Best PJ Harvey album since "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea"

Admirable even as their studio albums I find concerts at PJ Harvey. I could for the first time in 2000 to experience live, as she imagined the century album "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea." Amazing, what stage presence has this petite person. After that, however, I lost it for a while out of sight. Neither "Uh-Huh Her", nor with "White Chalk" I could start all that much. The announcement of the concept album "Let England Shake" However, let me sit up. Historical material on a PJ Harvey album, and over the entire length of the album?

With concept albums that is such a thing. PJ Harvey bypasses some dilemma in that it is less a story or even formulated a message. Rather, it describes situations of war, different wars, the two world wars and more recent wars in which the British army was involved and is. Not only lyrically is "Let England Shake" unlike the predecessor, musically expressive schrammeliger guitar rock is replaced by the quieter sounds and catchy melodies. The album is very heavy melody, accompanied by wind instruments, timpani, marimba, choirs, brass bands. Already the first single "The Words That Maketh Murder" remembers very little of the days of "Rid of Me". That the album would be a logical break, in turn, is an exaggeration. "The Last Living Rose" can be seen as thoroughly as PJ Harvey number.

Is it a good album? Well, it gets better with each listen. Even the entry "Let England Shake" has something hypnothisches, something irresistible. Your voice is different. While she cursed once and shouted, often had to fight against the violence of his own guitar, wearing her voice on the new album all melodies. They rarely pushes itself into the foreground. Ever sound the new pieces band-like than previous album, on which she clearly dominated as a solo artist, including recognizable on "Colour Of The Earth". That it comes to war, is often accompanied by music, for example, the simulated (with guitar and drums) reloading guns, the resultant soldiers or fanfare. Here and there I feel at Kate Bush's "Army Dreamers" recalls. Or, what was not to be expected here, in verse resembles quite strongly "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" the Smiths in 1987, the "In The Dark Places".

"Let England Shake" is versatile and exciting to the last song. It is what perhaps is the place where the recordings, a church in southern England Dorset, a new sound which fits to PJ Harvey. It has beautiful moments and in all its melancholy never hopeless or sarcastic. With, however, the criticism is allowed that some singing exercises effort fairly, especially "England". Even then sometimes I lack but the aggressive PJ Harvey, as in "Big Exit" or "One-size". Let's see how the Tour.

My conclusion: the best PJ Harvey album since "Stories from the City, Stories from the sea", so buy recommendation. Out tip: "The Last Living Rose", "Let England Shake", "Written On The Forehead".