White Chalk review
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:18 pm
Here's a review of Pj Harvey's newest album, due on monday!
''There was a time, not so long ago (though you'd better not start counting the years), when listening to PJ Harvey in the same rooms as your parents would cause some trouble.
Well, White Chalk won't have that effect.
It's a little hard to say if it's bad or good. I'm not saying your parents would actually enjoy that record and go buy it to sit it next to the last Celine Dion's album, but it's obvious that's it's got a delicate quietness to it that will not wake up your neighbour.
I am only at first listen of course, and writing a serious review is therefore nearly impossible but I can say I am marked by two things strongly.
The first is that it is pretty amazing how PJ manages to keep working in different ways, probably in moods that reflect her life at the moment of the recording, but it's great to see she never rests on her laurels, and she just keeps moving, diving in all risks...
That is somehow worrysome, because i sometimes don't know if I would enjoy this record as much if I didn't know it was her.
The second thing that strikes me is that, since Uh Uh Her, I have the impression of hearing Demos. That, she had claimed to do willingly on UUH, but I don't know if sh meant it on that one. The songs are very short, they all fit well together but they leave you with a little need for something more. 11 songs for just a half hour of music and about 15 Euros (ok ok, that's got nothing to do with her) brings a little disapointment.
But then, you let the music carry you and you'll find yourself floating (in Ether?) along her shores and your heart will feel like melting on crystal. Maybe.
Her voice is very different and it's got some Thom Yorke (The Piano) and Björky (Broken Harp) bits on two songs that make it very surprising coming from such a wonderful Dame.
PJ Harvey will always remain an extraordinary artist with an incredible career.
Go and listen to it if you know it's all about ballads and Piano, very WHITE (for animals like me who feel colour onto sounds) like the IS THIS DESIRE? album, but much less electronic, less Rock and much much softer.''
''There was a time, not so long ago (though you'd better not start counting the years), when listening to PJ Harvey in the same rooms as your parents would cause some trouble.
Well, White Chalk won't have that effect.
It's a little hard to say if it's bad or good. I'm not saying your parents would actually enjoy that record and go buy it to sit it next to the last Celine Dion's album, but it's obvious that's it's got a delicate quietness to it that will not wake up your neighbour.
I am only at first listen of course, and writing a serious review is therefore nearly impossible but I can say I am marked by two things strongly.
The first is that it is pretty amazing how PJ manages to keep working in different ways, probably in moods that reflect her life at the moment of the recording, but it's great to see she never rests on her laurels, and she just keeps moving, diving in all risks...
That is somehow worrysome, because i sometimes don't know if I would enjoy this record as much if I didn't know it was her.
The second thing that strikes me is that, since Uh Uh Her, I have the impression of hearing Demos. That, she had claimed to do willingly on UUH, but I don't know if sh meant it on that one. The songs are very short, they all fit well together but they leave you with a little need for something more. 11 songs for just a half hour of music and about 15 Euros (ok ok, that's got nothing to do with her) brings a little disapointment.
But then, you let the music carry you and you'll find yourself floating (in Ether?) along her shores and your heart will feel like melting on crystal. Maybe.
Her voice is very different and it's got some Thom Yorke (The Piano) and Björky (Broken Harp) bits on two songs that make it very surprising coming from such a wonderful Dame.
PJ Harvey will always remain an extraordinary artist with an incredible career.
Go and listen to it if you know it's all about ballads and Piano, very WHITE (for animals like me who feel colour onto sounds) like the IS THIS DESIRE? album, but much less electronic, less Rock and much much softer.''