REVIEW: PJ Harvey, White Chalk (2007)

My whole life I have wanted to write record reviews, but I never did because I didn’t think I had the time (or ability) to do it “the correct way”.

A few days ago, it suddenly dawned on me — don’t know why it took so long — that I could write record reviews the same way I do other writing: in my own idiosyncratic style. I would just offer my impressions of a record, without researching the entire history of the artist or whatever. Why not? What I like most about a particular record usually isn’t possible to communicate by just listing technical facts or track-by-track details anyway — and often has nothing at all to do with the history of an artist or band.

Some of my favorite records have been the ones that came as a surprise… the ones a friend recommended, or I discovered by accident, or I heard playing somewhere random, rather than ones I purposely sought out. And those are usually the records that it’s hardest to write a traditional style review about.

So White Chalk by PJ Harvey is a good candidate for my first review. For starters, White Chalk has been out almost a year, yet I didn’t discover it until a few weeks ago. I heard a few sample tracks and was thrilled by the piano-based atmospheric sound of what I heard.

I’m also not very familiar with PJ Harvey’s career. I had heard her name mentioned in the ’90’s as some kind of indie guitar singer, but never really paid much attention. There was so much good music in the ’90’s that I guess she just got lost in the shuffle for me. The first time she really got my interest was when she produced, wrote songs, and played on Marianne Faithfull’s incredible 2005 album Before The Poison.

The main things I like about this record are PJ’s amazing ethereal voice and the PIANO. The majority of songs on White Chalk are piano-based and they just sound FANTASTIC. Very few people really use piano in rock settings for these types of songs — at least I personally can only think of a handful — and it works great.

This is another interesting coincidence, since apparently this record was a new style for Ms. Harvey. Her previous albums were more guitar-based, and she’s changed her singing style a bit from previous records too, singing in a much higher register. I read one interview with her saying she wanted to take a chance and do something different. Well, all I can say is that it DEFINITELY paid off in a big way.

White Chalk is not a record that I instantly was singing along with, not the kind of music that makes good “background noise”. It’s the kind of work that is, well, pleasant enough at first, so you play it a few times. At some point, it really gets into your brain and forces you to pay attention to its musical landscape (rather than just fitting nicely into your environment). And it’s a lovely landscape to explore — White Chalk will no doubt be in my regular rotation for years to come.

Since I don’t yet know a lot about this artist, it’s hard to really have a reference point for this record (or guess its influences). I hear whispers here of everything from John Lennon’s late ’70’s piano demos to Emmylou Harris. But that’s the great thing about music that just resonates with you in some deep way: knowing the references points are optional (though I do plan to check out some of PJ’s earlier stuff and hope I won’t be disappointed with her other sound).

I get the impression that I’d be wasting my time trying to find any direct comparison though because PJ Harvey obviously follows her own style — another reason she’s a very appropriate artist for this review. All I can say is, I hope she has more great music where White Chalk came from. Next time, I’ll certainly be paying attention.

STAND-OUT TRACKS: “Grow Grow Grow”, “When Under Ether” (apparently the single), “White Chalk” (with guitar and banjo), “Silence” (lovely harmonies).

RATING: FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS

Link (to “White Chalk” Wikipedia entry)