Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea

After listening to 400 albums, including what feels like 100 by relatively unknown British singer-songwriters, I’m always skeptical at first when I see this combination. In this case, that skepticism is unwarranted - and PJ Harvey is certainly no hidden gem. “Stories...” features relatively enjoyable and mature material, even if the big hits are missing. I find the production a bit jarring, as it largely forgoes a substantial bass line - in addition to volume, it particularly lacks solid arrangements - and a professional could certainly have gotten more out of it.
All in all, still a decent recording.

I am starting to think that despite the general vibe, music, lyrics, everything being just like a few degrees off from shit I fucking love, that PJ Harvey is just not my thing

PJ is cool and so is this album. Another musician I’ve gotten into late. Big Exit is my pick of the bunch

Forgettable, just kinda slid off me.

I want to spend more time with this one, because it should be right in my wheelhouse, but I’m not quite there yet. I love the sparse and unique instrumentals, but the lyrics and the vocals don’t land for me yet. It suggests the soundtrack to wandering around midtown late on a weeknight, killing time waiting for the late commuter train home, wandering past closed corporate offices, shuttered lunch joints and empty bodegas - like you’re left behind in a world that everyone else escaped a long time ago, a feeling that New York has kind of perfected. This album hits that melancholic rudderlessness pretty well for me (bonus points on the scrabble board for that phrase).
“ I can’t believe life is so complex / when I just wanna sit here and watch you undress.” - Goddamn bars.

I've listened to two other PJ Harvey albums and despite not knowing much about her, I ended up enjoying those two. I don't think I recognize any of these tracks by title, so I'm kind of going in blind. But based on previous experiences, I'm looking forward to this listen.

I'm still not sure why I never checked out PJ Harvey previously, because I quite enjoy this. It's another PJ Harvey album I'll be adding to my list of albums to listen to again.

I'd rather listen to Ani or Liz Phair but very much enjoy PJ Harvey.

I think this is the best of her albums on this list. The Thom Yorke duet is the best track.

If someone wanted to know what the year 2000 sounded like, I would point them to this album.

I’ve never heard of PJ Harvey before (and am so glad this introduced her to me!) because she is quite the badass. And Thom Yorke on a few songs?! That just made this even more insanely awesome!

The first word I could think of for this album is "Radiohead". Maybe my head remembered some review comparing it to PJ's contemporary. And as I was writing that I just got to "This Mess We're In" and Thom is featured. Makes sense now.

In addition to that, the guitar work feels very late 90s/early 2000s alt-rock. Compared to "Dry", the last album I listened from PJ, it feels more introspective and "transient". Not sure how to put it into the words but the album cover evokes that evening/midnight feeling of walking around NYC and seeing people and lights coalesce into one.

As always, I'm more of a sucker for the more simple tunes like "This Is Love" and "This Mess We're In". The second half stood out to me as sounding more different than the first half, which to me were just variations of the same rock sound (3-3.5).

I might be biased by nostalgia here, but I like this record a lot. I had forgotten how much I used to listen to this when I was a teenager, but the songs came back to me quickly. It rocks surprisingly hard, the guitars sound great, PJ's voice sounds great. But it also has a kind of arty urban chic to it, which is probably what first attracted me in high school. Overall, good shit.

Surprised me a lot, I really enjoyed it :)

2.5/5

PJ Harvey is an immensely polyvalent artist and I respect her so much for it, but the alt-rock direction she went for on this particular album really didn't speak to me. The Thom Yorke collab invites the comparison: a lot of the material here has the same dullness I disliked about Hail To the Thief.

Out of curiosity though, I queued up 'Is This Desire?' after this and actually adored it! Sad that it's not included in the book. Every record I've heard from her has gone in a totally different direction from the last, so perhaps we all just need to find our right PJ Harvey album.

Standouts: One Line • You Said Something

I only semi-liked 3 songs from the album. Of course I’d heard of PJ Harvey before but was never really impressed with what I heard. All I kept thinking throughout this was Patti Smith 2.0.

1.5

These records aren't really for me, but I always find a way to enjoy them. The album features a variety of time signatures, which was unexpected for the genre. Pop records like these are very lyric oriented with the instrumentation not being too unique, but it manages to stay interesting almost the whole listen. That being said, the lyrics are also great, and they kept me quite engaged. Thom Yorke also appears on two similar tracks, which I obviously like. Unfortunately PJ's vocals are a little inconsistent, and on some songs I straight up think they're bad. However the majority of the album has pretty good deliveries. There's just nothing crazy special about anything here, and it's a high 3 rather than a low 4.

PJ Harvey is an artist I've always loved. I've been lucky enough to see her live several times over the years, and she's one of those rare artists whose albums I've consistently enjoyed throughout her career. From the raw emotion of Dry and the ferocious energy of Rid of Me to the brilliant songwriting of Let England Shake, she has an incredible ability to evolve while still sounding completely and unmistakably like herself.

That makes Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea a serious contender for her best album. Song after song lands perfectly, with hardly a weak moment to be found. These are great rock songs, full of purpose, emotion and confidence, delivered by an artist operating at the absolute peak of her powers.

The music is fantastic throughout, balancing moments of intensity with quieter, more reflective passages, while PJ Harvey's storytelling remains as sharp and compelling as ever. There is an immediacy and energy to the record that makes it incredibly easy to connect with, but it also rewards repeat listens as more details begin to emerge.

What impresses me most is how effortless it all feels. The album never sounds like it's trying too hard to be clever or important; it simply delivers one excellent song after another. For me, it's one of the standout albums of the early 2000s and another reminder of just how remarkable an artist PJ Harvey is.

PJ Harvey is superb.

Favourite tracks: There are so many great songs here, but "A Place Called Home", "One Line" and the excellent single "This Is Love" are particular highlights for me.

Least favourite tracks: Honestly, everything on the album deserves its place.

Album artwork: A classic PJ Harvey cover — simple, striking and instantly recognisable.

Once again, I’d prefer a ten point scale for this. This isn’t quite a 3 but it’s definitely not a 2. I’m gonna give it a 3. It’s not a bad album, but I wasn’t into it. Kamikaze was decent.

Nunca he entendido el culto alrededor de PJ Harvey y este álbum de lo confirma. No está mal pero pues no es algo que le vuelva loco o que quiera escuchar más de ella.

One where I like all the elements but have never been able to really get into the final thing. Crunchy alt rock guitars, dissonant chords and dark timbre, moody and expressive, great dynamics, and vocals that range from grunge angst to Jeff Buckley falsetto wail. No hooks, earworms or really standout riffs to hold onto though.