I've referenced PJ Harvey here before, including that song with Thom York about New York. I guess PJ's trademark sound has been jagged guitars and a raw vocal style, although listen to her interviews and a different voice appears like a Yin to the Yang.
The latest album officially emerges on Monday, so this is something of a preview, conveying a stripped down sound with piano, harp and some banjo and even a cellphone replacing the heavily bass-amped guitars of the previous recordings.
Interestingly, the vocals sound closer to the interview voice in this album, higher registers and somehow more vulnerable, but a listen to the words soon dismisses this with dark, steely lyrics and some soundscapes that create a chill and atmospheric listening experience. In the past Polly has said that the albums and the lyrics were not about her; it will be interesting to hear the commentary for this one.
So to get an idea of what this is about, here's a few tune extracts in pre-release. Click to accompany your blog browsing and if you like what you hear, then here's an echoey live extract during a recent performance in Denmark.
...or if humbucking telecasters are more your thing then PJ Harvey and Bjork singing "Satisfaction" may be an amusing interlude.
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