From the entire album that PJ Harvey made, I choose Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea as my top list.
She opens the repertoar with crescendo of Big Exit and each of the next composition was built to strengthen the album. This is really well-thought lay out and I can’t stop admiring it.
For me, PJ’ s strongest point as an artist is her honesty to talk about the subject. It is the way she carries an intimate (or big) subject with profound attitude without trying so hard - I call it cool.
For example in This Mess We’re In, how can she come up with that brilliant idea? I mean, the way she talks about infidelity in that song, I found it really cynematic, like watching French cinema. Then the execution of idea by taking super genious Thom Yorke as protagonist, OMG...this is just the work that so brilliant.
Another prove of her honesty is this track : The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore. A statement that break every taboo because of situation that so fucked-up (pun intended) that generate frustration. And the only solution is just swearing on the top of lounge. Take this for example:
Speak to me
Of heroin and speed
Genocide and suicide
Of syphilis and greed
Speak to me
The language of love
The language of violence
The language of the heartThis isn’t the first time
I’ve asked for money or love
Heaven and earth
Don’t ever mean enough
Speak to me
Of heroin and speed
Just give me something
I can believeThe whores hustle and the hustlers whore
Too many people out of love
The whores hustle and the hustlers whore
The city’s ripped right to the core
I remember when I bought her album To Bring You My Love. I found her as an excentric post-grunge artist with angst. But throughout the song in Stories I feel PJ Harvey gain her maturity. This teach me a lot about the passage that every artist will undertake.
PP
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