P.J. HARVEY - "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea"
P.J. HARVEY
“Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea”
Island Records - October 24, 2000
In 2000 the stars were perfectly aligned for 31-year-old Polly Jean Harvey of Dorset, England to either explode or implode. With four critically-well-received albums to her credit, she had achieved the respect of her peers and an ever-increasing fanbase so expectations were perhaps unreasonably high for her next release. In a sense, this makes, “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea,” an even more remarkable achievement. From the ringing guitar that opens the album and its lead single, “Big Exit,” there is a simmering tension throughout fighting splendidly to break things wide open. Widely regarded as Harvey’s New York City record (the “Sea” comment coming from compositions inspired by her home on the English Channel), ”Beautiful Feeling” serves as a wonderful thematic bridge between her native U.K. and her U.S. fixation. Indeed the guitar of “Good Fortune” recalls CBGB’s heyday of The Modern Lovers and Velvet Underground. The droning lead-in to the sonic guitar burst of, “The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore” peaks when Harvey sings in a slight growl, “Speak to me of heroin and speed,” as the slow burn of guitars amps up and she is standing face to face with Gotham and calling it out in a way that would make Patti Smith nod in acknowledgment. By the time Radiohead’s Thom Yorke shows up to sing, “This Mess We’re In,” as Harvey provides secondary duet vocals, the effect is as beautiful as the city sunset she intones before moving onto a “Rooftop in Brooklyn,” on the meditative city tale, “You Said Something.” Harvey then jets right back to the surging Lowe East Side rock via “Kamikaze,” while, “This Is Love” recalls Debbie Harry’s lusty delivery during Blondie’s prime. Ultimately, Harvey delivers a headphone soundtrack for a walk through any New York City borough at any time of day and any time of year. Even the cover photo of a midtown Harvey by Maria Mochnacz fits absolutely perfectly. I was familiar with P.J. Harvey (as a fan of music, or even popular culture, you’d have to have been under a rock not to be aware of her in the late 90’s), “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea,” made me an unabashed fan. On a side note, while touring this record Harvey played a show that blew the roof off of the legendary Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA and was broadcast on the equally legendary, WBCN-FM, making it available and well worth seeking online.
Standouts: This Is Love, The Whores Hustle And The Hustler Whore, You Said Something
