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Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea by PJ Harvey

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

Release Date: 10/23/2000

Recording Date: 10/2000

Tracks: 12

Length: 00:47:21 Hrs

Label: Island

Type: CD,LP

Genre/Styles:
Alternative Pop/Rock, Guitar (Electric), Vocals, England, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock

Album Tracks (12)

Song Title
Length
1.
Big Exit
03:51
2.
Good Fortune
03:20
3.
A Place Called Home
03:42
4.
One Line
03:14
5.
Beautiful Feeling
04:00
6.
The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore
04:00
7.
This Mess We're In
03:57
8.
You Said Something
03:19
9.
Kamikaze
02:24
10.
This Is Love
03:48
11.
Horses in My Dreams
05:37
12.
We Float
06:09

What the Critics Say

During her career, Polly Jean Harvey has had as many incarnations as she has albums. She's gone from the Yeovil art student of her debut Dry, to Rid of Me's punk poetess to To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire?'s postmodern siren; on Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea -- inspired by her stay in New York City and life in the English countryside -- she's changed again. The album cover's stylish, subtly sexy image suggests what its songs confirm: PJ Harvey has grown up. Direct, vulnerable lyrics replace the allegories and metaphors of her previous work, and the album's production polishes the songs instead of obscuring them in noise or studio tricks. On the album's best tracks, such as "Kamikaze" and "This Is Love," a sexy, shouty blues-punk number that features the memorable refrain "I can't believe life is so complex/When I just want to sit here and watch you undress," Harvey sounds sensual and revitalized. The New York influences surface on the glamorous punk rock of "Big Exit" and "Good Fortune," on which Harvey channels both Chrissie Hynde's sexy tough girl and Patti Smith's ferocious yelp. Ballads like the sweetly urgent, piano and marimba-driven "One Line" and the Thom Yorke duet "This Mess We're In" avoid the painful depths of Harvey's darkest songs; "Horses in My Dreams" also reflects Harvey's new emotional balance: "I have pulled myself clear," she sighs, and we believe her. However, "We Float"'s glossy choruses veer close to Lillith Fair territory, and longtime fans can't help but miss the visceral impact of her early work, but Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea doesn't compromise her essential passion. Hopefully, this album's happier, more direct PJ Harvey is a persona she'll keep around for a while. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

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