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Anticipate the new PJ Harvey album here

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:27 / 06.05.04

Look dead ahead, see danger come.

Out May 31 in the UK.

So far I've only heard 'The Letter' a couple of times, and it's good, but it hardly screams first single in the way 'Good Fortune' did. I suspect this will please some people though. I do like the lyric that goes something like "who writes these days, apart from you and I?"

If anybody has heard the rest of the album, please tell me it doesn't disappoint, because something about that title and cover (is Frank Black her chauffeur now?) just screams "tunes from Stories..., attitude from Rid Of Me"... I am excited.

uncle retrospective

22:08 / 10.05.04

Jesus, I've had a copy for this for ages now. I should listen to it at some point.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

21:00 / 01.06.04

So I just got this - when is this thread gonna kick off, huh?

First impressions...

"Who the fuck?" is totally Dirty/Goo era Kim Gordon, in a good way. I like that song a lot, it's so rough and her singing is really perfect for that song.

That sticks out for me, so far - I've listened to that song more than any other. It all sounds good, though.

I'm finding the packaging quite inspiring, with the whole pictures/polaroid theme. I got the gatefold version (special edition? Is there any difference besides packaging?) which is all lovely and papery feeling, with the polaroid pic on the cover being all shiny like a photo would be.

All the notes in the sleeve are fun - I like that she writes notes like me! things like "too pjh?" Just lots of little things, it's nice to see. The whole aesthetic really helps me get in to the music.

Will be playing when I sleep.

I will not dream of Vincent Gallo.

22:58 / 01.06.04

What I said on my blog yesterday:

So who saw PJ Harvey on Later With That Strange Furtive Little Man the other night? She was bloody magnificent! Critical opinion on her new record seems to be a bit mixed, but then critical opinion can fuck right off, I think her new stuff rocks hard.

I like PJ best when she's angry and playing as part of a power trio and doing songs that go DUR-DUR-DUR-DUr-DUr-DUr-DUr.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

09:00 / 02.06.04

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:45 / 02.06.04

Look, she has a picture of herself on her dress!

It's interesting that one of the notes on the inlay says "I'm not looking for continuity of sound", because I don't think there is any, so I'm finding it hard to describe the new album as an album rather than making scattered comments about individual songs.

Definitely loving 'Shame', 'Who The Fuck?', 'Cat On A Wall' and 'The Slow Drug', though. Plus some of the slower ones - 'The Desperate Kingdom Of Love' is a good 'un, although I'm not sure I'm in the right headspace to appreciate it at the moment.

12:24 / 19.08.07

I was somewhat disappointed with Uh Hu Her; at first I thought, "Yay! This seems great! PJ going all raw and brilliant again!" and then I listened to it a couple more times and it just felt like I'd got everything I was going to from it on the first listen, and that it really wasn't very exciting after all.

But! Songs are now appearing from the new album, White Chalk, and it's getting me really, really excited again. This blog has her new single, When Under Ether, for download. The obvious reference is Is This Desire? - it's less rock while being more menacing, with hints of wistfulness and sexual ambiguity, and looking at new pictures her latest image seems to be of some kind of dark Victorian figure, with wild hair, long white dress and absent expression. YouTube has a couple more songs played live recentlyish, and I've found a couple more floating around on the fileshare programs, which all seem to display the same kind of mood.

Anyone else looking forward to this?

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:11 / 21.08.07

Wow, in retrospect, I got bored of her last album fast... I can't even remember how some of the songs I pick out as highlights go, now! I feel almost guilty about that.

Tryphena Absent

14:36 / 21.08.07

Oh thank fuck, that's much better than the sadness that was the 2004 album (I do not speak it's name).

03:04 / 22.08.07

It's beautiful - definitely looking forward to the new album.

But I loved Uh Huh Her too - I think The Slow Drug may be one of my favourite songs ever...

12:34 / 11.09.07

The new album is just lovely.

Will post more when i give it a few more listens.