For this 2000 release, Polly Jean Harvey returns to the energetic style of her earlier recordings. Much of the album was written in, and influenced by, her 6-month stay in NY during 1999, which may account for its grittier feel. This is the sound that initially garnered PJ a loyal following, beginning with the release of the independent single Dress. With the release of Dry, critics began to take notice of PJ's raw Patti Smith-influenced style and emotive, often angry lyrics. This album promises to be a favorite for critics and fans alike, as it blends the harshness of Dry with the more toned-down sound of Is This Desire. Not to be missed!

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, released 23 October 2000 on Island Records. Recorded during March to April 2000, the album contains themes of love that are tied into Harvey's affection for New York City.Cinquemani, Sal. . Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-03-21. It became the second major commercial success of her recording career, following her successful breakthrough To Bring You My Love (1995). Upon its release, the album received general acclaim from most music critics and earned Harvey several accolades, including the 2001 Mercury Prize. It has been cited by several music writers as her best work.Hoard, Christian. "". Rolling Stone: 368–369. November 2, 2004.

Background

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea was recorded at the Great Linford Manor in Milton Keynes in March–April 2000. The record was co-produced by Head, Rob Ellis and Harvey, and mixed by Victor Van Vugt at the Fallout Shelter. The album featured a duet with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke on the track "This Mess We're In", as well as backing vocals and keyboards from Yorke on the songs "One Line" and "Beautiful Feeling".

"This Mess We're In" was featured in the series finale of Queer as Folk, in the final love scene shared between the two main characters. The song was subsequently included on the series' fifth soundtrack.

Harvey told Q in 2001, "I wanted everything to sound as beautiful as possible. Having experimented with some dreadful sounds on Is This Desire? and To Bring You My Love - where I was really looking for dark, unsettling, nauseous-making sounds - Stories From The City... was the reaction. I thought, No, I want absolute beauty. I want this album to sing and fly and be full of reverb and lush layers of melody. I want it to be my beautiful, sumptuous, lovely piece of work." She did, however, concede jokingly that it was only "pop according to PJ Harvey, which is probably as un-pop as you can get according to most people's standards."

Reception

Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea sold slightly over one million copies worldwide. It peaked at a modest #23 in the UK Albums Chart but charted for 17 weeks over a period of about 18 months. The album debuted at number 42 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.Columnist. . Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-03-21. As of 2009, according to Billboard, Stories has sold 299,000 copies in the US.

The album received general acclaim from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 88/100 from Metacritic.. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-03-21. Rolling Stone praised it as "the best album of her career" and NME hailed it "a magnificent, life-affirming opus" in their 9/10-rated review.

Accolades

The album earned Harvey BRIT Award nominations as Best British Female Artist for two years running, as well as two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Female Rock Performance for the single "This Is Love". For the album, Harvey was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize for the third time (her previous nominations were for Rid of Me and To Bring You My Love). The award ceremony was held on September 11, 2001. Harvey was in Washington, D.C. on that day and witnessed the events at the Pentagon from her hotel room window. She was announced as the winner and accepted her award by phone, saying "It has been a very surreal day. All I can say is thank you very much, I am absolutely stunned."BBC News, "PJ Harvey wins Mercury Prize" The win made Harvey the first female solo artist to receive the Mercury Prize in the awards history. The album was ranked number eight on Rolling Stones list of The 50 Essential "Women In Rock" Albums. In 2002, Q magazine named "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea" the Greatest Album of All-Time by a Female Artist.http In 2006, the album was chosen by Time as one of the 100 best albums of all time. In 2009, Pitchfork Media named the album the 124th Greatest Album of the 2000s. In 2009, NME also placed the album inside their Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade, at number 6

Singles and promo videos

* "Good Fortune"

* "A Place Called Home"

* "This Is Love"/"You Said Something" (two versions)

* "You Said Something"

Personnel

* PJ Harvey: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, djembe, maracas, producer, engineer

* Rob Ellis: drums, piano, synthesizer, keyboards, harpsichord, tambourine, electric piano, background vocals, producer

* Mick Harvey: organ, bass, drums, percussion, harmonium, keyboards, background vocals, producer

* Thom Yorke: vocals, keyboards

* Head: engineer, mixing

* Victor Van Vugt: mixing

* Howie Weinberg: mastering

* Rob Crane: design

* Maria Mochnacz: design, photography

References

This text has been derived from Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0