Album Rating: 3.5

nah

Album Rating: 3.5

yeeeaah......naaaah

Album Rating: 3.2

This is the only one I've heard, I gotta check the rest

Album Rating: 3.5

To Bring You My Love is my 2nd favorite album ever, check that neeka

Album Rating: 3.2

Haha if I ever check her I'd start from the beginning!

Plus, Ars recs are legally binding once committed

Album Rating: 3.5

Is This Desire? is excellent jazzy, electronic experimenting, as well.

And Let England Shake is definitely in the running of being her best album.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Neeka if you like this on the level of a 4 then you're gonna love the rest of her stuff. IMO this is her second weakest album.

Album Rating: 3.5

3rd weakest imo, but yeah her top 6 all destroy this

Forming ideologies on hope not truth is a recipe for disaster love. What’s that girl, Arabic graffiti? Jesus wept. Fancy a shag love?

Album Rating: 3.2

what a terrible album cover

Worst pj

Album Rating: 3.2

I should try this again after hearing Let England Shake

Album Rating: 3.5

To Bring You My Love is her best though, check that instead

she sounds a bit tired here, like she's repeating herself. Still really good!

Album Rating: 3.2

Yo some of this is fucking annoying lmao

Album Rating: 4.0

the backlash on this album was weird

Album Rating: 3.0

Being of a certain age I have been a fan of PJ Harvey from the beginning and by the release of her 3rd album she was well and truly one of my favourite artists. I’ve always followed her and enjoyed the various musical journeys she has been on, some more enjoyable than others but I’ve always appreciated her continuing musical journey and desire to express herself in whatever way she felt best that gave voice to her vision.



So with the imminent release of her new album, now over 30 years since I bought Dry - I thought I’d listen to every album one after the other and have a go at ranking her albums - something I haven’t been inclined to do before.



So here is my ranking as well as a few random observations that sprung to mind as I went through my discog run.

Album Rating: 3.0

1. To Bring You My Love



The pinnacle of PJ Harvey, and the perfect distillation of every aspect of her music and shifting personas. This takes the previous two albums as a foundation and then elevates them into the stratosphere. Vocally and instrumentally superior with explorations into new sounds, and immaculate production from Flood. This is essential PJ Harvey.



No matter where she takes her voice whether dragged, beaten or all powerful and all consuming; and no matter what human emotion she is channeling through that voice - possessed by love, hunger, desire, longing, fear, and rage (to name but a few of the tortures revealed here); the music is right there with her - dark, haunting and visceral. The heart of the Blues but re-imagined as seen through the eyes of all of her tragic, desperate, heart broken and vengeful characters.



Somehow she is equally as vulnerable and broken as she is domineering and all conquering. In one moment we see her heart broken, and enslaved and in another, conjuring some primeval voodoo power from the depths of her desire.



Impossible to choose any favourites. Each song is an absolute gem with so many high points. Only I Think I’m a Mother fails to maintain the impossibly high standard set by the other 9 flawless tracks.

Album Rating: 3.0

2. Is This Desire



Such a perfectly timed change in sound. There really was no way of taking the sounds progressed through the first three albums any further. To Bring You My Love was the absolute zenith and to have just repeated again would have been the wrong move. But what we have here is her sound reimagined and enhanced with all manner of synths, drum loops, beats and electronic wizardry. And it’s the perfect compliment to her previous album. Equally as demanding and harrowing. 1998 was also the year of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, and Unkle’s debut - two albums that also demonstrate the perfectly balanced meeting point/melting pot of alternative rock, trip hop and dark electronic textures.



And somehow amongst all the rolling drum beats of The Wind, and Garden, the lurching grinding beasts of Leah and Joy, the energy of Sky Lit Up, Elise and No Girl so Sweet - the quieter moments and piano of Angelene, Electric Light, River, Is This Desire stand just as strong.



Impossible to choose high lights as it’s such a consistently strong album, maybe only the weak point is the mid-album Catherine which is too murky and muffled for its own good.

Album Rating: 3.0

3. Dry



What a cracking debut. Production wise it sounds more like Rid of Me’s follow up rather than predecessor. It sounds more varied, more layered, more energetic and more importantly, instruments and vocals sound more clearly defined. I appreciate what Albini did in her follow up, but I just prefer the production here even if the best tracks on Rid of Me are just a bit better than the best tracks here.



This is Very consistent throughout. But special mention goes to: Oh My Lover, Dress, Victory, Sheela Na Gig, Water.