Rid Of Me

Not catchy and not formulaic. Raw straight 90s vibes, you can tell Albini was involved. Very good.

Pretty good, though I probably wouldn't listen to the whole album at one time. I wasn't very familiar with PJ Harvey except by name, but I can see how this album earned a place on the list.

I had no expectations for this album, and I had never heard of the artist before. Got blown out of the water, parts of the album are right up my alley. Not quite sure of the genre, it’s grimey, folky, and high-strung. Very, very strong start with a great ending. The middle gets a bit same-y. She has good lyricism, and isn’t afraid to do unorthodox and initially offputting music. Works out for the better. Like in Legs where the guitars sound like wailing cries of agony or in Rub ‘Til It Bleeds where the drum hits give imagery of bludgeoning something. Definitely an album I’ll return to. Standouts: Rid of Me, Missed, Legs, Rub ‘Til It Bleeds, Ecstacy.

A good album from a truly great artist who I adore. This record has a raw, uncompromising punk energy that feels intense and immediate. The production is stripped back and abrasive, which only adds to the power of the songs. It sounds urgent, confrontational and completely authentic. PJ Harvey commands every moment. “50ft Queenie” is explosive and full of attitude, while “Rid of Me” is tense and gripping, building and releasing with incredible control. The whole album feels fearless and unapologetic. Favourite songs: 50ft Queenie and Rid of Me Least favourite song: Yuri G Album artwork: A great cover that perfectly matches the stark, uncompromising feel of the music

nice, very gritty

"Rid of Me" by PJ Harvey is like a coffee shop that only serves espresso shots – intense, not for everyone, but absolutely brilliant for those who can handle the kick. Harvey tears through the album with the finesse of a chainsaw artist, crafting something beautiful out of sheer force. It’s an experience akin to riding a roller coaster designed by a mad poet: thrilling, a bit unsettling, but you’ll line up to ride it again. Giving it 4 stars because, let’s be honest, everyone needs a little chaos in their playlist, even if it's just to scare your neighbors.

I really liked this. Raw, frenetic, never boring. Might even bump it up to a 5 on a second listen. Best tracks: Rid of Me, Snake

PJ Harvey's 1993 sophomore album, Rid of Me, is a landmark of alternative rock. It's a visceral experience, a blistering eruption of raw emotion channeled through distorted guitars, pounding drums, and Harvey's ferocious vocals. This review delves into the album's core elements, exploring its strengths and weaknesses. Lyrics: A Descent into Desire and Disintegration Harvey's lyrics on Rid of Me are unflinchingly personal. They delve into themes of female rage, lust, alienation, and self-destruction. Songs like "50 Foot Queen" explore dominance and power struggles, while "Man Size" confronts the objectification of women. "Rub Till It Bleeds" is a darkly sensual exploration of desire, and "Rid of Me" itself is a desperate plea to be free from a consuming relationship. The lyrics are not always literal narratives, but rather fragmented emotions and imagery. This ambiguity allows listeners to project their own interpretations, adding to the album's enduring power. However, the lack of clear narrative can also make some songs feel opaque on initial listens. Music: A Riot of Distortion and Dynamics Musically, Rid of Me is a powerhouse. Steve Albini's production is raw and abrasive, pushing guitars to their limits and highlighting the power of Harvey's drumming. The album is dynamic, switching between pummeling assaults ("Blow That Fuse") and moments of haunting beauty ("Man-Size Sextet"). The rhythm section, featuring bassist John Parish and drummer Rob Ackroyd, is a driving force. Their tight interplay creates a sense of urgency and claustrophobia. The guitar work, often dominated by atonal riffs and distorted textures, reflects the album's emotional turmoil. However, the relentless intensity can be fatiguing. Some listeners might crave more variation in tempo or dynamics. Production: Capturing the Raw Energy Albini's production is a double-edged sword. His stripped-down approach perfectly captures the band's raw energy, but it can also sound thin at times. The focus is on capturing the emotional immediacy of the performance rather than sonic polish. The lack of studio trickery allows the music's unbridled energy to shine through, but it can also lack the sonic depth found on more layered recordings. Themes: A Cathartic Exploration of Darkness Rid of Me explores a potent mix of themes. At its core lies the struggle for female empowerment and identity. Harvey confronts societal expectations of women while exploring the complexities of desire and rage. There's also a sense of self-destruction and alienation running through the album, a raw vulnerability laid bare for the listener. While the darkness can be overwhelming, the album ultimately feels cathartic. Through confronting these difficult emotions, Harvey creates a powerful and unflinching portrait of the human experience. Influence: A Legacy of Uncompromising Artistry Rid of Me's influence on alternative rock is undeniable. It paved the way for a wave of female artists who weren't afraid to express their anger and vulnerability. Artists like Courtney Love, Liz Phair, and Alanis Morissette all owe a debt to Harvey's unflinching honesty. The album's raw energy and emotional intensity continue to resonate with listeners today. It's a challenging listen, but one that rewards repeated exploration. In Conclusion: A Powerful and Raw Masterpiece Rid of Me is not an easy album. It's a sonic assault that confronts the listener with raw emotions and uncompromising intensity. However, its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. The powerful lyrics, driving music, and unfiltered production combine to create a truly unique and unforgettable experience. While the relentless intensity might not be for everyone, for those who connect with its emotional core, Rid of Me remains a landmark achievement in alternative rock.

Very interesting, I had not listened to her much before.

Lekker rauw, ruig, en rockend.

Punk-rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Super raw with live feeling dynamics make it a gut punch of an album. Always great to add more female vocal grunge to my rotation

Artsy pop-rock. She has a really beautiful voice that reminds me a bit of Portishead. Varies between slow/soft and more rocket with screaming witthin the same songs. I prefer the slow parts by a lot! Don’t know if it is used as an effect or if the mastering is poor, but there is a huge difference in volume within tracks - not a fan of that!

The second half of this record is absolutely loaded, but the opening title track is just otherworldly good. The dynamics are incredible, it’s so subtly melodic amidst the tension and primal nature of it, and those background vocals are perfectly gnarly. I also do think “Missed” makes for an interesting second track, with its odd time signature goodness and solid guitar work. The experimentalism of “Man-Sized Sextet” is just effortlessly cool, as is the cover of “Highway 61 Revisited”, one of my favorite Dylan covers out there. PJ shines on guitar throughout the whole record, especially on the punky blast of “50ft Queenie” and the slide guitar textures of “Dry”. “Snake” is a sub-2 minute burst of intensity that perfectly sets up the ruthless closer “Ecstasy”. Although these most recent re-listens of Dry helped raise it in my estimations, I do still slightly prefer this killer sophomore effort. Riding along at a very strong 4 stars. 4/5

Wow, this was rough and impressive! Songs, PJ Harvey's singing and the production of good old Steve Albini! One of best discoveries in this list so far.

One of the most iconic album covers ever. A staple in any 90's 'alternative' scene.

I once again regret not having listened to more PJ Harvey. Just the right amount of abrasive intensity in both vocals and guitars. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth just put out a song called “I’m a Man,” and I thought of it while listening to “Man Size.” It reminded me of how much influence Sonic Youth likely had on PJ Harvey, and how much influence Harvey likely had on those who followed in the large footsteps of this “50ft Queenie.” One more PJ Harvey album to go, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating it.

It is the moments of quiet that explode and the rawness of her voice that keeps me hooked. It is jarring at first but sucks me in and I can't stop listening.

This has some grit, fuzz and blood. It’s impossible to get too deep into Rid of Me without taking note of how cool she really is, her honest approach to songwriting is admirable. The quiet to loud builds in the title track are great, Rub til it Bleeds is gross and simply a top notch grunge song with a remarkable build to it. This was excellent, I’ll come back to it for sure l. 4 stars

Oh damn. Another from the old collection. Been a long ass time. Nobody rocks harder than this tiny little white lady. She’s fearless. And yet her music is complex, different and compelling. And never a note out of place. In a genre overwhelmingly dominated by men, she came howling out of nowhere to show them all how to do it properly. She absolutely handed their asses to them in Dry. “You’ve come all this way, No hair out of place, You put it all on the stage, You put right in my face, You leave me dry, You leave me dry.” Yes, ma’am. All hail the baddest bitch in town. It’s not my favorite PJ Harvey album, but it was such a revolutionary sound. Right at the edge of the RiotGirl movement. It deserves a place at the top.

Blues meets grunge in a back alley. This captures a raw energy and sound that kicks you in the teeth. Can't say that I know what the songs are about but really the sense is more in the tone and delivery than the words themselves. Sexuality, anger, pain, aggression all rolled together. Not dropping out of the world--kicking back. There is something very alive about this--a capture of an actual performance--happening now.

Reminds me of early Imogen Heap

this is way more punk rock than I thought it was going to be. I guess I really didn't know PJ Harvey. Surprised I didn't listen to her in high school.

A powerful album by this great artist who has the balls to be aggressive, bizarre or sad. While I still prefer PJ Harvey's later works, I do enjoy this raw energy.

For the title track alone this is a solid album. I heard a cover from Nilufer Yanana (don't know how to spell her full name). This feels like a grittier album which makes sense since Steve Albini is the one who produced it. There is a lot of raw power/emotion to the singing/guitar playing. Lots of good wailing. Lots of good distortion.

Powerful and fun. One more good find

PJ Harvey-arvostaminen on kyl tämän listan ehkä parhaita tuloksia -- en ollu aiemmin kuunnellu niin paljoa. 4/5 voimakas platta!

Feelings

"Rid of Me" is the perfection follow-up for "Dry", being more arranged and crafted overall. This album is the perfect balance between being raw, angry and noisy, but also very well made, catchy and brilliantly interpreted.

This would be a great Dead Weather album

My esteem of PJ grows with each entry of hers on this list. Another very 90s sounding fem rock album

I liked this less than I thought. I don't super like PJ's voice, but the background stuff was always good. 3.75/5

Polly Jean forever. B+

- the title track sounds like Tired of You by the Foo - really enjoy this style of garage punk

J’adore sa musique qui a du front, son franc-parler, son désintérêt pour ce qui est joli et traditionnellement associé au féminin. Fort, honnête et enragé

This is an excellent album. I have always heard it's excellent but never really dove in to it. This is the third PJ Harvey album I have gotten on this list and I think it's my favorite so far. Raw and rumbly, the soft/loud dynamics fully realized with Steve Albini doing the recording. Great record.

Крепенько, сыро, тяжеленько. Кайф есть

I think these are great songs, but I think the mix is off. Harvey's vocals are quiet to the point of almost missing them.

That was unique and powerful and angsty and I wish I’d listened to her from the start (kept hearing about her in music mags but never sought her out). Great album!

it's PJ Harvey doing a PJ Harvey rock album. its decent, probably gets better with more listens.

SHACK in Malta

Weird radical feminist lyrics aside, the sound was absolutely awesome. Made me think of a cross between Disintegration by The Cure and Florence and the Machine (I guess my music knowledge is still pretty shallow). So so cool. Shame about the lyrics, although at least they’re a little hard to make out at time. Favourite songs Rid of Me and Legs.

4.25

This went a lot harder than I expected it to. Not surprised to learn that Steve Albini was involved, as it immediately reminded me of Nirvana. Not only in its sound, though...also in its raw honesty. It's a powerful record, if a little noisy.

I really enjoyed this! I think more so than other PJ Harvey albums. I liked the heavier ones. Will need to listen again to appreciate fully

I remember my Dad giving me this album to listen to when I was about 15/16. I remember enjoying some tracks but generally finding it quite hard to enjoy. I still feel that way. I do really like it though. Kind of sounds like you're listening to something made for aliens, like you get what's going on but it's so jarring and strange. The levels of the vocals are weird, sometimes quite and distorted and the guitar just cuts through, but it's clever, it's like listening to music from a different angle or viewing it through a prism where it's all there but just built differently. Occasionally you go 'oh I understand that bit' and then it's wild again.

It's the album that made PJ the cult legend before she started waffling on about horses

When I saw P.J.Harvey at the Hordern in 2004, I was amazed that she could play 20 songs but leave out 50Ft Queenie. I regard it as one of the great songs of the 90’s. I mean, would it have killed her to slip it in - it’s only 2:23 on the album. (She also omitted Sheela-Na-Gig off her debut album - also hard to fathom). But, hey, she was still awesome. The only track she did play off this album was the great Me-Jane. I love it that she could pen such a great song & bring it in at 2:43. Of the 14 tracks on this album, there is one under 2 minutes, 4 more under 3 minutes & 5 more under 4 minutes. Mind you, the longest song on the album at 5:03, Rub ‘til It Bleeds, is just as good a listen. Albini’s production is perfect for Polly. (For chrissake, the man worked on Surfer Rosa. He had his shit together). The cover of Highway ‘61 Revisited is very cute. Great listen.

I’m quite happy to have a PJ Harvey album generated today. I hadn’t heard of her only a year ago, but have listened to Let England Shake in that time which I enjoyed quite a lot. I haven’t listened to anything else by her since then so I’m quite happy to be listening to more today. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Rid Of Me, Rub It ‘Till It Bleeds This was really quite different to Let England Shake! Whereas that was more folky and maybe poppy, this is straight rock/grunge with plenty of heavily distorted guitars and head banging riffs. This album reminded me quite a lot of Hole who I love (I know that’s a controversial opinion!). I love that I’ve now listened to two album that were released 18 years apart, and I love that I’ve had a glimpse of her evolution in music. Definitely give this a listen if you haven’t heard it before.

Pyjama Harvey sounds like they should be on Cartoon Network.

Onmiskenbare 90s alto-rock slash grunge. De soms psychedelische zang en gitaar samen met het geluid alsof je midden in de studio staat, geven het een vrij rauw karakter. Songstructuur is ook onmiskenbaar 90s, met vaak rustige coupletten om vervolgens de distortion vol open te draaien in de refreinen, zoals we dat kennen van oa Nirvana en de Pixies. Maar dan wel iets origineler, maar soms ook vager. Ik heb hier wel weer van kunnen genieten

I really like that each PJ Harvey album I listen to has a distinct style and theme. This finds Polly Jean at her heaviest and most frenetic. It has a frantic and furious energy to it, which is thunderously full on and a little frightening. I'd have to listen again to find out what she is so enraged about, but whatever it is, she's turned her anger into a captivating record. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Rid Of Me Date listened: 07/08/23

Epico

Overall i enjoyed this one. There are a few tracks that aren't really that great, but not many. A great listen.

Æðisleg plata! Svo mikil og kröftug orka. Luv it.

A real breakout album for PJ. Not my favourite, but it has some great songs and some brutal guitar and bass moments.

very fun track 1 was great. will probably listen again.

angsty grunge Sonic Youth beats with mournful wails

First punk album that I enjoyed on this list!

Much better than let England Shake. Energetic and grungy. A generous 4/5 Stand out tracks - Rid of me - 50ft Queenie

Drums are incredible, and definitely getting feelings of inspiration from the likes of Fiona Apple, Hole, Nirvana, and a whole grunge scene. Some interesting pieces in here too, like the random strings section. Also giving me some Beach Boys vibes at times? Really a rollercoaster. Galloping guitars and drums are def a standout. The palm mutes! This was the first artist I was completely unfamiliar with, and it was better than I expected. Slow start, but I really started to see some of the early grunge influence here. And from a technical standpoint, very impressive.

I was a little worried about this album at first. I'd enjoyed her first album, "Dry," quit a bit, and high hopes for this one, but "Rid of Me" starts off a bit uneven. The first half is just okay, but thankfully it really revs up after "Man-Size Sextet" (my least favorite track). I don't think I enjoyed this quite as much as "Dry," but it's still a solid album.

3.5 stars

This is my favorite Pj album.

A good loud, grungy, rocky and noisy album that gives PJ the cred she deserves. It's an "in your face" rock record that I prefer over some of her later projects. I guess her early work could be deemed essential or at least worth the listen.

Her rawest and angriest album, PJ Harvey also employs the help of producer Steve Albini, and you can hear that with the Pixies-esque loud-and-quiet transitions many of the songs. PJ Harvey herself adds eery vocals and dissonant strings that match the grimy, chaotic, and angry lyrics. The bassist and percussionist do really well keeping up with the disorder and raw energy. For the songs themselves, we're fed with 14 tracks, many standing out for a unique purpose. The opener "Rid of Me" is one of her most popular songs and explodes with power and energy to pull in audiences and define the rest of the album. It's catchy and melodic and catches the audience by surprise. You can really tell Albini worked on this. "Missed" have a Slint-like post-rock sound with the distortion to the max, fitting well with her grungy contemporaries. "Legs" has an incredible and emotional build up, and it hides the strings in the background behind all the other instruments, creating a clever effect I haven't heard elsewhere. And is that the bass making that vibrating noise? "Rub Til It Bleeds" has the best example of the quiet-loud Pixies technique, with a really long dissonant opener before giving us a sneak preview of the loudness, but goes back to the quiet except more chaotic until we reach that constant loudness. "Hook" is a personal favorite of mine, and I love the bluesy confused guitar. "Man-Size Quartet" sounds like a sequel to "Plants and Rags" from Dry except a lot simpler and rawer. Feels like a black-and-white horror movie scene. "Highway 61 Revisited" is an incredible cover. Has the same impact and bluesy style as the original style, but yet fits perfectly well with the rest of her album with the distortion and screaming vocals. "50ft Queenie" is another highlight: fast, energetic, bluesy, and punky with repeating guitar licks and vocals. "Man Size" is the most accessible song and provides a nice break between these chaotic pieces. The next song "Dry" sounds like a Hole song, and I love that bluesy guitar solo. "Me Jane" is the bluesiest song on the album and has some of my favorite ghastly vocals. "Snake" is pure hardcore with its loud raw energy and short length. "Ecstasy" is a satisfying conclusion being tied for the 2nd longest and closing with high distortion.

I really enjoyed this! Took me back to the gritty sound of a lot of 90s bands.

So punk wow

First time listening to this one. Sounds VERY ‘93. I like it a lot.

I like listening to this album. I'm 100% sure I heard it a couple of times before. I listened to her entire discography a couple of times. However, I didn't remember any of the songs. They sound good, but they don't stick. It's like a bluesy version of Nirvana and the Pixies. Right up my alley. The drums sound like Nirvana's Nevermind. Favorite song: Rub 'til it bleeds.

Really liked this one. Been a fan of PJ for some time. Love that wide, lo-fi stereo sound. Damn raw and original, too!

Not familiar with this PJ Harvey album in particular, but I did enjoy it. The production / volume changes didn't bother me, and I find the album cathartic and almost demanding of your attention. 4/5.

me encanto, mas que stories from the city. mas rabioso y distorsionado, probablemente porque no tiene a thom yorke. me convencio de escucharla mas!

Surprisingly raw, hard and angry. She does a good job varying the pacing and energy to have greater impact. About midway through i was concerned that it began to be too samesy, but the last few tracks keep it interesting overall. Its definitely stronger than a 3, but i'm rounding up a bit in hitting the 4.

Powerful and exciting.

Not an every day listen, but solid and aggressive and moody music.

Apparently there is no getting rid of her (the generator just gave me Let England Shake less than a week ago). However this album was way better for me. I can hear why I didn't listen to this album when it was new, but from a more enriched perspective 30 years later, I can really dig this now. I was listening to Liz Phair in '93, but PJ didn't hit my radar until Down By The Water a couple of years later. I love that song and the more PJ I hear, I realize that song is an outlier. For 1993, this is extremely edgy. It feels raw and unpolished in an unintentional way. I'm loving a lot of the songs, but no particular stands outs. To me it's just a great sound and vibe. So, I just gotta bring up Highway 61 Revisited. Bob Dylan is one of the pillars of my musical interest. This cover is so wrong to me. But I have to give her kudos for completely reinventing the song. If I didn't know the original, I might love this version. It's like I'm enjoying the song, but it hurts to recognize it's origin. We'll see if my opinion changes after a few listens. I'm not done with this album. This is a great addition to my rotation.

Dang it. Didn’t have time to listen to this one but I really want to. Four stars for my enthusiasm level.

shes cool

This rocked. While harsh in some spots, I think it was maybe my favorite PJ Harvey album we've heard, and we've heard a lot! Cool thrash guitar parts.

4th pj album, it's alot more punky/rocky, gets a bit preachy in places and drones on in some but overall pretty good

I recall this album on release as basically unlistenable noise. Clearly wrong. Instead the start of her 90s imperial run of albums up to ... well probably up to Let England Shake in 2011.

Raw, dynamic, rockin’ goodness

This is definitely something I would listen to on my own and it deserves more fame. I love the guitar and bass on this entire album. The vocals are strong and very angsty, hence why I would listen to it on my own. Love the strings in Man-Size Sextet. Fave track(s): Dry, Snake

Enjoyed

Great and also just okay. The raw energy of PJ Harvey is phenomenal. Reminds me of the edgy girl everyone had a crush on in high school. Will I occasionally put on some songs yes. Will I put on the whole album no. Will I tell everyone she is one of the greatest UK songwriters ever, always.

rock!

Didn’t mind this, but more from a nostalgic viewpoint. I remember hearing this at the time and thinking it sounded energetic and the lyrical content seemed different to anything else around then. Found it a bit wearing after a while - I think my tolerance of sustained loud angry music is fairly low these days, but there are some great songs on here.

Got way into this a while after it came out (by way of my brother, a common refrain in these capsule reviews), from there looked back to Dry and the 4 Track Demos. Stopped following her after Dance Hall at Louse Point. But I listened to this a whole lot and still knew it well these decades later. And it holds up, a really great album actually, although the wall to wall relationship torture themes don’t really resonate with me anymore.

I liked this album, I feel like I’ve seen the cover before

nicer

What an incredibly raw emotional album. The noise from the band backs up Harvey's confrontational vocals. Great use of dynamics to make the loud parts hit harder. Such a starkly unique album in the way of alt rock, really goes against the grain by building on the wave of grunge in the states.

One of the great Albini collaborations. PJ seldom disappoints and this sounds more like her than anything else.

Ну в целом неплохо, под пиво заходит.

Raw, feisty and angry, plenty of distorted open guitar chords and drum fills. Great album!

Fury and bliss all rolled into one. For all the angry songs on here there are also the ones that lull you into a false sense of safety. I love this album.

I listened to this album a few times and I ended up liking it despite myself. I would say the conditions have to be right, though. Can't imagine enjoying any sort of direct listening, but as background music, I feel this album does a good job providing a sort of edgy, grinding atmosphere. One small thing I hated: the solo backup singing. Holy crap, dude, stop.

Definitely not my favorite of the PJ Harvey albums we've listened to so far. I'm glad we have those: Dry and Stories of the City, ...

Am I a PJ Harvey fan? I’m not sure… but man that opening track ("Rid of Me")!!! And interestingly there is a song with the title of the previous album ("Dry"). It's very interesting to compare the three PJ Harvey albums I've listened to. This is definitely a darker, grittier album than DRY and STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA. This seems more ambitious to me as well. The jury is out on whether I enjoy listening to it quite as much... maybe it has a more narrow band of listening conditions than the others for me. Still, I very much appreciate its raw nature.

don't know what to say about this one

Not as good as her first album as some songs are very grungey. When she gets back into pouring her heart out and screaming, she's much better.

Great. Heavier than I expected

Harvey's vocals are even more raw and vulgar, able to plumb the depths of despair in Rid of Me, Dry and Rub Til It Bleeds. (7/10) FT: Rid of Me

Didn't like it when it came out, and it's still a disappointment after the first album but sounds great today. Glad to hear it again

Good stuff, I feel like this was pretty hardcore for the early 90's.

Sauvage Prefs: Rid of Me, Highway 61 Revisited, 50ft Queenie, Yuri-G, Dry, Me-Jane Moins pref: Man-Size Sextet

Segunda vez ouvindo PJ, curti mais dessa vez. Gostei do álbum. Melhor música: Missed

Liked this

Punk-rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Oh this is so absolutely my cup of tea

Two in a row! It's been a fun couple of days discovering PJ Harvey. Rid of me is again full of energy and top notch vocals. I found Rid of me louder and more in your face than Dry, and for that reason a little harder to jam with at first, but still great and I am now cemented as a PJ Harvey fan.

When I said I hoped we get some more PJ albums throughout the list, I didn't expect to get another literally the next day... This is great though, she really builds on her sound from the first record and just experiments a bit more (Man-Size Sextet is a particular highlight) and it sounds amazing

Great lyrics and vocals.

Lightning in a bottle

alright. Liked the opening track. Would put on while I did work.

Not bad, pretty good in fact

I think this might be my favorite album so far? Very great 90s alt rock stuff. Very un-commercial but still not really unfamiliar which in a way still made it pretty easy to 'get.' Honestly, on that Nick Cave album from a few days ago PJ Harvey featured on my least favorite track, so I was worried that this album would not be as good but thankfully it was. Some of the songs here spent a while building towards not much at all, some songs went quite fast and ended before you realized, some songs just went crazy for two or three minutes and then ended, all of it was done really well. Highway '61 Revisited is a Bob Dylan cover and a song I want to mention specifically because it does this exactly. The ending comes completely out of nowhere, but it somehow works and the next song picks up exactly where it leaves off. The whole album is just really great, and I'm excited to get to the three more albums that PJ Harvey has in this project.

I like the rawness of PJ and the originality. No real songs that stick but shes good. 3.6

Rid of Me is a back to the basics album of PJ Harvey. Unlike her later music it contains raw rock tracks that are based on simple bluesy structures. Her later records also have beautiful ballads and great vocals. The ballads are not on this one and the singing is angry and to the point screaming about personal experiences often resulting in anger and disappointment.

good stuff

I'd never listened to PJ Harvey before, and I thought this was pretty cool. I think that the mix of the album could have been better in places, since it was sometimes hard to separate out the different instruments/sounds. Overall, though, I liked it. It has that heavy early 90s sound without sounding derivative of the other stuff that was happening at the time 4/5

I might not like this quite as much as To Bring You My Love, but it’s very good. Also, sorry Elvis Costello, I love you, but this album sounds great.

Grungy 90s PJ Harvey is a lot better than milquetoast-alt rock 2000s PJ Harvey. Still not my favorite, and I think it ran a little long, but I thought this was pretty raw and creative and interesting to listen to. 7/10

This was incredible! Loved the guitar work, loved the attitude, loved the rawness. I feel like Jack White owes PJ Harvey a thank you card at least. This record just flat out rocked.

Pretty good. Not much else to say.

Good solid rock. Somewhat repetitive, but a very fun cover of Highway 61

Liked it. Would listen again.

Hadn't listened to PJ Harvey before. That was great.

Yeeeeeeeah.

Pretty good rock. Guitar work is great!

Was great, want to listen to more PJ Harvey.

Pretty good

Überraschend gut!

да то же самое по сути, что и предыдущий альбом. Вторая часть больше зашла, до этого слишком как-то всё бесструктурно, хотя отдельные элементы доставляли (вот эти распевки в левом ухе в первом треке, такая мьюзовская прям тема, возможно вдохновлялись). Наиболее запоминающиеся треки напомнили джусифер в самые мейнстримные моменты (по типу LED и Lucky One Burns). Угарнул с того, что трек Man-Size в струнной аранжировке в альбоме стоит раньше ориг версии, обычно вроде такое для бонусов сохраняют. Но хорошо, что не сохранили, ибо с этого трека что-то реально интересное начало в альбоме происходить. В целом ну слушабельно, наверное на ту же четвёрку, особенно интересным показалось, что тут есть трек Dry, который называется как предыдущий альбом, хорошее новаторство.

PJ Harvey war bei mir irgendwie etwas in Vergessenheit geraten. Schade eigentlich, denn sie ist richtig gut, hat was von Patti Smith.

Really liked it

I really like this album. I love the rawness of it. I have it on vinyl

8

PJ Harvey era una assignatura pendent, així que em va alegrar la proposta d'escoltar un àlbum seu. I m'ha agradat força. La seva personalitat és arrasadora, m'encanta la seva forma de cantar, que voreja la psicosi. Sembla un disc malaltís, ple de canvis d'humor i rampells de fúria. Les guitarres sonen brutals, la producció d'Albini, marca de la casa, afegeix un plus més al total. Potser li manca tenir algun hit, algun single més clar, però tot i així ha estat un descobriment que m'animarà sense dubte a escoltar més àlbums d'ella.

Catchy metal stuff. Not my cup of tea but still good

Może nawet 4+

Great. 3rd/4th best PJ Harvey album

Great

yo this is hella good. her voice is amazing. cool cool

epic awesome lovely mmm

What I like in this album I like a lot. Some of the discordant, vocal wailing wears a bit, but the pros outweigh the cons.

it's a classic for a reason. bad bitch. fav track: 50ft queenie

Freakin' great for my first listen to PJ Harvey. Grungy brilliance, up there with Nirvana's best imo

I enjoyed it!

Keep the female proto-punk coming

Album med masser af vrede og fede numre. Lidt en an blanding af Nirvana og Green Day med en sangerinde. Jeg 4 stjerner straight

Less tuneful than I normally go for but great sound, great performances.

Det e detta som ger power, de e najs.

PJ <3

Oh so that's what PJ Harvey sounds like. Nice.

The group PJ Harvey would cease being after 1993 but the artist would begin to loom large in this harrowing, howling, oft-brutal yet intriguing piece of performance art. Although she may go ahead and lay herself bare in varying degrees later on, never again would she do so in such a manner quite like this; a seductive yet pulverizing pull into the abyss that's emblematic of its time and place. Favorites: Rid of Me, Missed, Legs, Rub 'Til It Bleeds, Highway '61 Revisited, 50ft Queenie, Yuri-G, Man-Size, Dry, Ecstasy.

Raw PJ.... fantastic album. Visceral and immediate!

Raw. As. Hell.

First half great second half headache

No sir, I will not lick your legs.

Another that can be categorised as influential but not for me

3.5

Tiresome. She was appealing for one album and this isn't it.

I don’t know how to really rate this at lowest it’s 2.5 at its highest for me it might be a 3.5 with multiple listens. It definitely going for something just not sure if that something is for me DRY is best track. Light 3/5

A bit of a din but not totally unlistenable

When this album, there were aspects of this band/album that I liked and aspects that I didn't. I still listened a lot, without loving the album. I feel the same now - it's nice to hear now as nostalgia, but I still don't love it. If I could, I would give it 3.5

I much preferred this album to the previous P J Harvey album that came up in this list (whatever that was?). Stripped back alternative rock album, I can hear echoes of Siouxsie Sioux and Patti Smith here.

I like PJ Harvey, usually, but there's something just off about this album that rattles my nerves a bit. Maybe it's the weird mix. It's either too quiet or too loud. Some bits I love, some bits make me recoil. Maybe that's the point. I prefer other Harvey albums, this all seems so undecided and confusing.

The quiet parts were a little too quiet at times. Then when I turned up my speakers, thinking something was wrong, I got blasted out of the room. I was never big into PJ Harvey, but I do respect her. There were moments I really loved, and some stuff that just didn't hit.

I wonder if everyone would agree that if there could only be one album per artist that this would be hers. Not knocking the others, though I didn’t love Dry, but this is just clearly her best, right?

I wanted to like this more than I did, so I may need to revisit. The lyrics were captivating and the music fit them well. 3.4/5.

Pretty good but probably not something I'll seek out. I think maybe the production/sonics of the LD don't fully do the tracks justice. I like the last track 'Ecstasy' best, the guitar's bad ass, but I wish they turned the bass line up.

wanted to like this more than I was able to. cool vibe but honestly a bit of a slog.

Way heavier than I was expecting. I kinda like some parts of this. 2.75

I think I would like this more on a second listen. It was interesting but none of the songs really grabbed me. It sounds pretty modern today so I bet it sounded wild in 1993.

Vaca catch up

Molto meglio di LET ENGLAND SHAKE.

I came across PJ Harvey at some point in the automatically generated stream from my music streaming service. I thought the songs of hers I heard there were great. Her voice is powerful, and the music is remarkable. This is now her second album in this project. I found parts of it pretty exhausting. I’ll definitely keep listening to PJ Harvey, but I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to listen to this album again. 3/5

P J Harvey is clearly an artist whose work needs to be recognized in the list of 1001 albums I must hear before I die, but FOUR of those works? On a list that includes ZERO works by Warren Zevon?! It's not a Morrissey level of grotesque over-representation, but it's creeping that way. With that out of my system, I'll try to give this particular album the props it deserves. Its grunge-influenced rawness can still be off-putting, but that seems to be the point here. The topics Harvey is focusing on (mostly sex, love, and the casual entitlement of men) are things that often present themselves in our lives as raw and off-putting, so the writing and production seem to be right on target. But for someone like me (who may have come to it too late in life) it's the off-putting that lingers. Maybe "Man-Sized" and "50-Foot Queenie" manage to push through what can feel like a deliberate mess just for mess's sake into true emotion or insight. I really want the inspired choice to cover Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" to work for me, but it never quite does.

I was a little surprised by this one. It's much darker and grittier than I expected from PJ Harvey, and I really enjoyed most of the first half. It reminded me a lot of some of the post-rock albums that came later in the decade. The second half gets more experimental, but it still fits with the overall sound of the album rather than feeling completely out of place. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. It took me somewhere different than I expected, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Ok, inte min smak. 6/10

Like it 3/5

Another PJ Harvey album?? This one was just ok for me, very 90’s but well mixed to get the soft loud soft vibe (thanks Steve Albini). No real standout hits I’d go back to.

Raw, sounds like it was recorded in the manager’s office of a 7-11

Absolutely fine and not my thing are compatible verdicts and this record earns both simultaneously. Polly Jean Harvey and Steve Albini make a predictable combination in the best sense — raw, close-miked, no reverb, no sheen, just presence and intensity in a room together. The blues foundation underneath the noise is genuine, the emotional world is real, and Harvey's voice doing things from near-whisper to full-throated howl within the same song is an instrument operating at a level the surrounding rawness doesn't always deserve. The title track makes the strongest case — quiet menace building to complete abandon over a bass line that sounds like it was recorded in a cave, one of the great opening statements of its era. Everything it promises the record delivers consistently, which is the mark of an artist who knows exactly what she's doing. Knowing exactly what you're doing and making something that generates no pull toward return visits are not mutually exclusive outcomes. A respectful three, honestly delivered — well done, not sought out, filed accurately.

It feels so much like this should be something for me - it’s noisy abrasive alternative rock from the early 90s, produced by Steve Albini and held as a cousin of riot grrl work - but I don’t know, it just doesn’t click with me. There’s moments where I’m leaning forward in the metaphorical seat, but a lot of it simply isn’t jiving with me. I think part of it is Harvey’s voice and how it’s mixed, and part of it is the particulars of songwriting and music arranging and all that, but it all just feels like a question I can’t answer. We’ll see how the other PJ Harvey albums land down the line I guess.

PJ Harvey continues to be a bit too heavy for me.

Favorite Track: 50ft Queenie

I’ve got give this one another listen. Definitely intriguing and drew me in on first listen. But I was more so enamored with the production more than the music. But I’m sure that was just me

Thursday, 30 July, 2026 Solid album. Nothing stood out much, but very enjoyable listen.

was prepared to love this but it mostly just stressed me out

I can’t pretend to be cool enough for this kind of music, but this takes some dark and intriguing turns.

Quiet Loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud quiet loud

Some cool guitar and I like the rage in her voice.

This album is both good and not at the same time. Sometimes I feel like she tries a little bit too much. But also there is some quality in it. I think Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is a much better album.

I didn't listen too closely, but I think if I listened to it more I would really like it. I liked the instrumentation, the arrangements, and the rawness. Might have to come back to this one.

Really good production but I don't think the songs themselves are composed particularly memorably. Keeping things within the same key and style (loud soft interplay) often yields a bland sameness that is unfortunately the case here.

I like her voice. The whole album is sonically quite dark. Something I would have liked more when I was younger I think

C’est vraiment mieux que let England shake mais c’est pas non plus crazy

I still feel it's not really for me, but as this is my third PJ Harvey album I feel like it's starting to grow on me. I liked the raw energy, but it still felt controlled, not transcending.

I was optimistic about this - never listened to one of her albums. I found it really rough. ok 2.5

I found this album a little too raw for me today, might have been the mood i was in but I thought I LOVE it. Strong 3 from me today.

4 albums from PJ Harvey - really? That being said, I did sort of enjoy this album - I think I'm just PJ'd out! Lots of respect for her music, but I find it hard to get into (and I don't really know why, there's lots of background noise today at the studio, maybe it’s just too much!).

A name I have heard before, but no idea how it sounded. A Steve Albini production, which is a pro, and a Bob Dylan cover as a bonus. Positively surprised.

Listening to this yesterday with my daughter, couldn’t get the volume right, then the 1st track blasted out after a quiet start, she said “ what the hell are you listening to”😂 Not my favourite PJH album, but a decent listen

Legs is good. Grungy, dirty guitars, nice relentless slow beat. The vocalist is quite raw. Rub 'Til it bleeds same deal. Methodical grunge. Vocals not bound by most conventions. So far, a few songs I enjoyed. Overall, it's a 3 from me dawg. Making a voice sound like scratching electric guitar strings. I'd give this singer a 5, the album as a whole concept suited to an indy demolition theatre performance a 5 for a night, as a musical album going up to 3.5 and maybe 4 with Ecstasy. She's making the human voice do incredible things. Yup, Ecstasy has that greasy dug in feeling which works wonders in 3/4 time. I have no idea ranging from 3 to 5 on this one. Gonna sit on it for a spell.

It satisfied a 90s grunge itch, for sure. Not in my top 100 though.

Was only ok for me, would I listen again? Probably not

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Rid of Me, Rub 'Til It Bleeds, Ecstasy Truth be told, while skipping though this album to figure out which tracks were my stand out tracks, I remarked, out loud, how much all of these tracks sound the same instrumentally. There's not a ton of variety going on here. It's not bad music, but its a tad repetitive. It's sort of 48 minutes of maybe two or three different variations of the same music. It's solidly grunge music. It's okay, middle of the road grunge music.

Very raw. She has a lot of talent however the songs are a bit weak. 3 stars only.

- A bit on the grungier side for my taste, but pretty good, low 3.

I like the idea of the album with it's LoFi-elements and sparse instrumentation, but I have to listen to it more times before I give a more true rating. Also this is more of an evening album than a morning album (I always listen to my daily album in the morning, half asleep...)

very beautiful and raw

I don't need this, never missed it. Ignore. 2,7

tipično pidžejharvinski. ne mogu reći da je loše jer nipošto nije, ali nekako mi je isuviše generično i distorzijski stopljeno te zacijelo slabije od dva njezina albuma koja sam prije ovoga slušao. zbog toga albumu ne gine solidna trojka

Я так конкретно и не могу понять что именно мне не нравится больше всего. То ли этот надрывный вокал PJ Harvey, где песни либо нашёптываются, либо происходят вот эти распевы и постепенное повышение тона голоса. Эти завывания кажутся излишне театральными и фальшивыми и скорее раздражают. Либо аранжировки: Ощущение, что очень много полагается на монотонный бой и вот эту вот "басовость" с гулом и зацикленным ритмом. Для меня слишком уж непритязательно и скучновато. Скажете: ну прост тебе не нравится жоский женский вокал с такими же жоскими аранжировками. И будете не правы: Я очень люблю иконический вокал Ким Гордон в сочетании с таким же панково-нойзово-гранжевым звуком. Или же Juliana Hatfield на Only Everything где аранжировки тяжелы но интересны, а миленький тон голоса с ним контрастирует. В итоге, пока ты доберешься до первой действительно интересной композиции - Man-size sextet, тебя уже задолбает как это всё в целом звучит. Наиболее примечательная: Man-size sextet Оценка: мэх.. 3/5.

PJs debut Dry may have been an intense listen but at least it had some warm tones. Rid of me basically removed all the enjoyment and we are left with the musical equivalent of nails down a blackboard. The production is good, the songs are not

Cool record. Unique sound, really weird in spots, some hot grooves at times. Not really my thing but I appreciate the oddness.

I didn’t particularly love this, but the opening track has stayed with me for a while. I think I have heard this albums influence on a lot of other albums, so I’m thankful it’s a thing but I’m not sure how fast I’d rush back to it.

Seems fine. I didn’t really get the hype. Some solid horror esque music but Harvey’s voice gets absolutely buried in the production

Rock on!

Not bad but needs a few more listens to really get it. 3/5

Never been part of the hype. It’s pretty good for what it tries to achieve but unfortunately it is not my vibe.

Pretty good. Sounds like 1993.

This was alright. I think I appreciated the artistry more than actually loved the music

I like the energy on this but ultimately for me it was just an album that I probably will never come back to again but no reason that I can point to

Never quite got over the hump for me

An okay album, I liked Rid Of Me and Rub Til It Bleeds the most.

definitivamente um dos álbuns já feitos no mundo... não é muito o eu estilo mas foi interessante de ouvir

Didn't really stand out

Heartfelt and interesting, raw.

She can rock

3 out of 5. Really middle of the road here, not bad but nothing grabbed me either. I did like how hard it went.

Some songs were good, some were quite strange.

= the Beatles

29/04/2026 This is on the higher end of 3 stars. I have never heard of her and wouldn't go to her again.... but it was alright. Spotify listeners: 1.5 million

Steve Albini rules.

It's 3.5

4/20/26. Really enjoy PJ's work. Cool to hear more of her earlier music to see how she's grown as an artist over the years, but I do prefer her later stuff. Still some gems on this one.

Not bad.

3.5/5

Du rock qui se prend un peu au sérieux j'ai trouvé, un peu toujours pareil, j'ai préféré son autre album qui était moins rock

Pas ma came

3 stars

I have never really gotten into PJ Harvey, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to listen to this. I had Stories from the City... on CD or my iPod years ago and remember enjoying some of it but never really going beyond that. I definitely appreciate the 90s grunge/pink style on this and her whole vibe, but I don't see myself revisiting this very often. It's interesting because I really enjoy Hole and Bikini Kill and other musicians that are of somewhat of the same ilk, but something doesn't totally click with PJ Harvey for me. The cover of Highway 61 Revisited is very cool!

Rv

Raw and loud grunge rock. PJ Harvey’s band is killer on this album. They mix in some hard country rock later on the album, and dip into punk territory too. It’s a lean, mean sound. 3.5

I typically like most 90's rock bands. It's probably my favorite time period for the genre and more often than not when I think of my favorite rock songs most of them tend to come from this era. PJ Harvey has always been on my periphery but not really an artist that I listened to much and going through this album I can kind of feel why. There are a lot of cool ideas here; the guitars move between a post-rock malaise and a more distorted crunchy downpicked sludge, and it's awesome. The drums are raw and heavy and have that huge Steve Albini / Butch Vig sound, and the compositions are well crafted too. For my tastes though, her voice just kind of hangs around the instruments and doesn't often make the tracks go to the next level. Sometimes it comes close- like "Man Sized Sextet". It's bleak and heavy and her sung-through-her-teeth vocals on top of screeching forte strings is a very daring and attractive sound for me. This version is great.. but I don't like that they include a more "regular" version of the song, with full rock band treatment. It feels less daring and less committal in a way? Worst of all I know exactly how they feel here too, like there's times where I'll record a song and put a crazy reverb or a distortion on the main vocal and I'll really like the way it sounds but then I'll think "wait what if this is a really good song and it doesn't need this weird choice? If I released this song would releasing two versions solve that problem?". With it being such a saturated period of time of amazing bands (Nirvana, STP, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Bush, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer.. the list goes on and on), I think that the bar of quality is really high. I also personally listened to a lot more of the radio rock bands because I was a child in the early 90's and most of the music I listened to was in the car so whatever was on the radio is what we were listening to. This means that there's a lot of acts that were pretty popular but didn't have the airtime that Nirvana had and ultimately I didn't hear much of them until later in life, like The Pixies, Pavement, Sonic Youth. And I think PJ Harvey is in this group. Alas, I will do my due diligence and listen more because I think I would like this band if I gave the tunes some repeat listens. Great album cover. I always say that I love "motion" in still photography / album covers and this one is awesome.

Interesting 90s album that I liked, but didn't love. She's a good lyricist with an interesting point of view.

That was better than I expected - almost a 4

Steve Albini has produced some of my favorite albums, and his touch made those albums better. I cannot say the same thing about this one. This is a ferocious album, with fierce vocals and gnarly riffs; the guitar on the second track almost sounds like Slint. I wish I could hear all of it better. The hollow drum sound on this is great, but the guitars almost sound muffled. The opening track should have these big explosive climaxes, but the quietness robs them of their power. While crisper production would help, the songwriting is also a bit thin as well, with too many songs that go on for too long without enough happening. Lyrically this rivals Exile in Guyville in the depths of feminism it explores, but the music doesn't quite match its anger.

I like the first half: the tonal shifts, volume shifts, dissonance, the voice. I found the second half to be less uniformly coherent with each song or maybe it just got too much for me.

Don’t have any particular feelings either for or against this.

Sounded pretty good but not something I’d be racing to listen to again

I did not hate it, and enjoyed the whole In Utero of it all. But some of the wailing got on my nerves. I know, I know ... the raw emotion is the point. But I can't help it, it frickin' annoys me.

Emotional and a little aggressive…but I don’t hate it! Likes: Rid of Me; Rub Til it Bleeds; Highway 61 Revisited; 50ft Queenie

Weird AF

Yah I’m not afraid to admit I was horribly disappointed with this album. I didn’t hate it or dislike it. The problem is that the first album of PJ’s that I had ever heard was like just a few months ago when this list gave me “Stories from the city, stories from the sea” which is an all time great album. I’m pretty sure I have it a 4 or 5 I loved it that much. In fact it’s one of the go to examples I use when people ask me what major acts have I discovered and fallen in love with since starting this list. But sadly this album is just NOT that album. Again this album wasn’t bad or boring. It just wasn’t anywhere near as good as the last album. But again it has its moments, like for example I can appreciate that this album is much more raw and immature compared to “SFTCSFTS” and it almost feels more like a grunge album. And the highlights for me were songs like “legs” and “rid of me”. But as a whole I was kinda left wanting more.

i liked it okay

Stand-out tracks: Rid Of Me, Missed, Yuri-G, Dry, Me-Jane Very edgy. I prefer her more down to earth stuff like on her other album. This was just a bit too much for my liking.

Highlights: Rid of Me, Legs, Yuri-G, Man-Size, Snake I mean it's all right... But nothing to write home about. Through the years I got the impression that she's a darling of the critics so I expected a bit more. I'm not saying it's bad but it didn't click with me. I do see why the critics would praise her doe. The style is in tune with the rest of 90s alternative rock, but paired with wacky lyrics. And by wacky I mean Diddy yandere freak wacky, but they are also pretty clever. There's a lot of talk about gender dynamics and shit like that so I think that's what got the critics on board. Cool I guess, but the package ain't no earworm. It aims for the "artsy expression" label. Sometimes the template changed - for instance Man-Size Sextet was an interesting change of tune. Won't be revisiting the record itself and this might also apply to the highlights except maybe for some "funny" or clever ones like Legs or Man-Size.

My second PJ Harvey album. Enjoyed this one about the same- thrir sound is an intersection of punk and alternative, and I like the singers voice. Overall- good album

I certainly appreciate that PJ Harvey is considered formative, but I felt somewhat bludgeoned by this album and am surprised it primarily was a trio.

How many Polly Jean albums are on this list? This felt disjointed and off kilter.

I enjoyed this but don’t know that it ever fully got me, something about the varying volumes kept just making me think my headphones were broken which is not really the fault of the album but oh well. Keen to listen again though i think.

I don’t have much to say about the album in general, it was fine. I just can’t believe that there are two more from this artist on the list.

What is this voice that she is doing cuz it's kinda throwing me off

i had never listened to something like this before, interesting but maybe in a so not good way ahaha. creative tho :)

nice enough

I feel like this could grow on me but at the same time there is not a lot drawing me back to listen again? It is quite samey all the way through Maybe I need to give it a proper relisten and actually give it my full attention rather than listening whilst working 3

It was okay, I guess Stand-outs - Rid Of Me - Yuri-G

this is kinda nice i like it

Feel like it's wasted potential. A fantastic recording sound and very cool vibe let down by a monotonous first half.

My rating 3.2

Love rock music with a female vocalist. Very dirty distortion, grungy.

This is my third, and I believe last, PJ Harvey album on this list. I liked "Stories by the Sea..." a bit more than her debut and second album. I think this is a good example of where the music is just not for me. I did not the songs to be compelling and multiple listens did not correct this for me. I recognize the influence and how much people enjoy this one. I can't rate it lower because of that. I didn't like the production on here. Maybe others like it and kudos to them if they, but for me it sounded too raw and too messy with me struggling (absent a few songs) to really note where the production improved the music. A low score for enjoyment and a high score for how influential this album was.

Album 72 Top 3 favorites off the album: Highway '61 Revisited, Legs, Man-Size Sextet More PJ Harvey! Good for me! The grittiness of this one is different from the album I listened to earlier. I found myself adjusting the volume regularly on my earbuds because it's quiet, then really loud, then really quiet, and back and forth. Anyway, grittiness: similar weight, but done... cleaner. That doesn't clarify anything. There's less distortion going on instrumentally, but the vocals have become even more raw. Lyrically more physical (Rub It 'Til It Bleeds... ouch). It's gritty in its own way. Man-Size Sextet was a listening experience. There's some Shostakovich out there that it's in the same vein with, his string quartets especially. A good listen for sure.

Якийсь такий альбом, що мені нема що сказати. Просто ок.

ok...

LOVE the disturbing strings and overall madness of Man-Size Sextet. 50ft Queenie and Yuri-G are also great. The whole album should be something I hate, style-wise, (similar to X-Ray Spex) but for some reason she gets away with it and I like it.

Left me a little dry tbh

pretty fun! kinda getting into PJ Harvey

Somebody get the drummer some more sticks, because he's slamming on that drum. It sounds like everyone was just straight up abusing their instruments (in a good way). Even the singer is rough on her voice. Definitely enjoyable, although the singer was a bit tough to understand at times.

Harvey really leaned into grunge styles here, which is cool. Heavy, and fun to listen to, although I feel its missing something instrumentally. I liked this, but its hard for me to give it more than a 3.

The grungy, raw sound works really well here. There's also a wider volume range than most music has, which makes this album more unique for better and for worse. I enjoy the vocal performance a lot, and it's a very interesting album. I can see a future where I might rate this higher. Favorite track(s): "Legs"

I liked part of the songs, but when it gets too noisy I disliked it.

i would’ve enjoyed this album more if it wasn’t masted so badly on streaming + a lot of the songs sounded the same

This was an ok album, didn't blow me away but not the worst I've heard!

Punky, Energetic, wail-y, alright but I wouldn’t listen again 3

Raw, sexual, unapologetic. This record certainly does not pull any punches. I loved how I could not predict the direction the album would go in. The musicianship as a whole is excellent, and the song structures were pretty interesting with lots of complicated time signatures that worked well. I do have complaints: the recording quality is not brilliant, and whoever mixed it needs to be fired - this really hampered my enjoyment of the album as a whole. 6/10

Scho okay

The mixing is kinda bad, and the first part of this album is better than the latter half, but I still enjoyed it. Would revisit.

Love the drums. Albini crushed it as usual. Never been a big fans of PJ Harvey, though. Shrug?

Starts and ends with really strong tracks. Some interesting moments throughout that might raise it up to a 4 in time. 3.5

like a 3.5 for me i thought i would like it a little more than i did, maybe just not my cup o' tea!

I've never been truly sure about the production of this album. Yes, I know it's Albini, but ... Not her best, but still warrants a decent rating. Anyway, it's on my shelves. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Disappointing ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 230 Already owned : 53 Purchased : 12 To buy list : 2 Nope : 163

It was fine. If a friend made me listen to this I would say I liked it

I've only heard one other album from PJ Harvey (Dry), and I remember liking it more than this one. The biggest fault of this album is that it's very one note. Every song is doing the same thing, and it can get old. I also don't like that there are two versions of the same song on a standard edition album. I think I would/will listen to a song or two off of this album again, but I don't see myself playing the entire thing anytime soon. Three stars. (Favorite track: Rid of Me.)

This is... Hmm. I don't dislike it. It's got some cool musical ideas, but I dunno. Something about it doesn't click with me. Maybe it's less melodic than what I'm used to. Maybe I should give it another chance. But for now it's not bad, not great.

Loved the first half