One of the albums of the year at A Girl Called Sam blog. Let England Shake is the first, and only album so far, to receive 10/10 from them. I know next to nothing about this site, though!:
http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/13 ... s-album-ofThis year we decided that instead of arbitrarily assigning numbers to our favourite albums and putting them into a league table, we’d just pick some of the records we enjoyed the most and write about them. And while I could claim this was a noble move to examine music on it’s own merit and not make everything a competition, the real reason for abandoning the list format is simply that it’s awfully crowded at the top. In my initial review of PJ Harvey’s “Let England Shake” I gave the record AGCS’s first (and so far only) 10/10 grade, but while I still think it’s the most brilliant, the most accomplished album released this year, the truth is there are albums I’ve listened to and enjoyed more.
That’s not to say “Let England Shake” isn’t an enjoyable listen; considering the often harrowing subject matter it’s the most accessible PJ Harvey record in a decade. The opening four tracks alone contain some of the most memorable hooks Harvey has ever written, while elsewhere she takes to sampling obscure reggae to great effect. Indeed, in spite of the record’s focus on death and destruction, PJ sounds like she’s having fun, something it would be hard to say of much of her post-Millennial output. And in England and The Colour of the Earth she’s crafted not just two of this year’s most moving songs but two of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard.
I could go on about Polly Jean for ages, but seeing as I wrote a pretty comprehensive review of the record back in March, I would just be repeating what I’ve already said. So I’ll just say this - if you have somehow managed to avoid the glowing reviews, the Mercury win, the broadsheet fawning over this record, then you need to listen to it immediately. And for those of you who haven’t been in hiding, who have seen the praise lavished upon this album and dismissed it as hype or the bandwagon effect, more fool you. Because you should believe the hype, as this is a more than worthy Album of the Year.
Jed. x
http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/13 ... s-album-ofAnd here's the original review by Jed. I think I may have posted this before:
http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/38 ... land-shake
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)..... AND a good friendly and relaxing atmosphere 
. Seriously, I don't know a better site on the web. Why there are only 1,266 registered members here (I just looked), is a mystery to me.
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