I’ve heard PJ Harvey talking in interviews about how this is a set of folk songs. Well, not sure about that Peej, but it is a fine, evocative album, dealing with the horrors of war in an honest and often outspoken manner. It’s being hailed as her masterpiece, which I can kind of see, but then I’m a long-time admirer of her music, so it’s a bit difficult for me to get perspective.

There’s certainly much for the faithful here: The Last Living Rose has echoes of her earliest material primal material, but she’s taken the personal / sexual focus of that material and turned it to shine on the political. To that end, this is the one album from the Mercury 2011 shortlist that I’ve felt inspired to sit down and read the lyrics for, which helps to get on the same wavelength as the album. They evoke of the style, in theme and content, of the poets of the Great War: so Hanging In The Wire is stuffed full of imagery that wouldn’t be out of place in an Owen or Sassoon poem. Herein lies my one complaint: it’s all a bit “sixth form” for me when taken out of the context of the music. All in all, though, a great album, certainly up there with her others. It may just need a touch more in-depth listening to truly appreciate it.

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