PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Reviewed by mike
Fifteen years after the release of her debut album, Miss Polly Jean Harvey has come out of nowhere and crafted her Kid A, her very own Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Shedding the Pixies-esque chainsaw sound that made her prominent in favor of a minimalist piano base, Harvey has lowered the volume but by no means pushed away the storm. These songs are dark and haunting, her voice raised to angelic heights while singing about topics as snowy-white as the devil. Like experimentalists Radiohead and Wilco before her, she’s likely to turn off the more traditional of her fan base, but White Chalk is a record that shouldn’t be missed. These songs command that you listen to them, preferably alone and in the evening hour. [www.pjharvey.com]