PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - Island Records

Review by: Jennifer Perkins

With every PJ Harvey effort she becomes a little more polished and a little more mature. She also seems to deviate further and further from the raw sounds of Dry and Four Track Demos, the very sounds that brought her fame and recognition in the first place. The days of flaunting her vocal intensities have been traded in for a more passive stance on the musical world. You might think that a die-hard fan would miss the days of yesteryear, but Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea leaves nothing to want. Although, her most melodic and sedate record to date you find yourself excited and embracing her latest stylings rather than lamenting about days and albums gone by.

Maturation is not always the evil evolution that some people would have you believe. I see my taste in music changing as I get older and have come to accept it. In 1993 when I was a Senior in high school, the rough around the edges sounds of Rid of Me were exactly what I wanted to hear. 8 years and an 8-5 office job later Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is much more my speed. As you get older you almost can't help it, your musical tastes just change, and usually they start to lean towards the calmer side. I can appreciate the same natural progression in PJ Harvey's music.

"We Float" the last of the 12 songs on this disc is the highpoint of this musical experience. Sometimes I can't wait to get there and fast forward straight through to the end to hear Ms. Harvey croon in her special way. Another favorite is the first song "Big Exit". Both the first and last song remind me of each other in that the bulk of the song is PJ Harvey speaking rather than singing a diatribe and then the chorus breaks into beautiful fluid song. The other song I long to hear is "This Mess Were In" the track that Radiohead's Thom Yorke appears on. The dueling vocals of the two compliment each other beautifully.

No, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is not full of the stripped down emotion and kinetic raw sounds originally associated with PJ Harvey. Years in the making PJ Harvey has honed her emotions into a skill, a fine point where she no longer has to fall back on her anger as a clincher and attention getter. She has finally realized that she is a strong enough song writer in her own right, that the theatrics, though dynamic and interesting are not necessary. These days there is a lot more to PJ Harvey than the awkward screaming girl we first saw burst onto the scene years ago. She is now Ms. Harvey a slinky sexy woman writing songs for a more mature sophisticated audience.