P J Harvey (was Finally-Happy/Funny Story/My Analysis-Opinion)

[estephen@netcom.com (E. Stephen Mack)]

| **Has anyone ever heard of either of these two artists:
|    - Bell Canto   >Unicorn
|    - P.J. Harvey  >Dress
|
| I have caught both of them only quickly on a college radio station
| before they faded out - sounded good.
|
| I swear Bell Canto sounded like the lead from the Cocteau Twins and
| P. J. Harvey was a folksey mix of Vega/10,000 M's and the lead singer
| from the Throwing Muses.

Old news, but I can't resist emphasizing how great P J Harvey's album
"Dry" is.  Polly is her own person so I'm not going to compare her to
Kate or Tori or anyone else, but I think it's safe to say that if you
like the music that you read about here, you'll like this too.  

"Dress" is the big hit in England while "Sheela-Na-Gig" is the big hit
in America.  (Warning: subjective opinion.)  "Big hit" in this case is
a relative term meaning "not that big at all really, especially when
you go looking at Kriss Kross sales [`bleaugh' -- editor]," but still,
she's caused some ripples.  She deserves a flood.

Yes, you've heard the song "Sheela-Na-Gig" -- probably, if you listen
to college radio or modern rock radio stations.  It's that song that
has the "You exhibitionist" and "Gonna wash that brown right out of
my hair" bits.  Sorry, I can't sing.

But you should not let these two songs stand for the whole album; it's
a ride that takes you to lots of different cool places, high and low
and dark and deserted.  The album as a whole has a more guitar-driven,
heavier sound than you may be used to.  There aren't too many piano
solos or keyboard melodies if you get my drift -- mostly guitar, drums
and great vocals.  With the occasional violin, cello and harmonium.

| Bye All

Buy it...

| Kim Stauffers
| rkstauff@APG-9.APG.ARMY.MIL (Kimberly Stauffer AMSTE-LGS 4900)

[estephen]		E. Stephen Mack		estephen@netcom.com