Acclaimed Music Forums

Be careful, England is beginning to shake...



PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" (2011)

Tracklisting:
01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Last Living Rose
03 | The Glorious Land
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
05 | All and Everyone
06 | On Battleship Hill
07 | England
08 | In the Dark Places
09 | Bitter Branches
10 | Hanging in the Wire
11 | Written on the Forehead
12 | The Colour of the Earth

Swingin' lovers, get ready, next week will be yours...

The Words that Maketh Murder
The Glorious Land
The Colour of the Earth
Let England Shake
On Battleship Hill
In the Dark Places
Written on the Forehead
The Last Living Rose
England
All and Everyone
Hanging in the Wire
Bitter Branches

Pretty sweet album. Multitudes of anti-war albums have been made over the years, but this one is special in its conceptual perspective.

I guess I like the first half a lot more

03 | The Glorious Land
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
01 | Let England Shake
06 | On Battleship Hill
02 | The Last Living Rose
08 | In the Dark Places
07 | England
05 | All and Everyone
09 | Bitter Branches
11 | Written on the Forehead
12 | The Colour of the Earth
10 | Hanging in the Wire

Is To Pimp a Butterfly going to get the Rank the Tracks treatment soon, or are we holding off on that until it's officially on the AM charts?

Well, prosecutorgodot, my plan is to rank 60 albums more to complete a total of 100 following the original plan of BleuPanda. If during this time (more or less 15 months) an update comes the albums to rank will be modified according to the new update, including "To Pimp a Butterfly" if it's the case. If not, maybe we can rank other albums (that people could suggest by means of a mini-poll or something like that) after the 100. If there is interest enough by then...

Hard album to rank because all of the songs are of a similar good quality.

The Last Living Rose
The Words That Maketh Murder
The Glorious Land
In the Dark Places
England
All and Everyone
Written on the Forehead
Let England Shake
The Colour of the Earth
On Battleship Hill
Hanging in the Wire
Bitter Branches

05 | All and Everyone
03 | The Glorious Land
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
08 | In the Dark Places
01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Last Living Rose
11 | Written on the Forehead
09 | Bitter Branches
06 | On Battleship Hill
12 | The Colour of the Earth
07 | England
10 | Hanging in the Wire

"'All and Everyone' is the longest track on the album. Dark, formal and auspicious, it starts with epic gravitas and grandeur building to a controlled and inevitable finale, like death itself. The care-free singalong of the refrain: "As we advancing, in the sun, singing death to all and everyone" strikes me as soldiers meeting their ends with a tune in their heads, buoyed with love of each other and accepting their lot with a jeer. Its slowed-down delivery extends time like slow motion, a deliberate heightening of mortal last moments. It demands reaction and makes me think how cursory the nature of killing and being killed becomes during war, making it all the more worthless" (Seamus Murphy, taken from the liner notes of "PJ Harvey, Let England Shake, 12 Short Films by Seamus Murphy).

03 | The Glorious Land
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
05 | All and Everyone
01 | Let England Shake
08 | In the Dark Places
02 | The Last Living Rose
09 | Bitter Branches
06 | On Battleship Hill
07 | England
12 | The Colour of the Earth
10 | Hanging in the Wire
11 | Written on the Forehead

03 | The Glorious Land *
01 | Let England Shake *
08 | In the Dark Places *
09 | Bitter Branches
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
06 | On Battleship Hill
05 | All and Everyone
02 | The Last Living Rose
10 | Hanging in the Wire
12 | The Colour of the Earth
07 | England
11 | Written on the Forehead

Personal favorites (songs I give an 8 or higher) *
Overall album rating: 7.08

Results after the first week:

01 | The Glorious Land | 1,7 points
02 | The Words That Maketh Murder | 2,5 points
03 | Let England Shake | 4,3 points
04 | In the Dark Places | 4,7 points
05 | The Last Living Rose | 5,7 points
06 | All and Everyone | 5,8 points
07 | On Battleship Hill | 7,0 points
08 | Bitter Branches | 8,7 points
09 | England | 8,7 points
10 | The Colour of the Earth | 8,8 points
11 | Written on the Forehead | 9,2 points
12 | Hanging in the Wire | 11,0 points

11 | Written on the Forehead
02 | The Last Living Rose
09 | Bitter Branches
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
01 | Let England Shake
06 | On Battleship Hill
08 | In the Dark Places
10 | Hanging in the Wire
12 | The Colour of the Earth
03 | The Glorious Land
05 | All and Everyone
07 | England

05 | All and Everyone
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
02 | The Last Living Rose
08 | In the Dark Places
07 | England
06 | On Battleship Hill
09 | Bitter Branches
03 | The Glorious Land
10 | Hanging in the Wire
12 | The Colour of the Earth
01 | Let England Shake
11 | Written on the Forehead

"What if I take my problem to the United Nations?"

01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Words That Maketh Murder
03 | England
04 | Bitter Branches
05 | The Glorious Land
06 | Written on the Forehead
07 | In the Dark Places
08 | The Last Living Rose
09 | Hanging in the Wire
10 | The Colour of the Earth
11 | On Battleship Hill
12 | All and Everyone

The Glorious Land
Let England Shake
All And Everyone
Written On The Forehead
The Words That Maketh Murder
The Last Living Rose
In The Dark Places
On Battleship Hill
Hanging On The Wire
Bitter Branches
The Colour of the Earth
England

01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Last Living Rose
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
06 | On Battleship Hill
09 | Bitter Branches
08 | In the Dark Places
03 | The Glorious Land
07 | England
05 | All and Everyone
12 | The Colour of the Earth
11 | Written on the Forehead
10 | Hanging in the Wire

03 | The Glorious Land
01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Last Living Rose
05 | All and Everyone
07 | England
06 | On Battleship Hill
08 | In the Dark Places
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
09 | Bitter Branches
10 | Hanging in the Wire
12 | The Colour of the Earth
11 | Written on the Forehead

01 | Let England Shake
12 | The Colour of the Earth
02 | The Last Living Rose
04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
03 | The Glorious Land
06 | On Battleship Hill
05 | All and Everyone
08 | In the Dark Places
07 | England
09 | Bitter Branches
11 | Written on the Forehead
10 | Hanging in the Wire

04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
03 | The Glorious Land
01 | Let England Shake
02 | The Last Living Rose
08 | In the Dark Places
11 | Written on the Forehead
07 | England
06 | On Battleship Hill
05 | All and Everyone
12 | The Colour of the Earth
10 | Hanging in the Wire
09 | Bitter Branches

09| Bitter Branches
11| Written on the Forehead
12| The Colour of the Earth
10| Hanging in the Wire
05| All and Everyone
07| England
04| The Words That Maketh Murder
06| On Battleship Hill
01| Let England Shake
03| The Glorious Land
08| In the Dark Places
02| The Last Living Rose

Good evening,

My second favourite album of the 2010’s.

I was a big fan of PJ Harvey after Rid of me and To bring you my love, but a series of less glorious albums (at least for me), from Is this desire? to White chalk reduced my interest to almost nothing.

When I first heard Let England shake I was totally shocked. It was very different from the PJ I had loved in the 90’s, but as good as them and much more accessible.

She later confirmed the return to her best form with the also great (but unfortunately underrated) The hope six demolition project.

Here is my list. First four could easily switch positions in any order.

1- 03 | The Glorious Land
2- 04 | The Words That Maketh Murder
3- 06 | On Battleship Hill
4- 01 | Let England Shake
5- 08 | In the Dark Places
6- 05 | All and Everyone
7- 09 | Bitter Branches
8- 10 | Hanging in the Wire
9- 11 | Written on the Forehead
10- 12 | The Colour of the Earth
11- 02 | The Last Living Rose
12- 07 | England

Best regards,