Album Review | ‘Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea’ by PJ Harvey

Harvey’s opener for the new millennium is a true zenith of her melodic and lyrical genius.

A promotional photo of Harvey during the Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea photoshoot. (Photo from adsupermk.xyz)

Harvey has always been one to push the boundaries for herself. Her prior album, Is This Desire?, displayed a darker conceptual side. Her work with trip-hop artist Tricky continued to play to this side of moody, deep lyricism that drew from many literary sources.

After working with Hal Hartley in his film The Book of Life, she began setting a new path in her sonic structure. Inspired by the cosmopolitan landscape of New York City, Polly embarked on what she would dub her “pop” record.

She spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the impact the New York had on shaping this album:

“New York certainly gave me a different kind of energy. I do think that has permeated to some of the music. I had long wanted to [live there]. I made a film with Hal Hartley in New York, and I realized at that time what an inspiring sort of place it felt to me. I can remember even when we were filming, I was writing songs, some of which ended up on this record. I just felt very inspired.” — PJ Harvey via LA Times (2000)

She has maintained in interviews that the record isn’t her “New York album,” but still, the city's colors shine through. The “sea” comes in through moments of lush calm that bring Harvey’s time in Dorset or the London countryside to mind.

Polly emanates a rougher edge while effusing a glow unlike few of her contemporaries at the time. It also permeates a sense of love and hope that is the complete opposite of her prior album’s themes. Stories… would be a massive success for Harvey as she won her first Mercury Award in 2001 for the album.

From the gate, “Big Exit” ignites the frothing deluge of big city life with its raucous energy. Polly eloquently conducts the bedlam of surging electric guitar and gritty bass quickly. We’re immediately struck by the treacherous beast that is a dense metropolis. Lines like, “I walk on concrete/ I walk on sand/ But I can’t find/ A safe place to stand/ I’m scared baby/ I wanna run/ This world’s crazy/ Give me the gun,” ring out a sense of urgency she feels trying to gather footing in such a different landscape. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best opening tracks in Harvey’s catalog. Her vivid lyricism and precise production feel timeless in a way that you can mold any era.

The artwork to the lead single “Good Fortune” from Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. (Photo from Genius)

She shakes these fears as a sense of wonder floods her in the lead single “Good Fortune.” You still hear the urban landscape, now vibrantly decorated in neon lights, through the incandescent glow of her joyous guitar melody. Harvey delights in the opportunity the big city has to offer. Her whole being infected by child-like freedom of falling in love releases her inhibitions, “In Chinatown, hungover/ You showed me/ Just what I could do/ Talking about time travel/ And the meaning/ And just what it was worth/ And I feel like some bird of paradise/ My bad fortune slipping away/ And I feel the innocence of a child/ Everybody’s got something good to say.” Polly echos this carefree demeanor as she dances in the accompanying music video.

[embed]The official music video for “Good Fortune” directed by Sophie Muller.

The artwork to the second single “A Place Called Home” off of Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. (Photo from Genius)

One of the most sumptuous songs on the album comes from the more contemporary sounds of “A Place Called Home.” The layers of keys, guitars, synth accordion, and Polly’s layered vocals fold over you like a silken tapestry in the breeze.

Harvey’s words come off secure and content with her current state of being. There’s a momentous feeling of joy and affection in the layers of the chorus, “Come on, my love/ And I’m right on time/ And the birds keep singing/ And you’re right on line/ And the bells keep ringing.” Her evolution of the song into the live setting made for an even more luxurious listen as the added guitar melody under Polly’s rhythm guitar work makes the whole track sparkle. This is yet another favorite, which even maintains its beauty through Harvey’s demo work that can be heard on the Stories… Demos released in 2022.

[embed]The official music video for “A Place Called Home” directed by Sophie Muller.

The wild electricity surrounding the love she’s found has her weary outside forces fizzle their spark in “One Line.” Thom Yorke’s backing vocals and keys add the cream to Harvey’s sizzling energy. Polly offers up a vulnerable side, aching to hold on to any remaining teether that will keep her relationship alive, “I’m watching from the wall/ As in the streets we fight/ This world all gone to war/ All I need is you tonight/ And I draw a line/ To your heart today/ To your heart from mine/ A line to keep us safe.” Yorke’s swelling vocals behind Harvey’s send chills down your spine. I love how she allows the crimson flames to die out on the song’s languorous.

We shift gears, feeling like we’ve crossed the sea to Polly’s home country in the understated “Beautiful Feeling.” The mixture of Yorke’s layered vocals alongside Harvey’s gentle electric guitar elicits the chilly air of an overcast British coastline. Though distance may divide them, she can’t deny the impact this love continues to hold, “Sometimes I can see for miles/ Through water and fire/ From England to America/ I feel life meet my eyes/ And it’s the best thing/ It’s the best thing/ It’s the best thing/ A beautiful feeling.” It’s a wonderful respite from the kinetic rush that opened the record.

Polly builds tension to a masterful level in “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore.” The constant hum of the amps adds to the chaos her guitar arrangement unleashes throughout. Her biting sound adds to the compounds the dangerous rapacious passion that envelopes the city, “Speak to me of heroin and speed/ Of genocide and suicide, of syphilis and greed/ Speak to me the language of love/ The language of violence, the language of the heart/ This isn’t the first time I’ve asked for money or love/ Heaven and earth don’t ever mean enough/ Speak to me of heroin and speed/ Just give me something I can believe.” It’s a cyclone of sound that tears at you when it unleashes and doesn’t let up until the end. Her ending yells elicit a final release of frustration that has grown since the song’s inception.

Harvey allows Thom Yorke to helm the duet “This Mess We’re In.” Yorke’s verses act as the call to Polly’s response in the chorus. Sonically, her arrangement of keys and guitar gives a golden-hour finality to their conversational lyricism. The duo enacting this sudden yet fleeting affair beautifully giving hope that maybe they will bump into each other again, “*What were you wanting?/ What was it you wanted?/ I just wanna say/ Don’t ever change now, baby And thank you/ I don’t think we will meet again I don’t think we will meet again/ And you must leave now/ Before the sun rises over the skyscrapers/ And the city landscape comes into being/ Sweat on my skin/ The city/ Oh, this mess we’re in*.” It feels like you’re invading this bittersweet intimate moment as both parties grapple with the notion that they’ve bit off more than they can chew. It’s truly a gem.

The cover artwork to Harvey’s 5th studio album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. (Photo from Genius)

Harvey lavishes the memories of love that haunt this urban landscape in “You Said Something.” Her midi keyboard and plush guitars fill the sky with the blush pinks of late evening. In this variegated soundscape, she rests herself on the joy that this newfound closeness has brought her: "We lean against railings/ Describing the colours/ And the smells of our homelands/ Acting like lovers/ How did we get here?/ To this point in living?/ I held my breath/ And you said something.” Polly’s voice retains the softness that these feelings evoke. It’s a delightful love song that can go beyond lovers and towards the sense of happiness new friends give each other.

“Kamikaze” brings back the pressure that increases until it explodes. Both the fury of electric guitars and the cutting bite of her soaring vocals make for the most intense listen on the project. We relate to the feelings of intrusion that came with “Big Exit” and give them the averous claws of “The Whores Hustle and The Hustlers Whore” which waver between desire and destruction, “10,000 willing/ Pilots flying/ Interfacing/ Space and beyond/ Built an army/ To come and find me/ Beyond all reason/ Beyond all my hopes/ The call of duty/ Another war zone/ Make me mo-moan/ Kamikaze, kamikaze/ You can’t touch me, kamikaze.” There’s a magnetism that attracts and repels these parties from each other. I like how you can quickly form several narratives from this track, each with a different meaning.

The artwork to the third and final single “This Is Love” off of Stories from the City, Stories from the City. (Photo form Genius)

“This is Love” adds classic rock electricity to this sexually charged piece. Polly’s ragged power chords play nicely to her burning desires boiling at the surface. As her thunderous guitar forms cracks in the ground around her, she beckons her lover to scoop her from the faltering world around her and let their intimacy keep them safe, “You’re the only story that I never told/ You’re my dirty little secret, want to keep you so/ Come on out, come on over, help me forget/ Keep the walls from falling as they’re tumbling in/ This is love, this is love that I’m feeling.” It’s powerful and sexy all at once. Polly feels at home commanding her sexuality while inviting the duality of love bringing a depth to these emotions.

[embed]The official music video for “This Is Love” directed by Sophie Muller.

“Horses in My Dreams” is one of Polly’s most dreamy and relaxed songs in her catalog. Taken from Genius, Harvey’s quote from her unofficial biography PJ Harvey: Siren Rising gives more insight into what caused her to write the song:

“That was a very vivid dream I had; the whole song. When I was writing [‘Horses in my Dreams’], it was a very difficult, emotional thing to go through doing, because it is so close to me, it is a very personal song that one. And it remains so, really.” — PJ Harvey via *PJ Harvey: Siren Rising (2004)*

We fall back to the quiet rustle of rural Britain as Harvey’s soothing guitar rocks us across the sea. It is here she relays her newly discovered freedom, feeling as free as the stallions running across open farmland, “Horses in my dreams/ Like waves, like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull, they are free/ Rode a horse around the world/ Along the tracks of a train/ Broke the record, found the gold/ Set myself free again/ I have pulled myself clear.” Her dreamscape displays the growing determination she has to persevere and succeed.

Polly closes the album with a delicious swirl of sound that encompasses “We Float.” Her use of the word sumptuous perfectly describes the blend of keys and E-bowed guitar. She marries grit with silkiness in a way that gives hope to whatever may come our way next. Polly’s words show one chapter is about to end, but that doesn’t mean all is over as we step into the next chapter: “So will we die of shock?/ Die without a trial/ Die on Good Friday/ While holding each other tight/ And this is kind of about you/ And this is kind of about me/ We just kind of lost our way/ But we were looking to be free/ But one day we’ll float/ Take life as it comes/ We’ll float.” I love how the subtle hip-hop beat is reminiscent of the rhythmic rumble of subway cars. Again, Harvey’s lyricism feels poignant against this treatment. It shows a growth from the fear that opened the record to a resolved woman seasoned for the next storm.

The promotional single to the bonus track “This Wicked Tongue”. (Photo from Genius)

A bonus track found on European releases of the record is the cutting whirlwind of “This Wicked Tongue.” Polly’s fuzzy vocals are nearly overtaken by the barrage of guitars that chip away at her. This energy feels like the miasmic evil that Harvey screams into the void for answers to, “So I asked him, ‘Where’s the heart/ In the rubbish heap of man?’/ And I asked him, ‘Where’s the soul?’/ And the silence rang and rang and rang and rang and rang/ So I stare into the sun/ And I fly from star to star/ Cursing everyone/. In my ringing ears/ And the noise is as much as I could bear.” She excellently captures the sense of anxiety that threatens to eat you alive sonically. It’s a challenge to a higher power to allow such chaos and sorrow to run free.

The artwork for the demos release of Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. (Photo from Spotify)

It’s no wonder Polly won her first Mercury Prize for this release. Harvey’s nuanced take on a glossier sound retains the raw edge listeners have come to appreciate while demonstrating her knack for expressive songwriting.

This is decidedly the most accessible Polly has ever sounded. As a whole, this gives audiences the full spectrum of life in the big city. She never shies from the grittier sides, allowing them to mold her into a more confident form as the album progresses. This seems to have blossomed a feeling of whimsy that Harvey gleefully experiments with deeper in the garage band crunchiness of her follow-up record Uh Huh Her.

Stories…is a masterclass on how to use polish to your advantage. For me, it’s an entire no-skip project. I invite all alternative rock fans to bathe in the luxurious waters Harvey has drawn for us.

My overall thoughts on Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea:

Loved it: “Big Exit,” “Good Fortune,” “A Place Called Home,” “One Line,” “Beautiful Feeling,” “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore,” “This Mess We’re In,” “You Said Something,” “Kamikaze,” “This is Love,” “Horses in My Dreams,” “We Float,” & “This Wicked Tongue.”

Liked it: None

Disliked it: None

My overall rating: 10 out of 10.

Sources:

[embed]Checking In With . . . PJ Harvey The woman on stage at the Viper Room is typically intense. Dressed in a black sequined top open at the navel, the…www.latimes.com

[embed]PJ Harvey - Horses in My Dreams Horses in My Dreams Lyrics: Horses in my dreams / Like waves, like the sea / They pull out of here / They pull, they…genius.com