But I *Like* Brussel Sprouts

PJ Harvey
Album: To Bring You My Love
Down By The Water

I'm never quite sure how to approach PJ Harvey's music.  That is, I like it and all, but I don't like it as much as I think I should like it.  If ya know what I mean.  For me, listening to her is the aural equivalent of eating brussel sprouts; I know it's healthy, but it leaves a faintly bitter aftertaste.

Why?  Why don't I like her music more?  It's a bit of a mystery.  Harvey isn't a great melodist, granted, but hell I like noise rock, so that's obviously a lame excuse.  I must admit that I don't respond well to her overly dramatic stage presence.  It all seems a bit artificial, as if she's telling me what to feel, as opposed to engaging me in conversation.  And she seems crazy pretentious, which I can't fucking stand.

Anyway.  This tune rocks, so I'm willing to put up with the pretense and the artifice, at least temporarily.  The idea for the song came to Harvey from a newspaper article about a woman who drowned her daughter because of her child's budding sexuality.  Yup.  Really pleasant stuff.  But whatever.  The bass line is intense, and the whispered final refrain -- "Little fish, big fish / Swimming in the water / Come back here man / Give me my daughter" -- leaves me all goosebumpy.  The shimmering percussion plays well against that meaty slabbed bass line.  And there's a bluesy element to the music, which is not surprising given Harvey's acknowledgement of old time blues as a strong influence.  She cites Captain Beefheart as another formative favorite, which is pretty damn cool.

By the way, Harvey has sorta dropped off the cultural map, but she was widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the 90s.  To Bring You My Love was released in 1995 and was cited as album of the year by many influential critics, and it ranked third on Spin magazine's top 90 albums of the 90s, behind only Nirvana (Nevermind) and Public Enemy (It Takes A Nation Of Millions...).  Excellent company.