PJ Harvey-White Chalk (2007)-Kristy Parker
PJ Harvey: White Chalk (2007)
By Kristy Parker
When I listened to PJ Harvey’s latest album, White Chalk, I was prepared for her music to go in a different direction since her entire back catalogue has many different sonic textures and styles. To be honest, I actually respect her a great deal for being brave and not sticking to one tried and true formula to sell albums. I personally loved her 1998 release, Is This Desire?, which is entirely different than the raw gutter blues/punk of her previous albums. I viewed the dark ambient, electronic feel of that album as a natural progression of her personal exploration as a musician. Musicians are like visual artists because they change their instrumentation to match the musical message they want to convey; this process is similar to the way a painter can change their media to a graphite pencil if that would be the most effective way to capture their idea.
The cover of White Chalk gives a good overall impression of the delicate and lonely timbre of the eleven tracks. The image of Polly Jean in a traditional Victorian gown brings to mind her duet with Nick Cave, ‘Henry Lee’; PJ becomes the lonely, repressed woman of the Victorian era featured in that haunting duet. She’s completely alone and on the edge of losing her sanity. No where this message clearer than in the lyrics of the albums opening track, ‘The Devil’: I go out to the old milestone/Insanely expecting you to come there knowing/That I wait for you there.
On repeated listening of White Chalk, her instrumentation makes more sense if you think of the album in a conceptual sense. Since she is becoming a Victorian character, it makes sense that her ‘character’ uses the instruments that would have been available at that time: a harp, harmonica, acoustic guitar, and an old upright piano.
Another important difference in PJ’s new album is her different approach to vocalization. In her previous work, she was known for her forceful alto and sensual intonation. This time around she pulls everything back and adopts a surprisingly innocent falsetto in most the songs. Listen to the darkly beautiful chorus of ‘White Chalk’ if you want an example of how this new technique gives her music an ethereal equality.
The standout track on this album would have to be the foreboding lullaby of ‘When Under Ether.” The sparse, hypnotic piano arrangement coupled with surreal and disturbing lyrics make this song stick in your subconscious long after you’re done listening to it. I still get the chills when hear Ms. Harvey sing: Something’s inside me/
Unborn and unblessed/Disappears in the ether/This world to the next.
Other notable tracks include: ‘The Piano,’ which has murderous undertones; ‘Silence,’ a song that expresses the loneliness and isolation of woman who speak, yet have no voice; and ‘Dear Darkness,’ that has some of the most beautifully simple piano I’ve ever heard.
I recommend that long-time PJ Harvey fans listen to this album with an open mind. One first listen, you may become confused, even a bit disappointed. Trust me, this will pass once you get over your initial shock. This is truly the music of nightmares and the chills you get down your spine when you know you’re not alone even when there is not another person in sight. PJ finds beauty in fear, loneliness, and death through the music of White Chalk and like a fine wine, this album will become better with time and careful listening.
Copyright C 2007 Kristy Parker