Search - PJ Harvey :: Stories From the City Stories From the Sea

Sonoko F. from MONTCLAIR, NJ
Reviewed on 1/31/2007...

From CDNow review:
PJ Harvey's fifth album "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" is the singer/songwriter's finest album and should please fans of her older albums and new fans alike. "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" is somewhat slicker, less rough-around-the-edges than her other albums. I would recommend this album to start off with, as it is probably her most assessable work...From the opening rocker "Big Exit" to the beautiful "We Float," every song is a winner...Each song is well written and memorable. It's a good mix of fast paced rockers, mid-tempo songs, and slower ones...Everything on this album is sincere and straight from the heart.

The album opens up strong with "Big Exit" an excellent rocker with a good, infectious hook. "Good Fortune" keeps up the momentum. "A Place Called Home" is a beautiful, somewhat morose, slower number whose enchanting background vocals stay with the listener long after the song has ended. The album slows down a bit for the next few songs. The mid-tempo "One Line" leads in perfectly to the dark, atmospheric "Beautiful Feeling." The pace is picked up with "The Whores Hustle, and the Hustlers Whore." "The Mess We're In" features a duet with Thom Yorke. Their overlapping vocals work nicely together. "You Said Something" is another softer number in the vein of "A Place Called Home," only slightly more upbeat. The pace picks up considerably with the excellent rockers "Kamikaze" and "This is Love." The album starts to wind down with the beautiful "Horses in my Dreams" The duel piano and guitar make "Horses in my Dreams" enchanting. The album ends with its' finest track, the majestic "We Float." The verse serves mostly to build up the song and it's mesmerizing chorus totally engulfs the listener.

If you don't own any PJ Harvey albums, this is a good place to start. It's a really good album and should please old and new fans alike. - Daniel Maltzman"

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Too neat for my taste

Joaquin De Quesada Seminario | 05/22/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"being a PJ Harvey hard die fan. This is my least favorite album of hers. The music is fine. but just not as courageus and breathtaking as her previous work. The album starts off and finishes without a moment where you would stop and really listen to the music. Nothing stands out of it. Is just pure and bland almost popish music where the lyrics are just predictable love anthems.

It's not a bad album don't get me wrong. If you like well done pop music you will most likely enjoy it. It's just too easy listening for any previous PJ Harvey fan.

When she was asked about this particular one she just said it is an album where she tried to make everything beautiful. And believe me that's what she got. pure and plain ''beautiful tunes''. But maybe just too beautiful. If you know what i mean. Try picking up Rid of me, to bring you my love or the innovative is this desire?. And you'll get a glimpse of why this simply isn't her. at least not her musical essence."

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

Bjorn Viberg | European Union | 09/25/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea being Harvey's 2000 release and was her second major commercial success since her 3rd album To Bring you My Love. The sound is a mixture of indie and alternative rock and has a very rough edge to the lyrics and the sound. Harvey writes intersting and thought worthy lyrics that makes you cling to ever word she sings. The booklet has a very strange photograph on the front. The album was met very positive reviews when it was released and Q, Robert Christgau and Allmusic all gave it high marks. 4/5."