"Uh Huh Her." Thoughts on the new PJ Harvey?

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on paper, a lot of her songs are structurally pretty boring, but she's got this way of elevating them by virtue of some weird intangible. i dunno if it's the power in her voice or the determination that she executes the material with, but as with most of her stuff, i'm convinced that 90% of these songs would just fall flat in lesser hands.

This is OTM. I was actually thinking just the other day about how my enjoyment of PJ Harvey is kind of an anomaly in some ways, in that I don't think I could identify a common element between her music and "stuff I ordinarily like" (which is, admittedly, a wide category).

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 10 May 2004 13:57 (twenty years ago) link

She's a performer.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 13:57 (twenty years ago) link

Who the Fuck sounds like a Kim Gordon song -- that is to say, it sounds lazy and uninteresting.

― frankE (frankE), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:05 (twenty years ago) link

"Who The Fuck" really does sound like Kim Gordon, but I think that it's in a good way.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:22 (twenty years ago) link

all the songs i pulled down fade out. is this the case for everyone?

xpost: i always found kim gordon songs better on paper than in the ear.

― frankE (frankE), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:23 (twenty years ago) link

afaik the full album has not leaked yet.

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:25 (twenty years ago) link

i've heard a preview copy, the songs didn't fade out

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:29 (twenty years ago) link

The album HAS leaked in its entirety, but the quality of the rip is terrible.

Before it was leaked, a few loops of the songs were leaked, so maybe that's what some of you are hearing.

I don't like "Cat on the Wall."

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Monday, 10 May 2004 17:43 (twenty years ago) link

I like the title *and* the cover. I think I'm gonna like the album too.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 10 May 2004 21:44 (twenty years ago) link

I want to love it. That's enough, isn't it?

― David A. (Davant), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 19:22 (twenty years ago) link

< / irrational sentimental attachment to once-beloved artist >

― David A. (Davant), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 19:23 (twenty years ago) link

Wow, Jessica Hopper went solo.
-- Chris Ott (ot...), May 10th, 2004.

hahahahahahahahaha!

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 20:41 (twenty years ago) link

Someone please answer this high subjective question for me:

"If I believe that PJ's last GREAT record was Rid Of Me and her last REALLY GOOD record was To Bring You My Love and I sold her last two records out of sheer boredom, will I like her new record?"

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:53 (twenty years ago) link

Sorry, but that cover just looks destined for

~~£10 £9 £8 £7 £5 £3~~ £2

in the M&VE.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:56 (twenty years ago) link

raymond, i think this record is made especially for you.

― joan vich (joan vich), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 16:53 (twenty years ago) link

What if the only record of hers I still listen to is Is This Desire? even though that's not necessarily the one I think is the best, oh and that last album with Thom Yorke on it was terrible?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 22:58 (twenty years ago) link

From the rip I heard, this new album sounds most similar to "Is This Desire?" than anything else in her catalogue. Unfortunately for me, that's the album of hers that I listen to the least.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 23:24 (twenty years ago) link

God is she ugly.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 13 May 2004 03:21 (twenty years ago) link

Insightful.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Thursday, 13 May 2004 16:33 (twenty years ago) link

and absurd

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Thursday, 13 May 2004 16:35 (twenty years ago) link

oh and that last album with Thom Yorke on it was terrible?

No.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 13 May 2004 16:38 (twenty years ago) link

Yes, it was. Terrible.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Thursday, 13 May 2004 17:02 (twenty years ago) link

the cover looks like some k records thing, which is bad. but it is a pj harvey record, which is good.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 13 May 2004 17:09 (twenty years ago) link

and no it wasn't terrible, melissa.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 13 May 2004 17:12 (twenty years ago) link

What amateur!st sayz

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 13 May 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago) link

What Sean said amateur!st sez.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Thursday, 13 May 2004 19:48 (twenty years ago) link

This might be one of those situations where an artist releasing a new record finally inspires me to get their last one. I remember hearing the Thom Yorke/PJ duet on the jukebox in a pizza place and thinking it was lovely.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 13 May 2004 19:51 (twenty years ago) link

It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the second coming of Dry or Rid of Me (ie unbelievably classic), either.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 13 May 2004 19:55 (twenty years ago) link

The duet was passable, but the album was boring.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:08 (twenty years ago) link

It was a good Pretenders album. That's not meant to sound as snarky as it is. I like the album.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:13 (twenty years ago) link

i don't remember this much dissent when it came out. Are we all going to be trashing You Are The Quarry and Sung Tongs in a few years, too, as if we'd always despised them? Get over yourselves.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:15 (twenty years ago) link

I'm liking "We Float."

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:19 (twenty years ago) link

(off Stories, that is)

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:20 (twenty years ago) link

"If I believe that PJ's last GREAT record was Rid Of Me and her last REALLY GOOD record was To Bring You My Love and I sold her last two records out of sheer boredom, will I like her new record?"

i think so. i'm liking it quite a bit so far.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:21 (twenty years ago) link

I'm liking "We Float."

I cannot believe this is possible.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Thursday, 13 May 2004 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

it wasn't terrible. I did think it was for a long time though, then eventually it clicked. I like it a lot now (not as much as rid of me, the debut, or desire; about as much as to bring you my love though). That "whores hustle/hustlers whore" song is terrible, I'll give you that.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 13 May 2004 21:40 (twenty years ago) link

again with the Stories hate. i do. not. understand.

― the 'surface' 'noise' (electricsound), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:10 (twenty years ago) link

"we float" is not one of the stonger songs on the last record, though i like it enough.

actually both title and cover of new one remind me of some hasil adkins record or something.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 14 May 2004 01:38 (twenty years ago) link

Stories had some great songs, "This Is Love" is possibly one of Peej's best ever, but it's also the album of hers I most use the skip button on. I think I'm the only person I know who likes To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? best.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 14 May 2004 10:48 (twenty years ago) link

Stories: I remember digging "Good Fortune" a lot (the only melody from that record that sticks with me now) and thinking that the duet was OK, but otherwise...underwhelming.

Is This Desire: not flat-out awful, yet not involving enough that I ever miss having it around.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 14 May 2004 10:54 (twenty years ago) link

Crazeee... Stories is by FAR my favorite. "Good Fortune" is one of the most life-affirming song I've heard in a long time and the duet (despite my Radiohead/York hate) is amazing.
The cover rocks too.

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Friday, 14 May 2004 11:34 (twenty years ago) link

I'm with Baaderoni, but it was also the first Peej album I heard.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 14 May 2004 11:59 (twenty years ago) link

what mr cummings said, throughout thread.

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 14 May 2004 12:12 (twenty years ago) link

Stories: zestless, horrible guitar sound, often embarrassing lyrics, no blues/no tunes. The first three songs are bearable, as is the secret track, but don't match up to earlier b-sides even.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 14 May 2004 12:15 (twenty years ago) link

unfortunately the way she sang "lee-TAL ee-ta-lee-hee" on whatever the single off Stories was called made me want to drown her.

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 14 May 2004 12:16 (twenty years ago) link

I really like Stories... but the Thom duet is awful - he sounds like Chris Isaac on it, for fucksake.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 14 May 2004 12:18 (twenty years ago) link

that's a terrible insult to the saturnine "wicked game" hitmaker.

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 14 May 2004 12:19 (twenty years ago) link

I think I'm the only person I know who likes To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? best.

Lots of people seem to think that To Bring You My Love is the apex of her career (SPIN, Jim DeRogatis, Greg Kot). But Is This Desire?, you're right, doesn't have a whole lot of supporters (though I've never understood why: is it because it's her most "electronic" album?).

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:27 (twenty years ago) link

(and was she saddled with bandwagon-jumping accusations common to bands that "went electronic" in the late 90s, e.g. U2 and the Pumpkins and Bowie?)

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:28 (twenty years ago) link

Not really, it was more an "ill advised foray into industrial, doesn't really pull it off" kind of thing than the way the above two bands got slated for bandwagon jumping.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:31 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 398 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Are you kidding? It's like 20 times better than the Blonde Redhead album, which isn't really bad but is just kinda there for me.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 21 October 2004 14:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Reading back over the whole thread almost gave me a headache.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 October 2004 14:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha this is one of my favourite albums this year but I never actually posted about it after I heard it - I think I just couldn't be arsed to wade through all the... stuff here.

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:17 (nineteen years ago) link

i am not sure but can it be that you only need a certain amount of pj harvey albums in your life? i got all of them before this one. and i have listened to most songs as mp3s and they were ok but i absolutely feel no need to get this album.

by the way the blonde redhead album was a major disappointment imo. almost mainstream sounding. like a bland pop album.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:14 (nineteen years ago) link

two years pass...

This thread is bonkers. But anyway, I've listened to this a few times over the weekend and it's very, very god, isn't it?

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 09:52 (sixteen years ago) link

very god? Begotten not created?

― Mark G, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 09:58 (sixteen years ago) link

haha, yes and yes!

― joanet vich, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 10:00 (sixteen years ago) link

Hmmm. Damn my cold fingers.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 28 August 2007 10:02 (sixteen years ago) link

nine months pass...

i love this album.

― The Brainwasher, Friday, 30 May 2008 09:07 (fifteen years ago) link

"I have no time for anal love" still cracks me up

― The Brainwasher, Friday, 30 May 2008 09:11 (fifteen years ago) link

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