The music video for PJ Harvey’s forthcoming single “The Piano” has been put online. Directed by longtime Harvey collaborator Maria Mochnacz, the video features collages of risque photographs (censored by black bars) that make various shapes and spell various words. Definitely an interesting take on the song, although there are no live shots of Polly. Check out the video here!
The second single off of White Chalk will be “The Piano.” NME reports that the single will be released November 26th as a limited edition 7″ and a download, much like the album’s first single “When Under Ether.” Also like the first single, it features a b-side recorded nearly two decades ago.
“Heaven” is a solo track from the unreleased Automatic Dlamini album Here Catch Shouted His Father, recorded in 1988. The band was one of the first in which Harvey played, and it was where she met John Parish, a musician who has participated in PJ Harvey’s music consistently since then. Parish figured prominently in the recording of White Chalk.
PJ Harvey will be appearing on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show this Friday, November 2nd. The show, already recorded, is a half hour of live music and interview with the show’s host, Nic Harcourt. If you’re in the area, tune in at 11am or check out the program archive posted at kcrw.com.
PJ Harvey will be performing several shows in Australia and New Zealand next February. For more information, as well as setlists from the latest shows, visit the tour section.
Also, some miscellaneous notes:
Apologies to all who attempted to visit the site recently. I have made some changes that will hopefully keep bandwidth usage lower. Unfortunately, this means I will not - at least for the time being - post mp3s of b-sides or rare tracks. I’m looking into posting these tracks on some free file-sharing sites.
Finally, catching up on some news from last month:
PJ Harvey appeared on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno on October 16th. She performed “Grow Grow Grow” off her new album White Chalk. A video of the performance has been posted on YouTube.
Harvey was also heard on All Songs Considered, NPR’s music show. The show is archived at NPR.org.
PJ Harvey’s new album White Chalk will be released on September 24th in the UK and October 2nd in the US (pre-order from Amazon). The album was produced by Polly, Flood & John Parish and features musical contributions from long time associate, Eric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart, Polyphonic Spree), and also Jim White (Dirty Three).
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01. The Devil
02. Dear Darkness 03. Grow Grow Grow 04. When Under Ether 05. White Chalk 06. Broken Harp 07. Silence 08. To Talk To You 09. The Piano 10. Before Departure 11. The Mountain |
Read a review of White Chalk at uncut.co.uk Preview tracks:- The Devil from last month’s Manchester preformance
“When Under Ether” has been named as the first single off PJ Harvey’s forthcoming album White Chalk. The track will be available for download and in 7″ format on September 17th, one week prior to the release of White Chalk, and contains a b-side, “Wait,” which pjharvey.net describes as “one of the first songs ever recorded by Polly in 1988.” Polly performed “When Under Ether” last year in Copenhagen, and a video of it is available on YouTube.
The latest issue of Rolling Stone (Issue 1034, with Maroon 5 on the cover) gave the track a four-star review. Here is what Rob Sheffield wrote:
When a PJ Harvey song begins, “The ceiling is moving,” you know you’re in for some strange kicks. The first song to leak from her hotly awaited new album, White Chalk, is a brief, incredibly eerie piano ballad. The Peej sings about lying on her bed, drifting in and out of consciousness, haunted by “human kindness.” This is better than anything on Harvey’s last album, 2004’s Uh Huh Her, and bodes extremely well for the rest of White Chalk.
Mick Harvey (no relation), a musician who’s worked on many of PJ Harvey’s albums and is a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, has released a new solo record. Two Of Diamonds is his fourth solo outing, after Intoxicated Man, Pink Elephants, and One Man’s Treasure, and it contains a gem for us PJ Harvey fans: his own version of “Slow-Motion-Movie-Star.”
“Slow-Motion-Movie-Star” is an unreleased track from the Stories era. The first 2000 lucky visitors to the ‘For Peel’ John Peel tribute exhibit received a compilation disc containing the track, but otherwise it’s gone widely unheard. Again, this version is different from PJ Harvey’s version, but it should be great nonetheless.
Author Kate Schatz has produced a fictional novel inspired by PJ Harvey’s 1993 album Rid Of Me. Schatz culls from the many aspects of Harvey’s songs to produce something completely new but tied to the album.
The 14 chapters of the work (each representing a song on the album) explore many themes - among them desire, violence, memory, and family - as we follow two women, Kathleen and Mary.
The novel will be released in August 2007 and is available now for pre-order at amazon.com. For more information, visit pollyharvey.co.uk.
A new book focusing on the lives of 35 women from Dorset has been released. An interview with Polly Jean accompanied by a photo taken by George Wright are found in the volume, compiled by James Crowden.
The book can be purchased in Dorset bookstores or at james-crowden.co.uk.
Update: A dedicated fan at The Garden forums emailed James Crowden, and he supplied some details of interest. Crowden said Polly’s interview is very personal and focuses on her childhood in Dorset, and the influence of her parent’s business on her. The book also contains an interview with PJ Harvey’s mother, Eva. There is one black and white photo of Polly, and she is with her mother in their garden.
Beginning November 24th, No More Grey Gallery (24 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ) will be hosting an exhibition in honor of John Peel, the late BBC 1 radio personality. ‘For Peel’ will include paintings, sculpture, and photography made for John Peel.
The first 2000 visitors will receive a CD containing “Slow-Motion-Movie-Star,” a previously unreleased track by PJ Harvey, as well as offers from many other artists.
For more information, visit the ‘For Peel’ Myspace.