PJ HarveyLet England Shake line_break

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PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
CD
£ 6.99
BASKETWISHLIST

CAT NUMBER: 276 302 5
RELEASE DATE: 14 Feb '11
Ltd LP
£ 16.99
BASKETWISHLIST

CAT NUMBER: 275 899 7
RELEASE DATE: 14 Feb '11
STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: PJ Harvey has spoken of her fear of repeating herself, and that’s an admirable aim, one she’s consistently achieved over the years - even down to confounding her reputation of bloody-minded outsider by following the tortured “Is This Desire?” with the FM friendly “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea”, so “Let England Shake” was always going to be a very different prospect to the sparse “White Chalk”. This is a richly textured, angry, beautiful record, deeply rooted in the tragedy of English history, its theme the loss and waste of war; specifically the mechanized meat grinder that was World War One. It’s never more exquisitely conveyed than by song of the year contender “On Battleship Hill”, over whose echoing, mournful skiffle Polly Harvey’s lament soars with aching poignancy. And there’s no let up in the album’s often harrowing, always inventive quality; just for once, you can believe the hype.

Andy says: Powerful, evocative, but that's almost a given. In a recent edition of "Mojo", Polly revealed that none other than Captain Beefheart (RIP) was a big fan of this record. She'd hate this to be used as a selling point, but...I can't think of a better one! It's magnificent.

ABOUT THIS ITEM

PJ Harvey’s new album was recorded in a 19th Century church in, Dorset, on a clifftop overlooking the sea. It was created with a cast of musicians including such long-standing allies as Flood, John Parish, and Mick Harvey. It is the eighth PJ Harvey album, following 2007’s acclaimed "White Chalk", and the Harvey/Parish collaboration "A Woman A Man Walked By".

"Let England Shake" evokes the troubled spirit of 2010, but it also casts its mind back to times and places from our long collective memory. In keeping with such imaginative intentions, its music has a rare breadth and emotional power. Nearly two decades after she made her first records, it proves that not just that its author refuses to stand still, but that her creative confidence may well be at an all-time high. It is safe to say that you will not have heard anything like it before.

TRACK LISTING

1. Let England Shake
2. The Last Living Rose
3. The Glorious Land
4. The Words That Maketh Murder
5. All & Everyone
6. On Battleship Hill
7. England
8. In The Dark Places
9. Bitter Branches
10. Hanging In The Wire
11. Written On The Forehead
12. The Colour Of The Earth