she actually wants. Instead, in the last verse, instead going for just some nature imagery. Sweetheart, you lined up on a kick and then you walked off the other direction. Failure. If you just imagine me rubbing at my face with an exhausted look, you'll probably just sum up my response to *The Glorious Land*. Now I see why it was such a well-rewarded album. It is full of shallow, politically leftist, mindless mouth noises. Gotcha. Everything's clear. Thumbs up. Oh no, war is bad, even though it preserved our life and allowed us to extend our power in ways that made life better for other people. God knows tanks and infantry are terrible things, and I'm sure that the world would be better if we had none. What is the glorious fruit of our land? Its fruit is deformed children. Well, PJ, you are one of them, so I suppose that brain damage does probably count. But let's set aside the vapid lyrics for a moment and talk about how this song is just structured for shit. You set up the opening with two quatrains, which are basically call and response. Then you have "Oh England, Oh America," followed by one quatrain, but not a second one, which would mimic and mirror the structure of the first block. It's like two lines got cut out of the second verse and were never replaced. But then you get two copies of the chorus, and then we go back to two quatrains. The second one is in fact deformed without actually putting together the last few lines. Basically, this is stupid and it reads like a first draft. What the hell? It really doesn't get any better from here, does it? The words that maketh murder is shallow, and we've returned to the wide-eyed, mindless sing-song monotone from PJ. We get essentially four verses of things that are bad about war and sort of like saying, "I like puppies," saying, "War is kind of bad," is the safest sort of mindless thing you can say. But you've also got this repeated bridge that just gets ground into the floor like beating a dead horse. "These are the words that maketh murder." Sure, all right, fine. What words? This goes on for some time, as it were, and leaves us with, again, another highly repetitious chanting of, "What if I take my problem to the United Nations?" Are those the words that maketh murder? I'm willing to believe and accept that they are, given the UN's actual success rate on intervening in damn near everything. It's a wholly incompetent international organization, heavily backed by England, perhaps unsurprisingly. If that's what it's trying to say, I'm willing to agree, but I feel like I want to argue just because the argument is so stupid. PJ, don't make me hate the people that I agree with. This would normally be another situation in which I offered at least a half point to someone who did a modicum of research about World War I and penned a song about the Gallipoli Campaign from 1915. That's when the fighting for Bolton's Ridge took place during the landing at Anzac Cove. See, these things have history and meaning. Not that you would actually learn that from listening to *All and Everyone*. Bolton's Ridge had the Australian Third Brigade push inland to secure Bolton's Ridge, went up against the Ottoman Seventh Company, and got mired down right there on top of it. It became a serious part of the frontline trenches and held by various Anzac units until they were finally evacuated in December of 1915. What was the point, you might ask? The Allies wanted to break the stalemate on the Western Front, knock the Ottoman Empire out of World War I and open a sea route to support Russia. Just for the record, I want to make sure you know the Ottomans were the bad guys here, and if you need to know why, do a little basic research. Seriously, I can't do your high school teacher's job all the time. Essentially though, while the Anzacs weren't able to push all the way through and achieve their aims, it did buy time and cost the Ottomans resources, which led to them signing an armistice with the Allies in late 1918. However, at no point, I feel comfortable saying, did anyone sing, "Death to all and everyone." This is just PJ going back to the vapid, "War is bad and ugly and I hate it" concept, except with a thin veneer of having looked in a book at least once. Okay, maybe PJ Harvey has looked into a book at least twice because we get the second song in a row about Gallipoli with *On Battleship Hill*, or at least a specific location during the 1915 Battle of Chunuk Bair in Turkey. It's the most surface-level empty reference that you can possibly make, of course, because that's what we expect of this at this point. The refrain, "cruel nature has won again," is obviously supposed to talk about both the erosive nature of actual physical processes in the world, as well as the cruel nature of man and his hunger for death and warfare—but I have to ask, if you believe that it is part of the cruel nature of man to kill and be killed, then what's the point of complaining about it? You make peace with it and figure out how to use it in your favor. You don't sit and whine while looking at the places where other better men have died for you and to try and protect you, even if their efforts were in vain. This is some hollow bullshit. When it comes to the song *England*, I'm going to have to quote another very popular English writer and say, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much," especially in the context of a pile of discordant wailing that triggers all of the responses to a crying baby, thanks to the grating nasal delivery and vocal fry. We get it, PJ. You think the land of your birth is a horrific, nasty place which leaves you sadness and there's nothing you can do about it, and it's bitter in your mouth, and the people are stagnated. Frankly, if it wasn't for the rest of the songs of this album I've experienced so far, I would think that this might have a hope of leading to an epiphany of realization. But no, it's just screeching at the sky. Great. *In the Dark Places*. Oh, lovely. How about what this album needs is yet another, "war is bad" quote, vapid, repetitive, monotonic slag off of a song. That's exactly what this album needs. Yes, young men march off to war, and some of them die and don't come back, and some of them do come back. Yes, that's how it works. That's how it's always worked and how it will always work. But you don't get to be a part of England's green and rolling hills, then say, "But not one man and not one woman has revealed the secrets of this world as a result of war." England's going to war ended slavery in a very literal sense. You didn't think Africans and Arabs stopped trading slaves because they were asked nicely, did you? It was because of going to war that India could become a world power, even if part of going to that war ended up with them throwing off the yoke of English rule. This anti-war sentiment always irks me because as a modern human being who lives in the West and takes advantage of all of the goodness it allows, including selling millions of albums using the internet and having the ability to engage in self-determination, all of those things were a direct result or a direct byproduct of war. Everything good in your existence is the result of war, including your very existence. But PJ is starting to make me wonder if it was worth it if millions of years of evolution and hundreds of thousands of years of warfare led to PJ Harvey. This is an all anti-war album, isn't it? This is the manifestation of the weakest kind of thinking in the modern age. *Bitter Branches* is not helping matters, not just because it's another wailing song for screaming at the sky about the injustice of existence and the necessity to remain within it. Oh, no, no, no. The real crime here is that it's two minutes and 30 seconds of words that would take about 15 seconds to say. The musical accompaniment isn't worth the additional cognitive overhead. "Oh no, young men go off to war and some of them die. Women hardest hit." That's the song in a nutshell. It pains me that I have three songs left on this album to make it through. I'd love to wave goodbye, thanks. Yeah, we're still here in WWI. Thanks, *Hanging in the Wire*. What we needed on this album was a simplistic melody tied to lyrics about the perspective of a corpse hanging in barbed wire as the battle continues going on elsewhere. I don't know what you want from me here. As a mood piece, it's not even really moody. The melody is too upbeat for that. It's not cheerful, but it's not even a lament. It's like a tone poem, but the tone is gray. Not even an interesting gray, not slate or ruddy, it's just 50% gray, with a melody that sounds like somebody is having a good time somewhere else. I can't say this is where the album goes off the rails, because frankly, it was never on the rails to begin with. But at least it had something it wanted to say and was saying it, however poorly and ill-conceived. But "Written on the Forehead" just decides to step off and go haring off into the weeds. What it wants to do is paint a picture of what the civilian population and refugees from war experience, and it deliberately chooses to frame and couch that imagery in that of the Middle East. Sure, not a problem. We've got plenty of war over there for the last 6,000 years or so. The core idea here seems to be the one that Harvey can't get beyond: "War is bad and there are terrible things." But then there's the choice of sample she chooses to leverage for the background, which is from The Observers' 1970s reggae classic *Blood and Fire*. Now, I love reggae, which may come as a surprise, but I had never heard of this song. However, now I have to go look it up because the bit that she sampled was, quote, "let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, burn, burn, blood, blood, blood, blood and fire!" Look, one of the things that you should never do in the course of making media you want people to listen to is remind them of something better than what you've created that they could be doing instead. I want to go listen to that album and I'm going to do it after I'm done here. What I'm saying is that perhaps ending your anti-war song with the literal chant of "let it burn, let it burn, let it burn, burn, burn" may not be accomplishing what you wanted in the grander scheme. The final song on this wretched album, *The Color of the Earth*, actually helped me figure out what it is that bothers me about a lot of these songs on a very elemental and structural level. They sound like children's songs. They have children's song melodies, simple, structured for a tiny mind. Unambitious. When they do strive for something broader than that, it turns into a discordant jangle. This song is no different. In fact, it epitomizes all the childishness found elsewhere. We're back to Gallipoli, talking about how a guy's buddy died out in the darkness and that he still thinks about him 20 years later. The color of the earth was dull and browny red, the color of blood. That's it. That's all it has to say. Again, "war is bad." That's the full depth that we have on display here. I have heard a lot of anti-war albums and songs over the decades. A lot of them are tedious and wretched and short-sighted. At least most of them involved a call to action, an encouragement of the listener to higher aspirations, a suggestion that they do something to help change the world in which we live, to make it a better place free of war, even if that is an impossibility. The suggestion that even the effort improves the world for everyone. Not this album. No, this album is just sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth, crying, looking at a World War I picture book written for eight-year-olds. That's it. That's the whole thing. Perhaps that's why it's so frustrating and irritating. It could have been something, it could have said something, it could have wanted something, but it didn't. It just didn't. No, I didn't like it, sir. Not one bit.

no me gustó

Female vocals were very screechy

A far cry from her album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which I gave a solid 3/5 when I listened to it about 5 months ago. This album was straight dog shit and a sonic assault on my ears. It reminded me slightly of the bad Fiona Apple album I had toward the beginning of my journey, but this was much much worse. Harvey’s “singing” was described by my wife (we were road tripping, so she was subjected to these albums as well) as sounding like a cat getting its tail stepped on, a perfect descriptor thinking back. The music does nothing to give it any redeeming qualities. This PJ Harvey album will enter the Hall of Shame as my tenth 1/5.

This didnt really do much for me. Wasnt into it, but it was pleasant enough background music.

I let England shake as long as they keep this music for themselves. Even though it wasn't extraordinarily bad, it was pretty damn bad.

This was a chore to sit through. An album I'd never want to revisit.

fav song: the last loving rose dry, thin 20/100

Uninteresting

This is the second PJ Harvey album I’ve listened to on this site, and I can now confidently say I’m not a fan. Critics love her; listeners don’t - a fact reflected by her mountain of accolades and awards, in contrast to relatively lacklustre commercial success. Here, she sings about war and patriotism with all the subtlety of a flying mallet, tackling subjects I can’t imagine she’s particularly qualified to comment on. And musically, it’s extremely forgettable, often feeling derivative of artists like Kate Bush, Björk, and Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. Overall, this comes across as something akin to African Child by Aldous Snow: an artist naively choosing a heavy subject because they saw it on the telly and thought, “this is bad.”

Never heard of her before. I can get behind the lyrics, but my god is this a miserable album to listen to. Grating vocals and annoying arrangements. I literally can't tell if it sounds bad on purpose or if some people like this. Fave songs: Let England Shake

Not for me

No thank you. A total snore fest.

Eh

Too weak, like something you would hear on KEXP.

No thank you.

So boring

2/10

Mich mit einem ruhigen Album zu langweilen? Das passiert häufiger schonmal. Mich mit einem ruhigen Album aber zu nerven? Oh weh. Das ist richtig grausam. Alleine der Gesang nervt so unfassbar, was ein Gejammer. Dann kommt die Instrumentalisierung/Songwriting dazu und macht es noch schlimmer. Das ist Müll, wenn ich könnte würde -5 geben. Ganz schrecklich.

Ein Album voller Tiefen und Tiefen. Stimmlich nicht meins und dachte häufiger es handelt sich um Satire bei den Tönen die da raus kommen

Odd sounds for oddballs. I’m better without oddballs.

I’m not a fan of PJ…

such a stark departure from what i'm looking for when i come to a pj harvey album that it was shocking. and while i didn't necessarily expect it to become what i am familiar with, i did expect it to become good and it did not