PJ Harvey - The Letter
After a couple of years' wait, the first single from PJ Harvey's new album hints at the blacker points of her past.
This, the first single from the Uh Huh Her album contains the biggest hint we�ve had yet that the evil, voodoo-crazy PJ Harvey of old is kicking at the door and waiting to come out into the light again.
Opening to with a detuned, low-down riff that reverberates in your gut, Harvey�s almost-funky-but-not-quite playing immediately kicks The Letter into a strange place. Rising in accordance with lyrical emphasis, an organic sound�s created, beaten into shape by Rob Ellis�s skittish drumming. There�s an element of languor conveyed by breathy vocals, invoking a lover�s scent on a communiqu�, placed at odds with the ominous bassy rumbles that pepper the music.
There�s moments of vocal affectation here that have Polly Jean sounding more like Siouxsie Sioux � her words trailing off into a tunnel of echo that ventures into the realm of the banshee (if you�ll excuse the pun). Rather than sounding operatic � as Harvey has done previously � it sounds more unsettling, unworldlier. The final words of the song ring as if they�re coming across the ether, communicated by ghosts.
Lyrically, the song continues Harvey�s highly sexualised investigations into passion and communication. Sure, this is a tune about a letter, but when she describes licking a pen, removing a lid, gnawing the stationery and the shape of her g� well, you get the idea. There�s the idea of eavesdropping, of intercepting cryptic, private notes shared between lovers who are running out of time. As ever, PJ Harvey exists in a world of shadow, seen obliquely by the outsider who can�t penetrate it, no matter how much they desire entrance. And it�s frustratingly seductive, whetting the appetite for a fuller exploration of such ideas.
It just might be the case, judging by the bass-heavy, soup-thick sound that�s on this sample track that the dusty hellishness of To Bring You My Love is once more at the front of the PJ Harvey sound. While it�s not as immediate as some of her other work, there�s a creeping nature to this tune that sees it embedded in your head after only a couple of plays. Here�s hoping the level of mystery bodes well for the album.
The commercially released version of The Letter in single format contains three additional tracks: The Phone Song, Bows & Arrows and The Falling.
This article originally appeared on FasterLouder.com.au. I am no longer associated with that website and, as copyright owner, have moved it here for permanent record.
This, the first single from the Uh Huh Her album contains the biggest hint we�ve had yet that the evil, voodoo-crazy PJ Harvey of old is kicking at the door and waiting to come out into the light again.
Opening to with a detuned, low-down riff that reverberates in your gut, Harvey�s almost-funky-but-not-quite playing immediately kicks The Letter into a strange place. Rising in accordance with lyrical emphasis, an organic sound�s created, beaten into shape by Rob Ellis�s skittish drumming. There�s an element of languor conveyed by breathy vocals, invoking a lover�s scent on a communiqu�, placed at odds with the ominous bassy rumbles that pepper the music.
There�s moments of vocal affectation here that have Polly Jean sounding more like Siouxsie Sioux � her words trailing off into a tunnel of echo that ventures into the realm of the banshee (if you�ll excuse the pun). Rather than sounding operatic � as Harvey has done previously � it sounds more unsettling, unworldlier. The final words of the song ring as if they�re coming across the ether, communicated by ghosts.
Lyrically, the song continues Harvey�s highly sexualised investigations into passion and communication. Sure, this is a tune about a letter, but when she describes licking a pen, removing a lid, gnawing the stationery and the shape of her g� well, you get the idea. There�s the idea of eavesdropping, of intercepting cryptic, private notes shared between lovers who are running out of time. As ever, PJ Harvey exists in a world of shadow, seen obliquely by the outsider who can�t penetrate it, no matter how much they desire entrance. And it�s frustratingly seductive, whetting the appetite for a fuller exploration of such ideas.
It just might be the case, judging by the bass-heavy, soup-thick sound that�s on this sample track that the dusty hellishness of To Bring You My Love is once more at the front of the PJ Harvey sound. While it�s not as immediate as some of her other work, there�s a creeping nature to this tune that sees it embedded in your head after only a couple of plays. Here�s hoping the level of mystery bodes well for the album.
The commercially released version of The Letter in single format contains three additional tracks: The Phone Song, Bows & Arrows and The Falling.
This article originally appeared on FasterLouder.com.au. I am no longer associated with that website and, as copyright owner, have moved it here for permanent record.
Labels: album reviews
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