You Can Hear; Are You Listening?

Stories come from everywhere. From every corner of the globe, every single nook and cranny. This happens in music too. Music has the unyielding ability to give us stories in the form of beats and chords, making it feel so much more powerful. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by singer-songwriter PJ Harvey is the sixteenth album on the SMP to be reviewed, and I have to say that this review will be mixed, leaning towards positive. Polly Jean is well established in the music world, and it has been a interesting process listening to music closely related to artists like Bjork and Massive Attack, sounds which I haven't really listened to before now.

I will say, right away, that this is a 'listen to it twice' album. Really, with most albums, you should listen at least twice, but I don't always feel the need to do that. It's like leaving meat in the fridge overnight to let the spices soak in; you just hear everything a little differently the second time around. Once it's soaked in a bit. The first time I scanned this album (listened to it), I didn't really like it. It was kind of boring. True, I wasn't really listening, but I could tell it wasn't my sort of thing. So, I listened again. I can see why Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork all gave creds for this album. It's, I have to say, not that bad.

As a reviewer, I have to work to separate my music from my feelings. This is hard, because music makes you feel, always. Stories makes you feel like you are walking around your own favorite city. For me, that would be either Cincinnati or Austin. You can see the memories, you can feel the same feelings you felt at any defining moment. But this is also happy music. It makes you smile. It makes you feel elated, but it doesn't force it. The music is like a by-product of the happiness.

Harvey is successful in telling her own city story. Her previous albums had had a more melancholy sound, and she worked to make this one lighter. The first song on the album, "Big Exit", hits you with powerful guitar, and then a strong woman's voice. I have to say, it's nice to review a woman's album again. There is power within the whole album, but there is also repetitiveness. The sound doesn't change too much. Some might like that, but I don't. That is probably what made me feel bored the first time around.
My favorite tracks were "A Place Called Home" (3) and "This Is Love" (10). Whitni liked "This Mess We're In" (7), which featured Thom Yorke from the band Radiohead. I liked that one too. There really aren't any bad songs, just ones you don't feel the need to point out, or they just weren't memorable.

Overall, pretty good album. According to its placement, I wouldn't put this above Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys (that was way too low on the list) , Fleet Foxes or U2, but it does deserve to be on the list. It wasn't my favorite, nor was it easy to review (sorry if this review seems to suck), but definitely listen to it. And definitely more than once.

-Raivynn