PJ Harvey’s White Chalk
Review by A.J. Orphee

Polly Jean Harvey has grown as a vocalist and a songwriter. In fact, she’s matured as an artist overall. She is not the same tormented siren from To Bring You My Love, and she is certainly not the angst-ridden, wrathful banshee from the Rid of Me era. That is not to say that the artist known as PJ Harvey has weakened and that her art has declined or waned in quality. It would be an understatement to say that her latest work has broken new ground. White Chalk is an album unlike anything else the British songwriter/musician/producer has put out. The album features collaborations with Eric Drew Feldman and the Dirty Three’s Jim White. Though it can take some getting used to, the album is largely admirable.

Upon first listening, some might call it a minimalist, sparse creation. She has modified her vocals, making it clear that her range is broader than people would expect. In the earlier part of her career, critics would often compare her voice to that of Patti Smith’s, and I suppose one could hear the resemblance in songs like “Good Fortune” and “Send His Love to Me”. But PJ Harvey is most definitely not Patti Smith in her latest album. Her singing borders on ethereal, the high, airy notes caressing one’s ears with fragile sweetness and sorrow. The instrument of choice is the piano, and her playing is mostly austere yet haunting. In fact, some of the playing reminds me of John Cage or Philip Glass, though I’m not sure that was her intention at all.

The album itself is in theory a concept album, as it relates the fictional tale of a failed relationship. What a better way of telling a story about love on the rocks than with the devil and ether being involved? Fractured and otherworldly, each track takes one on a melancholy, eerie ride that is nonetheless beautiful and inviting. The album kicks off with the track titled “The Devil”. This gives the listener a good idea of what to expect on the rest of the album. The lyrics are brimming with pining, as the song suggests. It is a song about a woman who is not willing to accept what has ruined the love between her and her significant other. Perhaps one of the most haunting and enthralling tracks is “Grow Grow Grow”, with echoing vocals which unsettle and entice all at once. “Broken Harp” is short but sweet. The title track has probably some of the most evocative and poignant lyrics. It resembles a southern Gothic tale of sorts. Of course, one of the most climactic portions of the entire album is the concluding track, “The Mountain”. Polly Jean’s wails culminate until one can no longer stand it.

For any big PJ Harvey fan, this definitely delivers a unique and innovative work of art. It can also make people who have just been introduced to her want to delve deeper.

 

 

PJ Harvey's Myspace
Back To Review