STACK December 2016 Issue No. 146

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26 DECEMBER 2016
MUSIC REVIEWS
Rid Of Me (1993)
Darker and more difficult than her demanding debut Dry
of the previous year, this collection catalogues some of
the deeper recesses of a troubled mind (a relationship
had ended) and is full of vengeance, rage, punk anger
and dense blues. Twisting melodies and Steve Albini's
production only add to the allure.
To Bring You My Love (1995)
This belated follow-up to Rid Of Me was even more
complex lyrically, owed debts to Captain Beefheart and
Patti Smith, and again turned the microscope on her
emotions after another relationship came apart. But in its
weave of dense poetry, compelling music and producer
Flood's atmospheric settings, it was picked as the year's
best by many writers and magazines. Essential in any collection.
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000)
By this time she was “Polly”, parading a confident sexuality,
and from the chiming guitar jangle of the openers Big Exit
and Good Fortune there was a more mainstream pop-rock
ethic in play, and – although she still explored some nooks
and crannies – you sensed she was emerging as a new
person, more comfortable in her own skin. It won her the
Mercury Prize after two previous nominations.
Let England Shake (2001)
Another Mercury Prize-winner and an album inspired by
her readings about the folly of historic and current wars.
But again, she wrapped her narratives and thoughts
in engrossing music. She subsequently released a
series of short films for the songs using images by war
photographer Seamus Murphy.
PJ Harvey
And also...
Check out this year's The Hope Six Demolition Project, the result of her
trip to Afghanistan, Kosovo and a beleaguered suburb of Washington DC
with photographer Murphy. Also the risky, sometimes uncomfortable
but ultimately engaging AWoman A Man Walked By (2009), her second
collaboration with producer/multi-instrumentalist John Parish.
For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit
When she first emerged under her own name
in the early '90s with the album Dry we called
her “PJ Harvey”, because “Polly” seemed rather
too familiar for someone so tightly wound and
sharply poetic. She changed over time, but even
in 2001 when I interviewed her before a Big Day
Out it was with some trepidation. But she was
funny, personable, quite charming and amused by
the image she had. In advance of her upcoming
tour dates, here's our buyers' guide to PJ.
Alex Izenberg
Harlequin
The otherworldy and the everyday
find balance in the songs of LA
musician Alex Izenberg. It's perhaps
no coincidence his album is titled
Harlequin, a theatrical archetype
with playful, emotional, sometimes
mischievous tendencies. So it
is with Alex. Each track conveys
deep feeling. Stories of the human
experience – tales of love and
suffering, clarity and confusion
– are set against a backdrop
of strings, piano melodies and
elegant, acoustic folk arrangments.
A vague audio haze and subtle
melancholic sheen lends the album
an antique quality, but Harlequin is
a timeless pop record for modern
times. A detailed window into the
imagination of a romantic hero.
(WeirdWorld/Domino)
SimonWinkler
Pink Floyd
Cre/ation: Pink Floyd, The
Early Years 1967 - 1972
Imagine if Radiohead were a little
more '60s pop-psychedelic and
cracked… and you’d be a step
closer to early Floyd. Messing
with your head owing to superior
production abilities, these guys
pushed the envelope beyond the
13th Floor Elevator entry point and
into the prism of madness. There’s
a nastiness present – you need it. It
underlies their catchy embrace and
all the while pushes you towards
self-reflection. See Emily Play is
a prime example, alongside the
mantra of mirrors that is Matilda
Mother. 27 tracks that’ll reward fans
of Pond, Tame, King Gizzard… you
get the idea; these guys did it first.
(Sony) Chris Murray
Solange A Seat At The Table
If big sister Beyonce’s Lemonade is a celebration
of black womanhood, then Solange’s A Seat At
The Table is for the entire black community, filled
with declarations of pride, sadness, frustration
and empowerment. A lot has happened in the four
years since True - the Black Lives Matter movement
has clearly shaped Solange’s songwriting, along
with a string of personal conflicts. She could have written an angry,
pointed album but instead took a step back and revealed herself more
intimately that ever before. But don’t let her soft, angelic falsetto fool
you – she has a lot to say. The album is centered around two interludes,
one from each of the vocalist's parents. The first is her father Mathew
Knowles’ story of KKK members hurling cans at his young family; if that
tale wasn’t intense enough on its own, the following wobbly, slow jam
Mad featuring Lil Wayne contextualises it further, as Wayne raps about
personal struggles and Solange makes a powerful call to release her anger
in the interest of self-care. The second interlude is spoken by Solange’s
mother Tina Beyincé-Lawson, who explains that being pro-black isn’t the
same as being anti-white, and touches on the pain she feels when black
pride is misconstrued by other races. A powerful plea to heal straining
race relations. (Sony)Tim Lambert