PJ Harvey (Island) Sounds Like: Assurance that risks are worth taking.
Nobody pushes themselves harder than the elegant musical chameleon PJ Harvey. Three years later the release of her 2004 album, "Uh Huh Her," Harvey has delivered "White Chalk," an album unlike anything that she has recorded before. Abandoning her howling, aggressive tone, Harvey embraces a docile pitch, which she accompanies with piano and submissive percussion. As always, Harvey's songwriting evokes dark themes, yet with her new musical composition, she has created a haunting ambiance that complements her lyrics.
Harvey begins "White Chalk," with the ghostly "The Devil," with noticeably fragile vocals, as if in surrender. As the song progresses, tambourine shakes and strong piano strokes harmonize with Harvey's desperate pleads. It is evident right off the bat that Harvey has replaced the aggression found on "Uh Huh Her" and with a subtle sense of resignation, and this can be attributed to a complete lack of guitar throughout "White Chalk." Whereas on previous albums Harvey conveyed her anger and frustration via scorching guitar riffs, here she turns to the piano. Prior to recording this album, Harvey had limited experience with the piano apart from her work on 1998's experimental "Is This Desire?," which, of all her albums, bares the most similarities to "White Chalk." "Is This Desire?" marked the first time that Harvey fused a myriad of genres, from electronica to jazz. "
While "White Chalk" might not be as diverse in theme and genre as "Is This Desire?," it is undoubtedly Harvey's riskiest and most complex album to date. Unlike her instantaneously likeable "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea," Harvey's latest work is a true challenge to enjoy. You will not find anyone rocking out to the likes of such tracks as "Broken Harp" and "When Under Ether." Clocking in at a fleeting 33 minutes, one would suspect that trimming the fat from "White Chalk" could be possible, yet the track "To Talk To You" ultimately prevents this album from achieving the same prominence of Harvey's masterpieces "To Bring You My Love" and "Rid of Me." Between its disengaging, whiny vocals and its shoddy musical composition, "To Talk To You" embodies everything that could have gone wrong with this album. Thankfully, though, the album's misfires are confined to one forgettable track, and other songs such as the eerie "White Chalk" and the heartbreaking "The Piano" compensate.
Harvey has constantly pressured herself to stylistically move forward and to never record something that even remotely sounds like something that she has before. With "White Chalk," she has sustained her pledge of originality, and the results are astounding.
-DONNY T. SHELDON
