"There they are, beyond the one-way aquarium glass, in a faintly beige room amid a forest of microphone stands, racks of instruments, familiar and arcane. Cables snake between arrays of winking electronic gubbins towards a partitioned-off mixing desk. This could be anywhere or nowhere at all. Harvey began settling in, and laying down tracks earlier this week. Thursday evening they were having trouble with a chorus, “Near all the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln”. It sounded turgid. “Could you all sing like you’re somebody else?” PJ suggests.
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She is the only woman in the room. The boys, seasoned multi-instrumentalists to a man, get to it. “I think the bit about the alien children would be good here,” she chirps. Nobody seems to listen. The playback, coming over the speakers, is so far generic and undistinguished. On Friday, the sound was filling out, as the public crowded in to get their first view. It’s that bloody chorus again.

Recording a studio album isn’t a performance. It is an accumulation of multiple fragments. For any given hour, we only get to see a bit of it. The songs build incrementally.

“You have to go through dull moments to get to the goods,” Harvey told Artangel’s Michael Morris in an interview.

There’s more atmosphere on the audience’s side of the glass, in a dimly lit L-shaped space where we are free to wander, look, and listen as the speakers pipe in the sound and the musicians wait for their mojo. It is the same for us, silent and invisible to the crowded studio beyond the glass.

It is like watching zoo creatures. You want to poke them with a stick, make them do stuff, screw and eat each other. I want the scene to explode, like the infamous, hilarious bootleg recording of the Troggs arguing in the studio (which went on to influence This is Spinal Tap). So far, Harvey’s still on that chorus. Producer Flood makes suggestions: “How about a hurdy-gurdy? I’m hearing violins.” Out come the instruments and off we go again."

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/16/pj-harvey-somerset-house-recording-in-progress

Apparently, this program includes an interview with Polly, but the resolution is too low, so the only thing I "decrypted" from here is "There's a remarkable song called "I'll Be Waiting" (?)", and it's inspired by William Blake.
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Found bigger one:



Another song title - "Throwing Nothing".

"It's a much more GEOpolitical record than Let England Shake"

Also this:

"Sheets with the lyrics to this and nine other songs were mounted on the wall for visitors to see, with names including “Sight-Seeing”, “South of the River”, “The Chain of Keys” and “Around Your Eyes” – all heavily annotated by Harvey and dated to 2012."

"Looking oblivious to anyone outside, Harvey sat in the middle of the room with headphones on, nodding her head to the music.

When Harvey herself spoke or briefly played the violin – which was rare during the 45 minutes – the group fell into a hushed silence. But it was violinist James Johnson who was the focus of the studio rather than Harvey herself.

As the vocals to a chorus looped, he played along, stopping, and then returning again and again."

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/pj-harveys-recording-at-somerset-house-the-viewers-are-bathed-in-an-eerie-halflight-9984546.html

Ok, so we already got 9 of 10 song titles:

"Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln"

"Homo Sappy Blues"

"Imagine This"

"I'll Be Waiting"

"Throwing Nothing"

"Sight-Seeing"

"South of the River"

"The Chain of Keys"

"Around Your Eyes"

So, this is gearing up to be Let England Shake pt.2? My excitement is dwindling.

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the correct term would be f****d-up

Article in Spanish


http://wp.me/p4NZhc-pJ

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!!!! I love PJ Harvey...She changed my life forever ¡¡¡¡¡

BBC Radio 4 Front Row program talking about Recording In Progress, skip to 10:28 mark.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xs4bj

Article by Tracey Thorn not buying this whole thing.

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/201 ... ing-studio

I totally get why there's no audio / video recording allowed, but could they give away at least a few official photos (just to know how it looks visually)?

according to this seamus murphy is filming it.. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/j ... gress-fans

Thanks for the link! Apparently, yesterday I glanced at this article and thought that I've already read it. "...some showing starlings, others donkeys, and two the building of the ministry of social affairs in Kabul, which is also the title of one of the album tracks" - probably, the 10th song is called "The Ministry of Social Affairs" or something like that.

Saturday 17th, 1.00:

There had been warnings that we might just get to see a bass guitar being tuned up, in the name of this art installation. But, as i walked down the basement corridor, I began to hear music, and PJ Harvey singing!

The viewing area is a sparse white L-shape, around large windows looking in on a cluttered recording studio space. Cables run across the floor. John Parish sits surrounded by pedal boards and a few assorted acoustic and electric guitars and a trombone. A multi-instrumentalist is concentrating on making notes on his violin part for something, amongst keyboards and an electric guitar. Another guy sits surrounded by saxes and some form of trumpet/ flugelhorn.

And, occupying the central space, stands Polly, in black jacket and trousers, a black tee with a white print on it, hair rolling down her shoulders, finishing a sing through "Chain of keys". Behind her is an upright piano. Alongside her a saxophone and a bass clarinet (referred to later in relation to this track).

Once through, there is a discussion about the guitar line and the next take has Parish strumming a small nylon string acoustic backing Polly's falsetto run through, including, as she repeats the chorus a final time, an improvised sung "When will you stop playing, John Parish?"!

There follows some discussion between Polly, producer Flood, and Parish as to preferred vocal styles, with Flood clearly moved by the falsetto. Parish is worrying about two points of distortion on the guitar line, then they do another take - a slightly stronger vocal interpretation.

It is fascinating to see the professional relationships at work: This take, Flood doesn't think the first few lines sounded right; Polly concurs - not as emotional as the falsetto version.

Then another run through. This time Parish suggest a re-run of the last chorus, which is done.

Seamus Murphy is trying to surreptitiously take photos, but isn't getting away with it, earning a friendly rebuke from Polly ("Seamus! Just shush!") and a friendly but firmer intervention from Flood. Clearly no real upset though.

Then a discussion - how would the falsetto hold up against the "Russian gospel" choir? (What?!) Or against the "guitar orchestra? (Come again??!) And anyway (says Polly) a falsetto against a loud backing sounds false and would be hard to reproduce live (Was that a hint at touring???!)

She decides to do a loud take as a guide track for them to set down the guitar orchestra to - coming to an abrupt halt as she forgets a line, but quickly picking it up and completing the run through.

And then the guitar orchestra get ready! Two acoustics and two electrics, Polly on one.... And as they are tuning up,..... we are ushered out of the space!

I suspect the final version of "Chain of keys" will sound radically different to what I've witnessed. But I hope some element of what I experienced makes the final cut.

So, was this art? Absolutely. Watching just part of the journey of a PJ Harvey song is a rare insight into her world. I know the tickets for this are few and far between, which just enhances the "behind the scenes experience", making it all the more special.

And roll on release date!

Did you find it similar to LES era? Looks like she is recording them quite quickly.

I am going on the 24th.

Also just remembered at one point Polly said she needed to sing "thinking more of the honey" for a smoother take!