Album Reviews

P.J. Harvey & John Parish - A Woman a Man Walked By

Polly Jean Harvey has carved out a lot of dark spaces on her albums. From the evocative and harsh Riot Grrl-ish lashings of her early-to-mid ’90s works Dry and To Bring You My Love, Harvey has stomped headfirst into the cock-heavy world of rock ’n’ roll. On A Woman A Man Walked By, she teams up with producer and innovative guitarist John Parish, a frequent collaborator. Where the album really succeeds is on “The Soldier,” a delicate whisper of a song built around simple guitar strums and lonesome piano tinkling. Parish’s guitar work is as distinctive as Harvey’s voice; at times it’s reverbed out and beautiful, while at other moments it’s coarse and weathered. “Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen” showcases Parish’s eclectic approach to the acoustic guitar, wherein notes that would normally sound off-key or odd fit right into his barroom-meets back-porch-style playing. The languish of Harvey’s vocals on “Chair” coupled with Parish’s dissonant electric-guitar assaults makes for an interesting rocker. A Woman A Man Walked By sheds a little light on Harvey’s enshrouded realms, making for a more relaxed and fun listen that doesn’t lose its edge to levity.

By Drew Tewksbury

from Musica Universalis column in Flaunt Magazine, Issue 103 May 2009

View a PDF tearsheet of this review
*
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Your Perusal:

Related posts:

1. Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump
2. Ryan Gosling
3. Earthless/ Psychic Paramount
4. Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
5. Crystal Antlers - Tentacles

© 2009 Drew Tewksbury: Multimedia Journalist.