PJ Harvey has been an impressive figure in the music world for a number of decades now. She has been recognised in both a commercial and critical sense as a extremely talented and impressive songwriter, who has dabbled in numerous styles of music as well as becoming a figurehead for female artists in the 1990’s. Departing from the piano-driven ‘White Chalk’, her latest release is in a more folksy- alternative guitar vein. And in a softly sung but poignantly brilliant way, it is her best release yet, and may be one of the most important releases of the year.
As you would expect on an album with the name ‘Let England Shake’, Harvey doesn’t sing happy-go-lucky tunes about boy-meets-girl and there is little personal storytelling from her past. Instead, she takes a decidedly sorrowful yet powerfully driven swipe at her country in this anti-war masterpiece, her thought-provoking lyrics steeped in political angst and her songs packed with anger and sadness.
The style rarely deviates from a folk-esque dream state of malaise, occasionally gathering pace but never losing its focus; an honest and maddened view on the conflicts of this country’s past and present. ‘Let England Shake’ is littered with references to both World Wars and the Gallipoli Campaign, while Harvey herself recounts stories from Iraqi and Afghani civilians experiences in recent history. With each word beautifully and oddly delivered, it makes for an epic war album.
The style rarely deviates from the jangling opener ‘Let England Shake’; Harvey doesn’t hold back as she sings ‘England’s dancing days are done’ and our country is ‘weighted down by silent dead’. The drums of battle herald ‘The Last Living Rose’, speaking of an ironic pride at our country’s demise which is perked up by the saxophones from Blur’s ‘For Tomorrow’, a view followed by the bitterly and hauntingly sung ‘England’.
As well as angry glances at her home country, Harvey packs the album to the brim with sinister imagery and some quite chilling messages. The pacier ‘The Glorious Land’ tells us ‘what is the glorious fruit of our land?/It’s fruit is orphaned children’, while the steadily moody ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ painstakingly tell Harvey’s experiences and ask ‘what if I take my problem to the United Nations?’. ‘Bitter Branches’ furiously spits a warning of spreading conflict, while the touchingly delivered ‘Hanging In The Wire’ and the thumping ‘The Colour Of Our Earth’ provide a heartfelt tales of the desolated WW1 battlefields.
On musical terms, ‘Let England Shake’ is a beautifully delivered minimalist epic, feeding the meaning of the words with a subtle yet powerful backing. The dreamy ‘All and Everyone’ is bone shuddering, while Harvey is almost angelic in her gospel-like vocals in ‘On Battleship Hill’. The album’s triumphant musical moment come on ‘In The Dark Places’, moody and fused with electric guitars but nevertheless sticking to the poignancy of its predecessors and its followers. This is an album that has to be listened to as a whole to be fully enjoyed.
It doesn’t feature hook-heavy melodies or toe-tapping beats, but its brilliance is found within its lyrics. ‘Let England Shake’ is as powerful as an album can get; touchingly poignant tales of war, chilling messages of conflict and thought-provoking reflection on the country as a whole. Fantastically timed with the conflicts of the present day, PJ Harvey may just have the country shaking with this magnificent record.
A brilliant album, really makes you think and here's my favourite track 'In The Dark Places'.
NWR
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