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PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Happiness does not automatically spring to mind when thinking of PJ Harvey. Isn't this the woman who sang "I've lain with the devil/Cursed God above/Forsaken heaven/to bring you my love" on the title track of the best album of the '90s? But just listen to Harvey on her new album Stories from the City, Stories from the Seas: "Ain't it true? I'm immortal when I'm with you." She's no longer the priestess hovering above tales of mannequin love—now she's a sprightly dryad dreaming of bliss and triumph, and fans of Harvey's old Mistress of the Dark image are just going to have to deal with it. Harvey has also plugged in again. Wake up, Dry fanatics, because those aggressive guitar lines are back in full force.
What else is new? Harvey's phrasing is not as Dylan-esque as it was on her previous albums, but she can still ride syllables with the best of 'em. And speaking of Dylan, Stories really packs in the influences. "Good Fortune" could be mistaken for a Patti Smith track, and the chorus of "Big Exit" sounds like a never-penned Pretenders tune. Most obviously, "Kamikaze" mimics Tricky's "Black Steel" with its paranoid verses and volatile chorus.
My only gripes with Stories center around "You Said Something" and "This Is Love," because there is a point where happy lyrics become irritating. Sure, I can excuse the banality of the former, but take this line from the latter: "I can't believe life's so complex/when I just wanna sit here and watch you undress." I can't believe I have to listen to this crap when I just wanna sit here and vomit.
Harvey redeems herself with a few immense peaks, though. Thom Yorke pitches in on "This Mess We're In," a reincarnation of "The Wind," except this time Harvey whispers and Yorke takes care of the hard stuff. The closer, "We Float," bridges this album and previous Harvey LPs with sporadic vocals and voodoo instrumentation.
Stories shows that good rock music does not have to come loaded with misery. This is Harvey's Nashville Skyline. True, it lacks country music, but a previously menacing artist has once again fallen in love and become content. Of course, that would mean that To Bring You My Love was not her Blood on the Tracks. I shudder to think what she'll come up with next. (Island)
—Rick Cortazar
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