PJ Harvey — Let England Shake
Released 11th February 2011, Island Records
Number 7 on The Edge‘s Top Albums of 2011 list is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock musician PJ Harvey, Let England Shake. Released in February, the album peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart.
Statistics:
- Included in the top-ten lists of 19% of contributors
- Of those, 40% ranked the album in their top three
- Ranked the album of the year by two contributors
Review by Andy Neilson, former writer (did not rank the album):
Some people have a profound skill in summing up a year in a short sentence. Usually these people are not musicians, but in the case of PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake “How is our glorious country sown?” seemed to hit the nail right on the head. Harvey became the first artist to win the Mercury Prize twice this year, and listening through the album (widely regarded as her best work since Stories from the Sea) it is easy to tell why. From the bugle call that rips through ‘This Glorious Land’ to the spooky emptiness of ‘To Bring You My Love’, it seems that Harvey was somehow foretelling the trauma that was to occur in 2011. At its heart, however, the record is not a protest album, but more a consideration of our place in the greater scheme of things. It provides a brief calm and time for reflection against man’s need to destroy. A true masterpiece from one of the country’s greatest songwriting talents.
Other accolades:
- Ranked #1 on NME‘s “50 Best Albums of 2011” list
- Ranked #1 on The Guardian‘s “Albums of 2011” list
- Ranked #1 on BBC Music’s “Top 25 Albums of 2011” list
PJ Harvey — ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’:
2 Comments
didn’t fancy mentioning the turner prize as an ‘other accolade’? 😛
You mean this Turner Prize: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Prize?
The ‘other accolades’ section is maybe misleading: I just meant it as an ‘other lists’ kind of thing, I guess.